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to
PACIFIC
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BALI mARDAN DAS

 PACIFIC

BALI ITIARDAN DAS

© 1996 by William Berke
All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a re­

trieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means,
including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the
publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

Readers who are interested may correspond with the

author by writing to:
Bali Mardan das
P.O. Box 9
Millwood, NY 10546
Dedicated to my Spiritual Master,
His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,
to whom I am eternally indebted
for the gift of his love, teachings,
and personal association.
Srila Prabhupada often gave me a chance to render service
at his lotus feet.
I am trying to clear a path after a meeting in Penang where
die crowd is eager for “closer” association.
I am entrusted to hold Srila Prabhupada’s “white case”
on the way to an evening program.
Brooklyn Botoj<cal Gardens Janmas taim 1969—
Spiritual bliss f t • . the mouth of rhe’Pcrfea Master
After an evening program in Penang, Malaysia, Dr. Joshi
(far right) ami other distinguished members of the
Indian community meet Srila Prabhupada.

The first Malaysian of Chinese ancestry to become a

devotee offers flower petals in front of our entourage.
Srila Prabhupada’s Australian visa photo—in order to ob­
tain an Australian visa we needed to travel to downtown
Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon heat.
 TABLE ©F CONTENTS

Introduction ----------------------------------------------------- ,■

Why Me?---------------------------------------------- — j
Los Angeles and Beyond... ---------------------- y
Land of the Rising Sun ------------------------------ 11
Down Under --------------------------------------------- 2-1
QBC, Fiji and New Vrindaban -------------------- yy
To Hong Kong------------------------------------------- yy
Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand ------------- y-i
Preparation for Prabhupada ----------------------- yy
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust-------------------------- yy
Prabhupada Arrives in Malaysia ---------------- y I
Prabhupada in Sydney------------------------------ yy
His Secretary in Calcutta------------------------ sy
 “No Vaishnava thinks himself *1 am
very big man. ’ No! He is not Vaish­
nava. Vaishnava means ‘trnadapi
sunicena taror api sahi$nuna\
This is Vaishnava. Even if he is
exalted more than anyone in this
world, still he thinks himself as
lowest”
—Prabhupada lecture 2/18/76

INTR®DUCTI©N

n Febuary 1993 I visited West Bengal to take part in

I the Nabadwip Parikrama, a circumambulation of the

nine islands of the Holy Dham that takes seven
days. In talking with devotees about the upcoming Pra­
bhupada Centennial, I received a number of requests to
write about my experiences with Srila Prabhupada, es­
pecially regarding the early days of our missionary activ­
ities in the Far East and Asia.

When I contemplated the feasibility of this idea, my

first reaction was that I was unfit to undertake the pro­
ject. Later, upon further reflection, there were three
things that convinced me to change my mind. The
first was Srila Prabhupada’s instruction in the last let­
ter he wrote to me; he said that I should “continue to
write very nicely.” For me, this was clear confirmation,
(i 3 vitrdbvccf-foM

but I still doubted my qualification. In Chaitanya Chari-

tamrita, however, I found the inspiration to move for­
ward: Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami, the author, men­
tions the importance of writing for one’s own purifica­
tion. So there was my answer: I would write for my own
benefit, although I was unqualified. My third reason for
beginning may seem less profound than the first two: I
had recently been given the use of a laptop computer; I
now understood why.

My Spiritual Master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktive-

danta Swami Prabhupada, is a personality whose great­
ness defies description. He was and is the Founder-Achar-
ya of The International Society for Krishna Conscious­
ness (ISKCON), a spiritual movement meant to educate
all the world about the supreme reality of existence.

Srila Prabhupada translated huge volumes of ancient

Sanskrit and Bengali literature into English and wrote
elaborate commentaries on them while simultaneously
directing the creation, expansion, and management of a
worldwide spiritual movement for the welfare of all
humanity. In his translation and commentary on Bhaga­
vad-Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Chaitanya Charitamrita,
and Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada gave us access
to the highest and most confidential realizations of Gau-
diya Vaishnavism, the esoteric tradition which he so ably
represented.

In his books, Srila Prabhupada has made himself avail­

able to those seeking the priceless jewel of his eternal
association. In his transcendental words, he not only
 Vifr VObViCHOM tu

delivers himself to the reader but he simultaneously

delivers the Supreme Lord Krishna to them, for the
Lord always fulfills the desires of His unalloyed devo­
tees. But to taste the kind of bhakti-rasa, or nectar of
devotion, that Prabhupada was giving, it is necessary
to develop full faith in Guru and Krishna.

Despite his greatness, we, as his disciples, were blessed

to be able to share an intimate loving relationship with
him. Although Prabhupada was directing the activities
of thousands of his followers all over the world, he made
each person feel that he or she was a recipient of his
special attention and love. He recognized our individu­
ality and taught us its true meaning in spiritual terms.

While rendering personal service to him, one learned

that Srila Prabhupada embodied a standard that was
completely spiritual—free from envy, greed, lust and
the desire for fame or adoration. His only activity in
life was loving Krishna and teaching others to do the
same. In spiritual slang he was known as a “Vaikuntha
man”—he was in this world but not of it. He was and
is here to take us back to home, back to Godhead.

Srila Prabhupada fit the discription of a “nitya-siddha,”

i.e., a pure devotee, an eternally liberated soul in the
material world (who is here only to serve the Lord’s mis­
sion). The scope of his activity revealed him as a “shak-
tyavesh-avatar” as well, that is to say, he was a living
entity who was especially empowered by God. What he
accomplished in a few short years ranks as a rare event in
human history, the greatest dispensation of Divine Com­
IV

passion since the advent of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Himself, some five hundred years ago.

The accomplishments of Srila Prabhupada in fulfilling

the mission of Lord Chaitanya are unprecedented even
when compared with great acharyas of the disciplic suc­
cession (i.e., the unbroken line of masters that dates
back to antiquity). Those of us who had the fortune to
approach his lotus feet received an immeasurable bless­
ing in that we were able to personally witness a great
acharya in action, and he allowed us to work with him
for the sake of the Lord’s mission.

Srila Prabhupada was fond of explaining to us that our

attempt should not be to see Krishna, but rather to act in
such a way that Krishna will want to reveal Himself to
us. In this regard there is nothing more effective than
service to the pure devotee, for by serving one who is
dear to Krishna, Krishna becomes favorably disposed.
And our advancement in spiritual life becomes much
more certain.

For almost two years (from 1969 to 1971) my only direct

contact with Srila Prahbupada was through the ex­
change of letters. These letters from Srila Prabhupada
were the lifeblood of my existence and without them
this small book would not have been possible. I have
incorporated many of his letters into the fabric of this
work. Later, when I served as Srila Prabhupada’s personal
secretary and was responsible for his incoming and outgo­
ing correspondence, I could appreciate its importance on
more than just a personal level—I could see the meaning
 tV C t iO

it had in pushing on the Krishna Consciousness Move­

ment.

This booklet is mainly focused on how Srila Prabhupada

directed the initial spreading of the Krishna Conscious­
ness Movement to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ma­
laysia and Australia, as well as some of the experiences
and situations that were encountered while carrying out
His Divine Grace's directions.

My dandavats at the feet of all of Srila Prabhupada’s fol­

lowers who have traveled to far off lands to preach
Krishna Consciousness. All of them are certainly re­
ceiving the blessings of Guru and Gouranga.

10/27/95
Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day
 WHY m€?

azing over the Pacific Ocean at 30,000 feet

G my mind wandered to some of the events of

the last eighteen months...

It was the summer of 1968 in Greenwich Village, and I

was wandering aimlessly. Through the window of a
storefront at 26 Second Avenue I could see smiling
Jagannath Deities—forms from India—mystically beck­
oning as clouds of incense coiled among swaying devo­
tees. I entered the small storefront as the rhythmic
chanting of the Maha-mantra grew in intensity: Hare
Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-

Swept up in its waves I tasted an inexplicable joy that

permeated my being. Although I was in a room with
2.W ly y

strangers, I had the feeling of having come home. It

was odd, but I knew that my life would never be the
same.

Only several weeks prior to this incident, as a student at

New York University, I was unaware that such a place
existed. I had read the Bhagavad-Gita for a course on
American Transcendentalism, and I remember thinking
that of all philosophies this was the most sublime. But
how to practice it? How could one learn to live free
from the bonds of Karma? My sincerity, or my serious­
ness, in pursuing the truth was now being tested as the
path of Krishna Consciousness lay open before me.

From my readings I was familiar with the concept of the

Spiritual Master, the teacher who leads the disciple
from darkness to light, ignorance to knowledge. The
followers of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami at 26 Second
Avenue were trying to adhere to his instructions and
satisfy him to the best of their ability in the traditional
model of Master and disciple. Joining them would be a
great opportunity to experience what it would be like to
serve a perfect Master.

Brahmananda das, Jayadwaita das, Madhusudana das and

Rohinikumara das. These were the names of some of my
god-brothers, or co-disciples of Srila Prabhupada, who
helped me to adjust to my new life. Our Spiritual Master
became the center of our existence. We called him “Swa-
miji” and it became clear that his words and activities
were of a pure spiritual nature that we had never seen be­
fore.
 c/Vle>£

As we, his disciples, cautiously sipped hot banana milk

after the evening services, “Swamiji” was the only topic
of discussion. Our talks were full of loving emotions as
we expressed our appreciation of our best friend, teacher,
master, and loving father. We learned to address him as
“Prabhupada,” one at whose feet many masters sit. This
was to become a treasured term of endearment.

Time passed. Prabhupada left New York to establish his

movement throughout the world. Once, while he was
staying in Montreal, I traveled there to formally become
his disciple—to take initiation, as it were. Prior to the
actual ceremony I had my first private audience with
Srila Prabhupada. When I entered the room, he turned
to me, the sun shining on his golden skin. His face broke
into a broad smile as he motioned that I should come
closer. His eyes were sparkling as we talked; by his pre*
sence my heart was softened.

When I left the room I was floating on air, so to speak.

Srila Prabhupada performed the fire sacrifice for my ini*
tiation and named me “Bali Mardan das.” As he chant*
ed on my beads, he seemed so sober and intense. Could
I ever repay his mercy?, I wondered.

During my stay in Montreal Srila Prabhupada lectured

on the Prayers of Kunti Devi, led kirtan and gave his
darshan to us, his disciples, who were without any quali*
fication. It was hard to return to New York, but he
taught us that serving his mission, preaching, was more
important than staying in his personal presence.
4 VV^y (/VlcV

I felt some solace in the knowledge that when his Green

Card to enter the U.S. was issued he would be coming to
New York, and I would definitely see him at that time.

Prabhupada came to New York two or perhaps three

times between 1968 and 1969. At that time, I was able
to render some menial service, as his driver, for example.
Returning with him from the airport, 1 was so nervous
that 1 repeatedly took wrong exits. I tried to act as if
everything were okay, but Prabhupada was not deceived
by my actions. Several times he questioned the route,
and yet he was not upset, tolerating my ineptness with
extreme patience. When we finally arrived at the tern*
pie, 1 was greatly relieved. Srila Prabhupada remarked on
several occasions about what a nice vehicle I had
obtained for his use without commenting on what a
foolish driver I had been.

Another time Srila Prabhupada arrived at the airport,

Brahmananda prabhu and 1 thought we had a great
idea—we would have the bulk of devotees wait at the
temple to greet him while only we (the two of us) went
to the airport. This, of course, was selftcentered thinking.
Actually, we should have brought the mass of devotees so
that Prabhupada would feel warmly greeted. But instead
we wanted personal association, unobstructed by the
multitude. When Srila Prabhupada regally walked
through the gate, we prostrated ourselves at his feet. As I
stood up, 1 saw Prabhupada’s arms outstretched as he
embraced Brahmananda. Turning to me, his arms still
open, I too took shelter in his hug of mercy. He felt soft
like a cloud, and his embrace was so pure and loving.
W^y c/VW*£

There was no reason for him to embrace a fallen soul

such as myself, but this is the way of causeless mercy. Our
offense for not giving him a proper reception at the air­
port was never mentioned.

On the occasion of Krishna Janmastami (the celebrated

day of Krishna’s appearance in this world) we went to
the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. As we sat in the lush
grass facing Srila Prabhupada, he talked about Vrinda-
ban and the various species of birds such as swans, pea­
cocks, and parrots that live there. He described how all
the residents of Vrindaban rendered loving service to
Radha and Krishna. As Srila Prabhupada spoke to us of
the spiritual realm of Goloka Vrindaban, we sat en­
tranced. There was no doubt in our minds that His
Divine Grace was speaking from direct experience.

Prabhupada instructed me to complete my last year at

New York University, which I did while living at the
New York Temple. My peers at the university nicknamed
me “preacher” because of my efforts to explain the philos­
ophy of Krishna Consciousness. During this period the
devotees moved to larger quarters at 61 Second Avenue,
and Srila Prabhupada came there and performed a fire
sacrifice at which some devotees received first initiation
and several others (including me) received Brahmin ini­
tiation. During this latter initiation, the spiritual master
whispers the sacred Gayatri Mantra into the ear of the
disciple, who then leams to chant it on the sacred thread
that is also given at this time.

For me, this whole initiation process was a most won-

6 14^ y (/Vlc>

derftil experience. In his lecture, after the ceremony,

Prabhupada explained that even animals are born with
a father but only a very fortunate human being is able
to be ‘born again’ by accepting initiation from a bona-
fide spiritual master. As Srila Prabhupada intoned the
sacred Sanskrit mantras and smoke billowed from the
sacrificial fire, we completed the ancient rites and
sealed the bonds of love between master and disciple.
At the end of the talk, Prabhupada motioned for pra-
sadam to be distributed. 1 took a plate of cut fruit and
brought it to the dais where Prabhupada was sitting.
He carefully inspected the plate before gingerly taking
a piece of apple and plucking it into his mouth. With
a shake of his head in satisfaction and the motion of
his hand he gestured for me to now distribute the plate
to the assembled devotees. The reciprocation of ser­
vice and love gave us all intense pleasure.
 L®S ANGfiLfiS
AND BfiYGND...

anging in the temple was a very nice painting

H of Lord Chaitanya and His associates dancing

and performing kirtan. I was fond of dancing in
front of this painting and praying for the Lord’s merc
praying that I may some day be able to assist His pure
devotee in spreading His Mission. In a few short months,
Lord Chaitanya answered my prayers in a way that ex­
ceeded my expectations: while Prabhupada was in Los
Angeles we received word that he now desired a center
opened in Japan. Later, in a flurry of transcontinental
telephone calls, we were informed that Sudama Prabhu
(who was in L.A.) was to go to Japan and that Srila Pra­
bhupada wanted me to accompany him! I could hardly
believe what was happening to me, but 1 readily agreed

7
and so, in the fall of 1969, I found myself boarding a
plane to Los Angeles to make final plans for this great
adventure.

Soon after arriving in Los Angeles 1 was introduced to

Sudama Prabhu. Although not very tall, Sudama had a
large presence. He was a light-skinned black person,
with piercing blue eyes and a wonderfully rich voice.
Friendly with a wide smile and quick wit, it was a plea­
sure to have his association. Sudama was full of stories
about Prabhupada from his experience as his personal
servant. In one story that I cannot forget, he told me
how Prabhupada questioned him prior to giving permis­
sion for Sudama to be his servant. Prabhupada asked
him if his nose worked. When Sudama answered affir­
matively, Prabhupada said that he would not work out
as his servant. Later, when it was clarified that Prabhu­
pada wanted to know if he snored in his sleep, Sudama
was allowed to render personal service. But it became
clear that Prabhupada was sensitive to distractions dur­
ing the late evening hours, which he devoted to transla­
tion and dictation of his books.

Another devotee that I met for the first time in L. A. was

Vishnujana Prabhu. Tall and good looking, he was one
of our best kirtan leaders and lecturers. Whether organiz­
ing a butter churning festival at the Sunday Feast, pup­
pet shows in the park, or leading Sankirtan in down­
town L.A. and Hollywood Boulevard, Vishnujana did it
with a grace, sincerity, and enthusiasm that will always
be an inspiration. In Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada had
recently introduced the chanting of a short song entitled
“Jai Radha-Madhava” prior to his lecture. He said that
this song presented a perfect picture of Vrindaban and
Krishna’s activities there. During one of the wonderful
Sunday festivals, Srila Prabhupada began chanting this
song and became stunned in an ecstatic trance, unable
to continue. We waited in silent awe until he returned
to external consciousness and requested us to “just chant
Hare Krishna.” Rarely in public were such manifesta­
tions of ecstatic love exhibited. Srila Prabhupada’s pure
love for Krishna was our life and soul, the rock upon
which our faith rested. It was reassuring to see him mani­
fest that love so freely.

Our departure date for Japan grew closer and Prabhu­

pada was giving us a lot of personal association. He told
us to write to him often. Soon we would have to apply
his instructions in a far-off land. He was allowing us to
represent him and the prestigious Gaudiya Vaishnava
line of which he was a part, but would we be worthy of
his trust? Our impending journey to Japan had given us
recognition, status and privileges. These included such
things as accompanying Srila Prabhupada on his morn­
ing walks, being allowed his darshan in his quarters and
getting remnants of his prasadam. In fact, all the devo­
tees were so kind to us, as if we were embarking on some
great dangerous adventure, perhaps never to be seen or
heard from again.

We had no idea what we would encounter; we could

only place our fate in the hands of Guru and Krishna
and try to depend solely on them. Gradually the tickets
and visas were obtained and the days of waiting were
over. We were on our way to Japan!

The cabin lights in the plane had been dimmed and the
drone of the engines was lulling me to sleep. Tomorrow
we would be arriving in a strange country, unable to
speak the language, and with very little money. Some-
how, we would try to serve our Spiritual Master and be
of some use in his mission to spread the mercy of Lord
Chaitanya.
 LAND ©f1 TH£
RISING SUN

apan: our imagination gave way to reality. Wander­

J ing through narrow Tokyo lanes, we searched for a

room at various Japanese inns, one that would fit
into our frugal budget. Communication with the Jap­
anese was difficult, but we finally made some headway
and moved into a small tatami mat room with futons.
Having found a temporary base of operations, we pro­
ceeded to gather as much information as we could about
our environment. Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ginza were
three areas that we suspected would be very important
to our preaching work. Tokyo is a huge metropolis di­
vided into different precincts, each with its own special
characteristics and qualities. They are all connected by
a circular railway system famous for its efficiency as well
as the huge volume of people that it transports daily.

While searching for quarters in Shinjuku in the early

morning hours we had come across a number of young
people loitering outside while breathing into paper bags.
Our curiosity aroused, we approached them and were
made to understand that they were getting intoxicated
by sniffing glue they had poured in the bags. In fact, we
were told, many people were having trouble coping with
day-to-day life, and such intoxication was not uncom­
mon. This was a clear sign to us that not everyone was
content with the status quo and that true seekers of the
truth were surely to be found among the disenfranchised.
Rather than become discouraged that these people
would not be interested in spiritual life, we felt acutely
their deep need for it. We felt for the pain of the suffer­
ing masses; we knew that our preaching would be of real
use here.

Prime areas for spreading Krishna Consciousness, Shin­

juku and Shibuya were trendy shopping zones filled with
young people who were looking for something higher.
Ginza was at the center of the city near the Emperor’s
Palace, modern office buildings, and expensive enter­
tainment facilities. All were attractive areas for sankir-
tan, or congregational chanting. Our first venture was in
Shinjuku on the sidewalk. As geijin, the Japanese word
for “aliens,” we stood out. As geijin dressed in dhotis and
kurtas—the garb of Indian monks—we quickly attracted
a crowd. People looked on with great wonder. We felt
the soothing effects of the Holy Names as we sang the
Maha-mantra and danced the Prabhupada two-step.

The Japanese were curious, but shy. Many had studied

English, but few could speak it. Somehow or other we
tried to communicate the basics of Krishna Conscious­
ness. The problems of language aside, we faced many
other obstacles. Family ties were extremely strong. Ja­
panese culture was insular and based on consensus in the
sense that the approval of family and society was of para­
mount importance. Rarely did a person take individual
initiative such as that which is required to cut the knot
of material existence. When we did find people attracted
to spiritual life they would invariably be accustomed to
the impersonal conception of the absolute from which
our Guru Maharaj had so mercifully delivered us. To
spread Krishna Consciousness would take patience and
tenacity. Prabhupada’s books would have to be translated
and distributed. Then, a firm foundation would exist.
Otherwise, our work would be impossible. The Japanese
are fixed in their ways. Their intelligence, sense of disci­
pline, dedication and loyalty were qualities that kept
them bound to tradition, for right or for wrong; these
same qualities would stand them in good stead once they
became devotees.

One of our first endeavors was a great failure. We had

been advised about a Ramakrishna Mission on the out­
skirts of Tokyo and somehow thought they might be of
assistance. Upon going there, to our chagrin, we found
that their sannyasis were not completely vegetarian nor
were they inclined to help us. For our foolishness we
spent the night sitting up in a small tent trying to fight
off voracious mosquitoes. We communicated with Srila
Prabhupada regularly by mail and his letters always pro-
vided us with the inspiration and encouragement to
carry on our activities. In October we received our first
letter from His Divine Grace. He wrote:

Last time, in 1967, when I was coming back from India

to the states, I stopped for one day in Tokyo to find out
the possibilities of opening a branch. I studied the
Japanese country within very short time and saw that
they are very nice people. They are Oriental men, and
there is similarity with Indian peoples. So what I desired
in 1967 you have fulfilled in 1969, and I thank you very
much from the core of my heart...you have asked how
the Samkirtan activities become more relishable every
day. It is due to Lord Caitanya’s benediction. All Gio*
ties to Sri Krishna Samkirtan!! 10/3/69

Trying to rent a suitable facility in Tokyo was frustrate

ing. Not only was it practically impossible to find va­
cancies, but if you did you then had the task of negoti­
ating payment of ‘key money1 in addition to the exor­
bitant rents. This was one reason we used to justify our
eventual move to Kyoto. Another less tangible reason
was our curiosity to understand the Japanese mind and
how to influence it. One often hears of the ‘inscrutable
face of the Orient.’ Not speaking the language made
this phrase ring particularly true. Through our Japanese
friends and through foreigners who happened to be
there, we heard much about Kyoto, the spiritual and
cultural capital of Japan. An ancient city surrounded
by mountains and filled with Buddhist Temples, both
large and small, it was a fascinating respite from the
frenetic hustle and bustle of Tokyo.
 We traveled to Kowtow by ‘Bullet Train’ and planned
to return to Tokyo later when we were able to find an
appropriate location. Arriving in Kyoto we were im-
pressed by its beauty and the signs of the importance
that Buddhist culture once played in the lives of its citi­
zens. Now that we knew a little basic Japanese and were
somewhat familiar with proper etiquette, we had no
trouble securing a room in a Japanese inn. This was
important because the alternative to this was the west­
ern style hotel, which was beyond our financial means.
Most ‘Ryokans,’ Japanese inns, did not like to rent
rooms to geijin, foreigners, because in close quarters,
where many of the facilities were shared, they were a
disturbance.

We were able to do some street sankirtan and in this way

we made friends with several university students. One
student known as “Co-co” was particularly helpful. Not
only was he able to obtain a dormitory room for us, he
also did some translation work so that we could distrib­
ute printed material in Japanese. One of our favorite
sankirtan spots was at a popular Shinto shrine where
pious people would approach us in natural humility with
donations while understanding very little of our mission.
We were completely dependent on the mercy of the
Holy Name and our Guru Maharaj. Staying in the dor­
mitory was quite austere as there was no heat to ward off
the cold winter evenings. I still remember taking frigidly
cold showers in the morning. On the positive side, we
were able to meet many students and talk with them
about Krishna Consciousness.
 of (5^^

By the grace of the Lord, we were soon able to rent a

house without any difficulty. This made a huge differ­
ence. We could now adopt the typical schedule of an
1SKCON Center and have regular meetings, including a
Sunday Love Feast. In addition, Sudama Prabhu could
now arrange to have his wife, Chintamani, come to
Japan to join us, which she soon did. Sudama began
teaching English in nearby Osaka, while Chintamani
and I would go out on Sankirtan, chanting and talking
to interested people. On weekends, we began the tradi­
tional ISKCON Sunday Love feast, replete with such
opulent food preparations as halvah, gulabjamuns, and
sweet rice. It was enjoyed by everyone—devotees and
nondevotees—and we learned that tasting Krishna pra-
sadam and the Maha-mantra is universally understood.

Sudama and I developed a bond, which was based on our

service to Prabhupada. We had differences of opinions,
even sharp disagreements, but we would always patch
things up and laugh at our own obstinacy. When Su-
dama’s wife joined us, the dynamics changed, becoming
more complex. Prior to their actual marriage they had
not known each other very well. There seemed to be
some serious problems, but in the interests of furthering
Srila Prabhupada’s mission we all carried on. I tried to be
helpful, while remaining neutral. As a brahmachari, I
should ideally not have had any concern for the affairs of
householders, but as godbrother and friend 1 could not
ignore the problems of those near and dear to me.

There was great diversity in our preaching in Kyoto.

One day we might meet with a Buddhist leader and dis-
cuss philosophy and the historical degradation of Bud­
dhist principles, such as ahimsa (“non-violence”) in
Japan. On another, we might challenge practitioners of
Zen, arguing the case for the Personal conception of the
Absolute. We always tried to present our ideas authori­
tatively if also politely.

At night we could be found chanting the Holy Names

near Geisha Clubs and Kabuki Theaters to the conster­
nation of tatooed Yakuza (“gangsters”) employed by the
nighttime entertainment industry. We worked hard to
spread the holy name of Krishna as much as we could.
Then, with some regret, our stay in Kyoto drew to a
close. Sudama and I made plans to move our Japan
Center to Tokyo. After a lot of aggravation and intense
searching, a suitable location was found and secured.
Kyoto had allowed us time to organize, but we knew that
only by establishing ourselves in Tokyo, where the vast
majority of the population would hear about us, would
we be able to satisfy rhe desire of our Spiritual Master.
This was confirmed when we discussed the matter with
His Divine Grace; he responded:

Now at the present moment, if it is possible to open our

branch in Tokyo, it is very welcome. My Guru Maharaj,
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaj, was always
enthusiastic to open centers in busy cities. Our centers are
not practically secluded ashrams for so-called peaceful
meditation. We are for activities and fighting like the bat­
tle of Kurukshetra. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission is to
awaken the sleeping humanity under the spell of Maya.
He says, “My dear human beings, please get up from this
slumber and make the best use of the opportunity of your
 human life.” We have come to this material world in this
human form of life not to enjoy deep sleep in the form of
false activities of political, social, industrial, and similar
business which will be finished like a dream at night. All
these things are actually the mire of daydream. So
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says that He has brought this
Hare Krishna Maha Mantra for dispelling the spell of
Maya. Everyone should take up this opportunity and
become recipients of this benediction. So not only in
Tokyo, in all parts of the world we must have our centers
in the most busy quarters. So I take your proposal as God'
sent, and if it is possible to open a center in the busy sec­
tion of Tokyo, that is very nice. 11/16/69

Our move to Tokyo was completed and we were able to

start a regular temple program in our Meguro-ku center.
As in Kyoto, the Sunday Love Feast was introduced and
was perhaps our most successful means of attracting and
cultivating new members. We had regular sankirtan at a
small park in the Ginza and on the sidewalk near Shi-
buya Station, which was not for from our center. At the
Ginza Park we had nice audiences to whom we passed
out invitations. Just to chant and see people stop and
relish the sounds of the Maha-Mantra was quite satisfy­
ing. We shared our spot on those cold autumn evenings
with a vendor of roasted sweet potatoes and a man with
a monkey who could do tricks.

Srila Prabhupada had instilled in his disciples Lord

Chaitanya’s desire that Krishna Consciousness be spread
to every town and village of the world. The fact that
there were entire continents where people had never
heard the vibration of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra
presented a great challenge—and we had to rectify the
situation. A young Englishman who frequently visited
the temple Was talking about his travels and mentioned
that in Australia people were quite interested in yoga.
The idea of preaching in English was quite appealing to
me. Not being able to speak Japanese was frustrating.
Bhurijana prabhu, an experienced devotee from Buffalo,
New York, was to arrive shortly and I didn’t feel my pres­
ence in Japan essential anymore. 1 talked to Sudama
about going to Australia. He was supportive, and so I
wrote to Srila Prabhupada, eager to get his opinion on
whether or not I should go. His reply was positive:

...ic is very encouraging that you propose co go to Aus­

tralia. Formerly, I wanted to send Chidananda Das Brah-
machary to Australia, and he attempted to take permis­
sion to go there. Somehow or other it was not fruitful. If
you can now go there and start a center, it will be certain­
ly all Glories to Sri Guru and Gourangal.. .So by the order
of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu we shall not leave any
place within this world at least without Krishna Con­
sciousness.

I applied for an immigrant visa and by Krishna’s Grace

after several months it was approved. In the meantime,
our activities in Japan went forward. One of these activi­
ties involved negotiating with several large printing
companies regarding Srila Prabhupada’s books. Of these
companies, Dai Nippon Printing was offering us high
quality work at favorable prices. I knew this firsthand
because in January of 1970 1 had acted as an intermedi­
ary for the hardbound two-volume edition of Srila Pra­
bhupada’s Krsna Book. Srila Prabhupada wrote that “the.
price quotation from Dai Nippon is accepted, but as soon
1 make arrangement for the money I shall confirm it and
send the manuscript."

Thus engaging us in various ways, Srila Prabhupada

trained us to deal with variegated activities required to
spread Krishna Consciousness.
 DOWN UNDER

he time arrived to leave for Australia. I was

T going alone this time, with only the instructions

of my Guru Maharaj to accompany me. There
was no turning back now. I had the name of a you
couple who lived in a suburb of Sydney and had agreed
to provide accommodations when I arrived. Prior to my
departure I received a letter from Srila Prabhupada that
was foil of nectar.

I understand chat you are now preparing For going to

Australia, and I am so much glad that you are so enthusias­
tic in preaching the transcendental cult of Krishna
Consciousness. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will be very
much pleased upon you. Lord Chaitanya desired that this
cult of love for Krishna, which is the highest benefit for rhe
living entity, shall be preached all over the world. As an
intelligent boy you can understand how much this Krishna

Z'l
22

Consciousness Movement is necessary for the benefit of

the human society. Due to their extraordinarily materialise
tic way of life, the so-called ‘civilized’ human society has
degraded to the position of the animals. They are now
dancing naked on the public stage, and so called ‘re­
spectable’ persons are going to enjoy such performances.
The animals wander here and there naked, the monkeys
walk naked; even the aborigines in the jungle they also
cover their private parts by some skin or tree or leaf. I do
not know how the so called ‘civilized’ men are gliding to
the stage of animal life and still they are proud of their
advancement of education and civilization. So the disease
of human society is becoming more and more acute and
Lord Chaitanya desired that the Indians should preach this
cult for the benefit of the human society. Unfortunately,
the present generation of Indians is more attracted to tech­
nological knowledge than this cult of Krishna Conscious­
ness. Their position is very precarious. Somehow or other,
under the order of my Spiritual Master, I have brought this
cult of Krishna consciousness and handed it over to the
American boys and girls. So I am appealing to everyone,
especially intelligent boys like you, to take up the propa­
ganda work of Krishna Consciousness Movement very
seriously, and it will be a great service to the human be­
ings. We have got now sufficient books and literatures
and our philosophy is super-excellent. We are authorized,
and we shall go ahead more and more. 1/21/70

The flight to Sydney was quite long. When I arrived it

seemed strange to hear people speaking English again,
and the officials were all dressed in starched white uni­
forms (they were “oh so proper”!). Of course, the Aus­
tralian version of English was in a league of its own and,
to me, somewhat amusing. I was picked up at the airport
and taken to a house in the suburbs. The couple was nice
but not very interested in Krishna consciousness, and the
 13

location was quite a distance from the city. I realized that

I would have to leave and seek a place in Sydney proper
if I was to accomplish anything significant.

I was told about Kings Cross, an area where young peo-

pie gathered together seeking entertainment, something
like Greenwich Village in New York City (where Pra-
bhupada had started ISKCON). I needed to explore, to
see if I could get near Kings Cross. Waiting for the train,
the silence was deafening. The peace and quiet was in
such contrast to the crowds and commotion of Tokyo,
where I had just been, days earlier. Carrying my few be­
longings, I traveled to Sydney and was able to find an
inexpensive room near Kings Cross. There was a little
park nearby where I decided to begin chanting, Sankir-
tan, for everyone to see (and hear). I had come from Ja­
pan carrying only a small clay mridunga drum as well as
kartals (brass cymbals), just for this purpose. These were
my weapons, empowered by Guru and Gouranga, to do
battle in the kingdom of materialism. Srila Prabhupada
had demonstrated the potency of simply chanting the
Holy Names when he had come to Tompkins Square
Park. What other method could there be to introduce
the Aussies to Lord Chaitanya’s movement?

The climate was quite nice, and in the evening, when

people were walking about, I began performing kirtan.
The response was very encouraging as crowds of people
surrounded me and expressed curiosity about the Maha-
Mantra. I consider myself a shy and somewhat introvert­
ed person, but there was a job to be done on behalf of
my Guru Maharaj and I could feel his presence and po-
tency pushing me forward to execute his mission. It was
almost as if someone else was acting through me as I
watched in astonishment at die wonderful effect of the
transcendental vibration of the Holy Names of God.

The few BTG magazines I had brought with me were

soon gone and books from America would take some
time to reach me. What to do? The Macmillan Com­
pany had published an abridged version of Prabhupada’s
Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, and 1 found out that they had a
warehouse in Sydney. 1 was able to purchase their entire
stock of Gitas, which consisted of about twenty-five
books. They were sold in short order.

Australia seemed to be a good field indeed for spreading

Krishna consciousness. Much to my surprise, I even at­
tracted some media coverage. I was interviewed by a
Sydney newspaper and a favorable article and picture
was published entitled “Bali has brought a Message.” It
described our philosophy and plans to establish a Sydney
center for bhakti yoga.

An arrangement was being made in Los Angeles for

another disciple of Srila Prabhupada to join me in Aus­
tralia; his .name was Upendra das, and he would be com­
ing shortly. In the meantime, I wanted to acquire a new
location, as the smells from other rooms in the same
building were quite disconcerting. A nice hippie couple
showed me a vacant house where they were squatting
and told me that another one nearby was vacant and
available. Although 1 had never done anything like
this before, it seemed a good idea at the time. At least
I would be able to chant without constraints. When
Upendra arrived it became imperative to move to an
appropriate place so we could have our ashram and
hold meetings. By Krishna’s Grace, we found a small
house and compound overlooking a cliff in Potts
Point, which became our first official center.

Prabhupada constantly poured forth showers of mercy to

encourage us. He was a beacon on a storm-tossed sea, a
shelter for those seeking refuge. His satisfaction was the
be-all and end-all of our lives. He combined approval and
instruction to try and keep us on the right path. February
22,1970, he wrote:

I am very much pleased with your behavior in the matter

of progressing our Krishna Consciousness movement. You
took up very seriously my desire for opening a center in
Australia, and you volunteered to take up the responsibili­
ty. So all these things are very much encouraging. In our
Krishna Consciousness movement the first qualification
required by the devotees is enthusiasm. Then work it out
patiently and with conviction that it will surely be done.
But at the same time we must be very, very strict in follow­
ing the regulative principles and completing the sixteen
rounds chanting. Our dealings should be very clear with
others and we must always keep company with devotees.
Please do not hesitate to write me at least once fortnightly
so that I may be kept informed of the activities...You are
doing so much for fulfilling the desire of my Spiritual
Master so you are indirectly the representative of my Guru
Maharaj. He has been helping me in this matter by send­
ing so many young boys and girls. Otherwise who would
help me in this mission while I came here empty-handed
and without any friend. I can only pray to Krsna to take
care of you. Otherwise, I cannot repay your sincere service
16 'own

in my mission. 2/22/70

Now that we had a place where we could have regular

programs and to which we could invite people, things
began to develop nicely. We started our Sunday Love
Feast and quite a few people became serious about be­
coming devotees. One boy, Noel, was helping us finan­
cially, and a girl named Ann gave us a little VW bug at a
nominal cost of $100.00. We were getting good publicity
in the newspapers and things were going really well.

On Sundays, prior to the feast, we would go to a park

called the Domain (similar to Hyde Park in London),
where people would gather to hear various orators. We
would chant and preach, and invite people back to the
temple for our feast. We drew large crowds and people
appreciated the nectar of the Holy Name, as opposed
to the dry philosophical runtiness of our competition.
In feet, many would follow us back to the temple for
the Sunday Festival of chanting, dancing and feasting.

Needless to say, Srila Prabhupada was pleased with our

success, and he even arranged to send another devotee,
this time from London. His name was Tirthapada das and
he was a really nice, good-natured person. One night,
while we were chanting at the park in Kings Cross, he
started to speak to the crowd and someone shouted out
“(h ees a limey.” It seemed to have been said in jest if also
with an angry voice. Tirthapada humbly looked down,
and he continued his presentation. Most people there
thought it was quite humorous.
Not as funny, however, was the time I was arrested by the
police during our nightly sankirtan. Perhaps because of
the large crowds we were drawing, or maybe it was just
maliciousness, but they charged me with loitering and
vagrancy, and I found myself behind bars. They held me
for about six hours, but then I was released on bail. When
the case went to court, their insubstantial charges, of
course, didn’t hold up. This was the first in a long line of
harassment cases by the police in Australia.

While in jail I was filled with conflicting emotions. On

one hand, I felt I was failing Srila Prabhupada by being
removed from the field of battle, so to speak. On the
other, I was able to take some comfort in the realization
that the only real prison was the shackles of maya (illu­
sion), and that the soul could not be constrained by any
material prison. Chanting the holy names and experi­
encing the Lord’s presence, I felt some sympathy for my
captors, who had no idea of their own imprisonment
under the spell of illusion. Despite this realization, when
I was released on bail in the middle of the night, I was
greatly relieved. As Kurma prabhu is writing a book spe­
cifically dealing with the development of ISKCON in
Australia, 1 shall leave to him the detailed documenta­
tion of who, when, and where regarding the story of my
incarceration. I am simply trying to give an outline of
how things were developing and how it was being direct­
ed by our beloved Srila Prabhupada.

It is ironic that some of the first members to join us in

Australia were two Americans, Upananda das and Caru
das, as well as an English girl, Baibhavati dasi, who had
28

been travelling with Caru das. They would later be map

ried. Bhakta Chris (as Caru das was formerly known) was
a very interesting person, as was Christine, his compan­
ion. She was especially intelligent, artistic and well-spo­
ken, as only the English can be. They both seemed to
understand that the ‘‘absolute truth” as taught by Srila
Prabhupada was in fact the “real thing,” and not a fake
representation of some half-baked relative truth. Well-
traveled and perhaps a little jaded, they took the oppor­
tunity being offered by Prabhupada seriously. Chris was
quite complex. I could see he had the capacity to manage
and lead. He accepted Prabhupada as spiritual master but
seemed to have difficulty accepting instruction through
Prabhupada’s representatives. He did not express this
openly, but it was apparent in his demeanor and at least 1
could tell in the redness of his face. I could feel that it was
often with great effort that he forced himself to submit to
authority, for he needed to fully feel that he agreed with
his authority’s perspective. Of course, we all have such
problems, but in Chris the conflict was so glaring that
anyone could tell it would eventually have serious impli­
cations. Nonetheless, for his sincerity, intelligence and
common sense, I later chose him to act as Temple Pre­
sident. Now, in an attempt to answer those who would
say that 1 had the habit of leaving inexperienced men in
positions they were not qualified for, I can only say that I
took Lord Krishna’s declaration in the Bhagavad-Gita
very seriously: “To those who are constantly devoted and
worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which
they can come to Me.” (10.10) 1 believed Krishna was in
control and would supply tl’ie intelligence to serve Him
to those that were sincere.
 Unbev 2?

By March, we had started preaching programs in some of

the universities, and I described the favorable response
in a letter to Srila Prabhupada. He replied:

I am so pleased to learn that your University meeting

was very successful. It is very maddening to learn that
hundreds were singing and dancing...1 take it for grant­
ed that you are one of the selected devotees of Lord
Caitanya, and therefore from within your heart He has
inspired you to go to such a distant place, leaving your
parents and home, just to satisfy Krishna. This is a great
transcendental adventure....Krishna will certainly help
you. The only thing we require for this purpose is to
remain in our spiritual strength by chanting regularly
and following the rules and regulations. I am sure you
are already strict on this point, and still it is my duty to
remind it for your steady strength. 3/26/70

In response to my being arrested, Srila Prabhupada wrote:

For the service of Krishna you are already in the jail for a
few hours, so if possible try to put this movement as cul­
tural instead of religion. Actually we are presenting the
culture of Bhagavad-Gita...So even though the local law is
prohibitive for chanting on the street, you can take
advantage of the educational institutions. We are not
concerned with any particular place or situation, but we
take the opportunity of chanting and speaking wherever it
is possible. 4/19/70

By May we needed larger quarters to accommodate new

members. We found a house in Bondi near the beach
that temporarily fulfilled this need. The term ‘down
under’ to describe Australia is not without justification.
We had little news of what was going on in the rest of the
50 ►ovv*n

world or in ISKCON. Prabhupada had told us of the new

Los Angeles Center on Watseka Avenue, but we were
quite unprepared to hear that Srila Prabhupada had left
Los Angeles to go to Japan under circumstances of duress.
Prior to this, I had received a document naming me as
one of twelve GBC members designated by Srila Pra­
bhupada to assist him in managing ISKCON. This had
come as quite a surprise. In August 1970,1 received a let­
ter from Srila Prabhupada that he had sent from Tokyo.
The tone was sober but little was said of the reason for his
hurried departure from L.A.

Ar present I am living in our Tokyo center. 1 left L.A. on

the 7th August and have come here via Honolulu. Most
probably I shall be going to India (Calcutta). Perhaps you
know that you have been nominated as one of rhe
Governing Body Commissioners. 1 very much appreciate
your forward service spirit and gradually Krishna is helping
you in the matter of your Australian Yarra, and I am so
much glad to learn that you are going to open another
branch in Melbourne. I am getting older day by day, so if I
can see in my lifetime that all of you have opened at least
108 branches of ISKCON institution that will be a great
pleasure for me. So now the factual administration will
depend on the Governing Body Commission, and the
Sannyasis are entrusted for making propaganda work. I
wish to remain on the background to give you some direc­
tions. So kindly execute the missionary activities very care­
fully with enthusiasm, patience, conviction, follow the reg­
ulative principles, chanting regularly sixteen rounds, deal­
ing without any duplicity’, and above all keeping oneself in
the society of pure devotees. Our different centers are
meant for organizing a group of pure devotees so that neo­
phyte visitors may take examples from them and thus
become attached to Krishna Consciousness. This formula
 51

is active everywhere and I see practically here in Japan

where they do not understand the language but still they
are taking part like other centers. I have seen some pictures
from your side. It appears that the altar is very nicely
made... 8/11/70
 GBC, FIJI AND
NfiW VRJNDABAN

he first GBC meeting was to be held in New

T Vrindaban but ironically Srila Prabhupada was

not to be present. The geographic area I was to
represent stretched from Japan to Australia. I was app
hensive about returning to the States and becoming
enmeshed in the sinister schemes that had prompted my
Guru Maharaj to leave.

En route, I decided to stop in the Fiji Islands for a few

days to look into the possibilities for spreading Krishna
Consciousness there. When I arrived, my dress in dho­
ti and kurta attracted the attention of members of the
community whose ancestors had come from India.
They represented about fifty percent of the population
55
and were very receptive to the culture and philosophy of
Krishna Consciousness. They had developed some
strange ideas but were willing to accept the truth if it was
presented to them in a palatable manner. 1 visited the
two major population centers of Suva and Lautoka on
separate islands. I preached to many people and ap­
peared on a radio program. By the time I had left, I had
received requests for us to establish a center there along
with pledges to help support it. 1 proceeded to Los
Angeles where I stayed for some days prior to attending
the GBC meeting in New Vrindaban (West Virginia).

I received a letter from Prabhupada in which he start­

ed to reveal more of his plan for inundating the world
with Krishna Consciousness.

...Now in New Vrindaban you will be meeting all your

God-brothers, especially the GBC members, and try to
make a strong program for pushing this movement on. Our
immediate program is to send a strong party of Samkirtan
to India. By Krishna’s Grace our place to stay is already
arranged both in Calcutta and Mathura. If the GBC mem­
bers can arrange to send at least twenty initiated devotees
to India, 1 think by your exemplary character the Indian
public will be surprised and they will take to your way of
life. This is the second phase of my missionary activities. I
want to take some of my exemplary character devotees for
performing Samkirtan in India so that they [the Indians]
may see what is their own defect. Your spiritual strength
will depend only on the basis of unflinching faith in
Krishna and the Spiritual Master, chanting sixteen rounds
on beads and following the restrictive items. 1 understand
that you have been in Fiji Islands and there is good
prospect for opening a center. Try to open a center in Fiji
without delay and consult your colleagues in New Vrin-
 57

daban, but on the whole if a center is opened there imme-

diately that will give me great pleasure. 8/21/70

On the occasion of Vyas Puja (the appearance day of the

spiritual master), I had sent a written offering of my feel­
ings to Srila Prabhupada along with a painting of his Gu­
ru Maharaj that was done by Baibhavati dasi in Australia.
His reply sent to me in New Vrindaban was wonderful in
its revelation, both current and historical. For the first
time Srila Prabhupada broached the subject of the
Vaishnava aparadha (“offense”) that had occurred in our
ISKCON Society.

.. .your reference to Srila Vyasadeva on this Vyas Puja Day

is very significant. Srila Vyasadeva is the original Spiritual
Master for anyone who is following the Vedic way of
Spiritual realization. Spiritual Master is the representative
of Vyasadeva because he carries the message of Vyasadeva
throughout the world. As you know it very well that
Vyasadeva compiled all Vedic literatures wonderfully.
Sometimes the so-called ‘realist’ philosophers do not
believe that there was any person of the name Vyasadeva.
Their opinion is that any person distributing the Vedic
knowledge is called a Vyasadeva. This class of philosophers
generally being impersonalists cannot appreciate how one
man could write so many books. Actually it is astonishing.
Before Vyasadeva, all the Vedic Scriptures were taught and
received verbally by the disciplic succession. Both the stu­
dents and the Spiritual Master of those ages were so sharp
in their memory that once they heard the transcendental
message from the Spiritual Master the message was im­
mediately imprinted in the brain as vivid as a written lan­
guage. For example, Sukadeva Goswami was narrating
Srimad Bhagavatam extemporaneously. The whole Srimad
Bhagavatam, eighteen thousand verses, very difficult to
pronounce even what to speak of memorizing, was narrat­
36

ed very easily just like reading some printed book. He nar­

rated the whole subject of Srimad Bhagavaram continu­
ously for seven days and Maharaj Pariksic also understood
the subject matter very clearly. Both of them were so meri­
torious that they attained the highest goal of life, namely
the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna simply by reciting and hear­
ing respectively. Of course chat time was just the moment
when Kali, the predominating Deity of the present age,
was peeping co infiltrate in rhe worldly affairs and later on
ic was complete through rhe exigency of an upstart
Brahmana boy. So Vyasadeva was a real person accepted
by all authorities and any one can judge how wonderful he
was co compile the Vedic literatures. He is therefore
known as Mahamuni. Muni means thoughtful or great
thinker or great poet and Maha means still greater. So
there is no comparison with Vyasadeva with any writer or
thinker or philosopher. Nobody can estimate the scholarly
importance of Srila Vyasadeva. He composed many mil­
lions of Sanskrit verses and we are just crying co receive a
fragmental knowledge out of them by our tiny efforts only.
Srila Vyasadeva therefore summarized the whole Vedic
knowledge in the shape of Srimad Bhagavacam which is
known as the ripened fruit of the desire tree known as
Vedic knowledge. The ripened fruit is received hand co
hand through disciplic succession and anyone who does
this work in disciplic succession from Srila Vyasadeva is
considered as representative of Vyasadeva and as such the
bona fide Spiritual Master’s Appearance Day is worshipped
as Vyas Puja. Not only chat, the exalted seat on which the
Spiritual Master sics is also called Vyasasana. In the Maya-
vadi Sampradaya they observe the Guru Purnima day to
offer respect to the Spiritual Master. This system of offering
respect to the Spiritual Master is current in all sections of
Vedic followers, but so far we of the Gaudiya Sampradaya
is concerned, we offer on the Appearance Day of the
Spiritual Master our humble homage annually and this
particular auspicious moment is called Vyas Puja. I have
received the painting of my Guru Maharaj. It is very nicely
 {fir 37

done. Please convey my thanks to the girl. 1 have immedi­

ately placed this painting on my Deity altar. Yes, this atti­
tude of surrendering to the Spiritual Master is the best
qualification for spreading this movement of Lord Caitan-
ya. That is the Vedic way. One should have unflinching
faith in Krishna and similarly in the Spiritual Master. That
is the way of understanding the secret of Krishna Con­
sciousness. Unfortunately attempt has been made lately in
our Society to shake this formula. This mischievous
attempt has done a great harm, but if you the members of
the Governing Body Commission can rectify this mischie­
vous attempt, then still there is hope of making our pro­
gress uninterruptedly. I hope Krishna will help us. There
are two verses in the Chanaka Shloka how a family or
institution can be glorified or burned into ashes by one
person. Chanaka Pandit says that if there is one tree in the
forest producing nice aromatic flower, that one tree can
glorify the whole forest by the flavor of its flower. Similarly
if there is one tree in whose cavity there is a little fire, that
one tree can burn into ashes the whole forest. So this simi­
le is applicable anywhere. In a family if there is one good
boy, he can glorify the whole family and similarly if there is
bad boy he can burn the whole family into ashes. Similarly
in this institution if there is a bad disciple he can burn the
whole institution into ashes. The Governing Body Com­
mission’s duty is therefore to see that every member is fol­
lowing the rules and regulations and chanting sixteen
rounds regularly on the beads. I hope the GBC in coopera­
tion with the Sannyasis in their touring program will be
able to keep vigilance systematically in order to keep the
Society as pure as possible. I hope this will meet you in
good health.
—Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, 8/25/70

Needless to say, this letter was quite sobering. In New

Vrindaban, a group of disciples were presenting an im-
58

personal view of the Spiritual Master. We tried to counter

this with the Vaishnava doctrine that the pure devotee is
the eternal servant of the Lord, and that although he is
the representative of the Lord and as such he is as good as
God, he is eternally distinct from the Lord as well. But se­
veral of our Godbrothers could not hear this. Prabhu-
pada’s teachings were twisted to concoct interpretations
that were anathema to Gaudiya Vaishnava doctrine. Re­
futing these spurious arguments to the best of our ability,
we reassured ourselves and our godbrothers. We hoped
that by engaging in preaching and traveling the propoun­
ders of these poisonous ideas would be purified and re­
turned to sanity. I believe that this result was later
achieved.
 T© H©NG K©NG

y observation was that when preaching was

M introduced in countries where we had no cen­

ter, Srila Prabhupada was pleased. I decided
that since things were somehow or other developin
Australia and Japan, I would now turn my attention to
Hong Kong, the last vestige of the British Empire and at
the same time the gateway to China, the most widely
populated country in the world. Prabhupada was now in
Calcutta and had written to me in L.A.

Regarding your opening a branch in Hong Kong, I have

got all my blessings upon you; do ir immediately.
9/17/70

I decided to go to Tokyo for a few weeks prior to going

to Hong Kong. Srila Prabhupada had also sent me the

39
40

name of one Navin Gajjar in Taipei who had expressed

interest in our movement. I would stop in Taipei to meet
with him en route to Hong Kong. While in Japan, I re­
ceived another letter from Srila Prabhupada, who was
now in Amritsar in the Punjab:

I am very glad to know where you are and how you are
proceeding on your program for opening new
centers...There is no question of new or strange places, as
you have written to say. This Hare Krishna Mantra is
understood in any parr of the world. Therefore rhe begin­
ning should be chancing in any place and then people will
gather and a center will develop by the grace of Lord
Krishna.. .1 am very pleased with your sincere service atti­
tude in pushing on our preaching work in these parts of the
world and, yes, Krishna will give you strength because He
is sitting in your heart and the more you try to serve Him,
He will give you more intelligence. 10/26/70

My stay in Taipei was brief and not particularly event­

ful. I tried to get a feel for the place in case an oppor­
tunity to return would present itself in the future. The
people there seemed industrious, but it was difficult to
communicate. If we were successful in Hong Kong, we
could come here with Chinese-speaking devotees
and Chinese literature.

Arriving in Hong Kong, 1 had no place to stay. I heard

of a Sikh Temple that had a tradition of hospitality to
strangers. 1 was allowed to stay there while 1 became
familiar with my new field of activities. There are
many Indian businessmen in Hong Kong, and many of
them are quite wealthy. I learned that there was a Hin­
du Temple on Hong Kong Island in a place called
 41

Happy Valley, opposite a race track and adjoining a

Parsi Fire Temple. I moved into the Hindu Temple,
which had Deities of Lakshmi-Narayan and also a
large Shiva-Lingam.

A couple from India (who were professional Bhajan

singers) were staying there as well. I became aware that
there was a travel circuit throughout the world traveled
by so-called Swamis, singers, and other Indian entertain­
ers. Wherever large groups of Indians live outside of
India, they import their culture as well as their foodstuffs.
I was able to have some programs at this temple, some­
times having to share the agenda with bhajan singers or
Swamis. It was a bit awkward, but at this stage I had no
other choice. Srila Prabhupada had taught us the essence
and goal of all Vedic knowledge, Krishna bhakti, or devo­
tion to God. So to have to listen to lesser truth, or even
untruth, word jugglery and mental concoction was tor­
ture to the ears.

Still, I was meeting people and being invited to have

programs at their homes, where they would invite their
friends to join the festivities. This was a formula which
was to be repeated again and again in many cities in In­
dia and the rest of Asia.

Although the Indians were a source of immediate sup­

port, the main purpose of my being in Hong Kong was
to introduce Krishna Consciousness to the Chinese. I
had met a Buddhist monk who was quite friendly and
invited me to a Buddhist Monastery in the New Terri­
tories on the mainland between Kowloon and China
proper. I tried to preach to them, narrating the appear­
ance of Lord Buddha as described in Srimad Bhagava-
tarn. They were quite receptive and much of their wor­
ship was devotional in nature and not so impersonal as
the Buddhism I had experienced in Japan.

Hong Kong is divided into different areas.'The island

itself is the international business center and home to
the rich and privileged, who live on its hills surround­
ing the harbor. It is connected by huge ferries to Kow­
loon, where most of the Chinese masses live, packed in
rundown high rise apartments as well as in boats. The
population density is tremendous. Beyond Kowloon is
the ‘New Territories/ and the border with mainland
China. During the day and evening Kowloon is a mov­
ing mass of people and the noise and smell is quite op­
pressive. It is only in the early morning hours that one
can experience another face of Chinese culture. Walk­
ing past small parks and other open areas one sees
Chinese—both old and young—practicing the ancient
art of Tai Chi, with its slow graceful movements.

In the business district in Hong Kong I found a nice

plaza that seemed ideal for sankirtan. Chanting the
Maha-mantra, a large crowd assembled to hear and I
could see we had huge potential among the Chinese
people in general. I also learned of the sensitivity of the
Hong Kong police to large crowds. During the kirtan a
group of Land Rovers full of policeman suddenly arrived
and I was hustled into one—I was taken directly to the
Police Station. There, I was interrogated for quite some
time, until they decided to finally release me with strict
warnings about my future activity, especially in regard to
chanting in the streets.

Before leaving Japan I had written to Srila Prabhupada,

who was now in Bombay. I mentioned my hope to deveb
op some program in Hong Kong and then in Singapore.
His words were my lifeblood.

.. .1 have noted the contents with great encouragement. It

is for your daring and active nature that I have chosen you
co represent me as GBC man for the southeast Asia zone,
and I can see from your latest words that my choice has
not been wrong. I think that Singapore and Hong Kong
are English-speaking places, so that you will not find
much difficulty there. So just open two nice centers
immediately and that will link-up our chain of centers
around the world. The basic principle of our actions
should be that they are all meant for pleasing Krishna. If
we act always in this consciousness automatically every­
one will be attracted to devotional service, and this is rhe
secret of our preaching work. If you simply practice the
regulative principles which I have introduced, you will
remain pure. Factually this is our only strength. I have
seen better orators, better scholars, and better organizers,
but these people are not becoming pure because they are
not following regulative principles. Simply because we rise
early, take bath, chant sixteen rounds and strive with
every activity to please Krishna—this is what impresses
others. Please report to me fortnightly, and correspond
with your other GBC men as well. I request that you
always display and distribute my books wherever possible.
11/4/70

The next letter I received from Srila Prabhupada ad­

dressed several important issues that were experienced by
traveling preachers in ISKCON:

You had mentioned going next to Singapore from Hong

Kong. Singapore is also a nice place for organizing a center.
There arc many Indians and they will support the
Movement there. Yes. The several cities you mention are
all important cities in the Far East portion. Originally they
are all Indian culture. But I do not think you should spend
your time at this stage of life in trying to learn so many dif­
ferent local languages. Thar is not practical for us. Our
most successful program is to begin preaching with the
help of an interpreter from the local people and later train
up some intelligent men who speak English. When they
are conversant with our philosophy, they can preach to the
general public. The Hare Krishna Mantra is international
mantra. Simply try to induce people to chant and they will
understand everything. Externally, English language is
understood everywhere. Your enthusiasm for starting cen­
ters for educating the people of the world in this sublime
Krishna Consciousness process is very good. You are actu­
ally the authorized agent of my Guru Maharaj and through
him, Lord Chaitanya, who predicted that in every town
and village of the world His Name will be well known, and
you are trying for fulfilling His mission—certainly He will
give you all strength and blessings. We simply have to
work sincerely and automatically all other things will
come. Recently one very responsible Indian gentleman
was in our Temple in Sydney and he has given very good
certificate for our activities there. Regarding staying in the
various Temples of demigods that is quite all right, but you
should not take prasadam from the demigods if you are
offered. Our method is to follow the system as it is done in
Jagannath Puri. There, the bhoga is first offered to Lord
jagannath and then His Prasadam is distributed and
offered to various demigods who reside in some nearby
Temples. Then the remnants of such Prasadam may be
taken by us. So far a Temple place is concerned, even
 '5

there is no place, we can sic down underneath a tree and

chant as I did in New York. Krishna will give you a nice
place. You have been anxious to stick to fulfilling the
desires of Krishna and Spiritual Master without deviation.
Our technique is that we work sincerely and the dictation
will come from within; Krishna is seated there. Hope this
will meet you in good health.
—Your ever welbwisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, 11/24/70

My program at this time was to travel to countries and

somehow or other try to open up a center; then I would
go to a new area and repeat the process. Hong Kong was
a unique situation, a British Colony adjoining mainland
China, extremely crowded with two major targets of our
preaching. There was the native Chinese population,
the majority of which did not speak English, and the
Indian community, many of which were Sindhi business­
men. These people were from the province of Sind in
North India, an area that was ceded to Pakistan after
partition. Being Hindus, these people did not feel wel­
come in the Muslim State that was subsequently created,
and many migrated to other countries to earn their
livelihood. They are very sharp businessmen and have
some sentiment for their Indian culture. In a place as
westernized as Hong Kong, obtaining support from a
community such as this was not easy. It was difficult for
such Indians to separate bonafide organizations from bo­
gus ones. And many had no interest at all in spiritual
activities, being infatuated with the Western concern for
“progress” and sense gratification.

Among the Indian businessmen, Harileela was repeated­

46
3

ly mentioned as the wealthiest and most prominent. His

family owned huge international hotels and had other
extensive business interests. Several brothers worked and
lived together with their mother in a huge mansion
where the brothers had there separate families on differ­
ent floors. Somehow or other my activities came to their
attention, and 1 was invited to meet them at their hotel
business office. 1 tried to impress upon them the impor­
tance of the mission that my Gum Maharaj, Srila Pra­
bhupada, was spreading throughout the world, and now
in Hong Kong. Their response was warm and cordial, al­
though somewhat vague and noncommittal in exactly
what they would do to help. But what could one expect
in the first meeting? I hoped that I had made a good
impression. For now, that would be enough. I did not
want ISKCON to be seen as a fad or cult but rather as
the extension of the true Vedic/Vaishnava tradition (as it
actually is).

To my surprise, I was soon invited to visit the Harileela

family, to meet their mother who seemed a truly pious
woman and was very sweet. On the first floor of the man­
sion was a huge room filled with Hindu Deities carved in
marble. It was quite an unexpected sight. On the other
floors, each of the brothers lived with their families.
Although they were each wealthy in their own right,
they lived together voluntarily in the Vedic tradition.

The overseas Indians were very concerned about their

children, who were growing up estranged from Indian
culture and religion. In Hong Kong, programs aimed at
educating these children would prove invaluable for gain­
ing the support of the Indian community. This brings me
to the story of Bhurijana prabhu and Jagatarini dasi.
Bhurijana was a devotee I had known in New York. He
was affiliated with the Buffalo Temple and would occa­
sionally visit the New York Temple at 26 Second Ave­
nue, where I met him. Later, he came to Japan prior to
my leaving for Australia. When the idea of opening a
center in Hong Kong was conceived, 1 talked to him
about taking responsibility for this project. He was agree­
able. The plan was as follows: I would go there first and
he was supposed to join me after a short time.

Sudama prabhu agreed to this plan and was instrumental

in carrying it out. Srila Prabhupada appreciated this co­
operative spirit and wrote him

...I’m glad that you and Bali Mardan Prabhu have had a
chance to be together and have planned jointly one cen­
ter in Hong Kong. That is what I wish to see from the
GBC members; that they work combinedly to open as
many centers as possible all over the world. 11/4/70

Events were slightly complicated by Bhurijana’s im­

pending marriage. It had been arranged for him to marry
Jagatarini dasi, a devotee at our Los Angeles center. She
was an Australian, a former actress who had come often
to our Potts Point Temple in Sydney. During a visit to
Los Angeles she had moved into our opulent temple
there. When I passed through L.A., returning from the
GBC meeting, I spoke to her about coming directly to
Hong Kong to join her husband-to-be (Bhurijana), rath­
er than traveling to Japan. She was enthusiastic in tak­
48

ing up the task of preaching in the Far East. So Bhuri­

jana prabhu joined me in Hong Kong and I stayed there
with him for a couple of weeks, familiarizing him with
people and places. We were unsure when Jagatarini
would be arriving and I had booked a cheap ticket on a
freighter to Singapore. We stayed at the Sikh Gurdwar
and also at the Hindu Temple in Happy Valley, attempt"
ing to locate a place to establish a center. This was not
easy. Hong Kong was so crowded that space was at a pre*
mium. When Jagatarini dasi arrived without notice, I
met her at the airport and Bhurijana rented a room at
the Chung King Mansion (the word “mansion” being a
misnomer in this case). My ship was scheduled to depart
the next morning. Bhurijana and his wife had not met
previously. What to do? I felt badly about not staying
with them longer, but once again I would have to de­
pend on Krishna to see that things worked out. 1 decided
to have the marriage ceremony and fire sacrifice as best
we could manage. Twenty-three years later this marriage
is still together, with Krishna Conscious children, so I
must conclude that Srila Prabhupada and Krishna gave
their full blessings. In a letter dated 11/29/70, Srila Pra­
bhupada had written

...lam glad that Jane will be soon joining Bhurijana and

they will open our branch in Hong Kong. This is the
greatest service that you are all rendering in the matter of
spreading Krishna Consciousness and Krishna and Chai'
tanya Mahaprabhu will certainly bless you all my sincere
students more and more in Krishna Consciousness.

Establishing Krishna Consciousness in Hong Kong would

be a struggle. Bhurijana and Jagatarini prabhus were
 49

forced to be innovative in developing educational pro­

grams for children. To remain in Hong Kong was certain­
ly an austerity on behalf of Krishna that was appreciated
and blessed by Srila Prabhupada. They were given the
opportunity to depend solely on Guru and Gouranga for
guidance. At times they must have felt great difficulty in
carrying on their mission. Such austerity on behalf of the
Supreme Lord Sri Krishna can be the source of great spir­
itual advancement.
 SINGAPORE. mALAYSIA
AND THAILAND

left the next morning for Singapore. I had chosen to

I travel by ship because it was less expensive than fly-

ing. This decision turned out to be a mistake. The
cramped quarters in third class and the tedious nature of
three days at sea in the South China Sea doldrums made
every minute seem like hours. I was eager to start my pro­
gram in Singapore and frustrated with my own decision,
which was delaying this objective. Sitting above deck, on
top of crates of oranges, chanting on my beads, I cursed
my stupidity over and over as I searched the horizon for
some evidence that my torture would soon end.

Even after our arrival in Singapore Harbor, it seemed

like endless delays as officials checked and rechecked
all the passports. When we were finally allowed to go
ashore, it was very late at night and I had no idea where
to go. A taxi driver dropped me off at a Sikh Gurdwar
where a caretaker led me to a bench in the courtyard. As
I lay down to take rest, 1 noticed a large rat crawling up
near me. I decided to stay awake and softly chant the
Maha-mantra on my beads, wondering what Lord Krish­
na had in store for me in the days ahead.

Singapore was a former part of the British Common­

wealth which, along with Malaysia, achieved so-called
independence after World War IL A small island nation
at the tip of the Malay Penisula, it was populated by three
major ethnic groups, Chinese, Indian, and Malay. The
government tried to strictly control its citizens and I had
been warned about being too conspicuous in public. 1 had
the names of a few Indians who might be of assistance
(that I had been given by some friends in Hong Kong).
In the morning, I set out to contact them. Luckily, my
contacts paid off and I was offered accommodations at
the home of an Indian family.

I had never experienced die combination of heat and

humidity 1 found in Singapore. It left me extremely fa­
tigued, but gradually I was able to adjust to it. I was sur­
prised by the cordiality with which I was received by the
Indian Community in Singapore. Several of its promi­
nent members enthusiastically greeted me and even in­
troduced me to their friends.

High Street in the business district is crowded with

textile companies mostly run by members of the North
Indian Community. From shop to shop I met people
and talked to them about the philosophy of Krishna
Consciousness. Most were quite receptive. During my
recent visit to Los Angeles, 1 had acquired some copies
of the newly published hardback edition of Krsna Book
in two volumes. This was a large hardbound book and
it was simply wonderful in its contents as well as in the
quality of the printing. Srila Prabhupada had stressed
to me the importance of distributing his books, and in
Singapore I first saw the possibilities for book distribu­
tion on a large scale. I thought that with a couple of de­
votees to assist me we could go door-to-door to Indian
gentlemen and they would be glad to take Srila Prabhu-
pada’s books while offering a donation. Not only would
this tactic be useful in Singapore but in nearby Malaysia,
too, where there were many Indians in the larger cities.
We could travel from town to town and lay the basis for
our future activities by seeing that as many people as
possible received Srila Prabhupada’s books. I wrote to
Guru Maharaj about this and his reply was more than I
could have imagined:

My Dear Bali Mardan.. .1 am so pleased chat you are think­

ing of distributing my books to the largest extent. Dis­
tribution of books means propagation of our mission. If we
can distribute KRSNA book in thousands upon thousands,
automatically the Krishna Consciousness Movement will
be spread up. You have rightly drawn the attention of rhe
GBC on this point. Anyway, I have immediately sent one
telegram to London reading as follows: “SHIP ONE
THOUSAND KRSNA IMMEDIATELY SINGAPORE
DOCUMENTS TO BALI MARDAN—SHY AMSUN-
DAR.” So you also remind Mukunda and Murari for ship­
ping the books as early as possible. Immediately I want
 $17,000 for printing Bhagavad-Gita As It Is in new
enlarged and revised edition, so try to help in this connec­
tion. Regarding two brahmacharies, surely I shall send you
two from India. This morning I have come to Calcutta and
the address is as follows....May Krishna bless you for your
growing enterprise to broadcast this Movement. This kind
of transcendental enthusiasm is the basic impetus for
Krishna Consciousness. My Guru Maharaj used to say,
“One who has got life, he can preach.” Hope this will meet
you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, 1/6/71

Two of my problems—getting sufficient quantity of books

and additional devotees—had thus been resolved. In the
meantime, I became acquainted with members of the
South Indian community, which I was to learn represent­
ed a larger percentage of the population in Singapore and
Malaysia than the North Indians. Many of the South
Indian were originally from Tamil Nadu and had been
brought over by the British to work on their plantations
during Colonial times. They were friendly, although with
them, as opposed to North Indians, there was more of a
language barrier. In addition, their religious traditions in­
cluded a lot of demigod worship. In Singapore, I learned
about the Perumal Temple run by South Indian Vaish-
navas. A most impressive Deity of Vishnu with two shak-
tis is worshipped there. I was invited to stay there, which
I readily agreed to. Although the pujaris and others spoke
little English, their opulent aratis (complete with shenai
and drums!) needed no translation. Hanuman das and
Gopal das came from India to join me, as did Amogha
das from Japan. We started doing a lot of programs at
people’s houses and at various institutional forums. We
chanted, had slide shows of ISKCON activities, and
talked about the philosophy of Bhagavad-Gita. When
our shipment of books arrived and distribution began in
earnest, I felt we were accomplishing something solid. As
Srila Prabhupada was to explain to me later, the momen­
tary impression of talking is for outweighed by the lasting
value of Srila Prabhupada’s books.

During this period, a Chinese woman was favorably im­

pressed with our activities and offered us the temporary
use of a large colonial mansion, which she owned and
which was vacant. It was located in an excellent area at
80 Stevens Road. We moved in and made plans for the
future. Since it would be necessary to periodically leave
Singapore to renew our visas, we arranged to rent a vehi­
cle so that we could travel to Malaysia with a sufficient
amount of books. I had written to Srila Prabhupada re­
garding the house and in his response he brought up the
subject of his coming to visit. We had only dreamed of
this before. Our Guru Maharaj, leader of a world-wide
movement, pure devotee and eternally liberated soul and
our beloved master, was placing himself subject to our
call? His humbleness and love made us feel so protected
and yet unworthy. Who were we to warrant his affec­
tions? He wrote:

...I am so glad co hear how you have secured a huge

house until March 31st at no charge. It is all encourag­
ing. If wc can have this place on a permanent basis, that
will be very good. And 1 shall be glad co go there when­
ever you will call me. Presently I am planning to return
to U.S.A, by the end of March. If we can ger some
Chinese followers of this cult, it will be a great success. I
 know that amongst the Chinese there arc so many
scholars and learned, cultured gentlemen. So to con*
vince them will be easier than others, even though they
are of the Buddhist philosophy. That is akin to our phi­
losophy, although it is a little different. Buddhist philos­
ophy is direct renunciation of material life but they
have no information of spiritual reality because the fol­
lowers of Lord Buddha were more materialistic. Spiritual
information was not suitable for them. Now we are pre­
senting complete spiritual information. So preach to
them in that light and surely you will be successful.
2/6/71

The South Indian community in Singapore celebrated a

yearly festival called Thiapusam in honor of the demigod
Ayappa. The celebrants marched in a long parade and
received quite a bit of publicity. For us, this was a royal
opportunity to have a kirtan party in the streets without
constraint. We were received enthusiastically and thou­
sands upon thousands were exposed to the chanting of
the Maha-mantra. Some twenty-two years later, I was to
leam that the current 1SKCON temple president in Sin­
gapore was among the crowds that heard and appreciated
for the first time the message of Krishna Consciousness
during this event; this reinforces for me that the effect of
hearing the Holy Name of the Lord should never be min­
imized or taken for granted.

From this point, things moved fast. January 30th we left

Singapore to go to Kuala Lampur in Malaysia. We stayed
at a small Lakshmi-Narayan Temple and we were helped
by humble devoted people of moderate means. By day
we visited businesses and in the evening we held pro­
grams at various homes and organizations to which we
were invited. We had traveled in a rented vehicle, which
we crammed full of Krsna Books. As we became known,
we received entreaties to travel to other cities in Malay­
sia. The possibilities seemed endless, limited only by our
inability to be in more than one place at a time.

In the West, indoor plumbing was taken for granted.

In Asia, one learned the value of a bucket of water and
how to use it to take a bath, oftentimes with only a
gumcha tied around the waist for privacy. Thus we
traveled from place to place sleeping on the floor on
grass mats and bathing out of a bucket. The simplicity
was great—we thus lived out our motto of “simple liv­
ing and high thinking.” My associates, Hanuman,
Amogha and Gopal das each had special qualities.
Hanuman das, a French-Canadian, was very enthusi­
astic and seasoned by his training in India. He spoke
English with an intriguing French accent and enjoyed
playing the mridunga during kirtan. Hanuman was a
“people person.” Whether preaching one-on-one to
business people or families or speaking to large audi­
ences, he was confident and convincing. Amogha das,
tall, blond and innocently good-natured, was noted for
his melodious singing voice, for which we called him
“silver throat.” He was subject to a doubtful mind with
which he was often battling, but when the kirtan be­
gan doubt disappeared and his broad smile could not
be suppressed.

Gopal das, also an India veteran, was our principal

cook, a position not to be underestimated. A sincere
devotee, helpful in many ways, he would never com-
plain, even under difficult circumstances. Our activi­
ties of book distribution and various other programs
were going on nicely, and we were attracting some at­
tention. Still, we hoped to keep a low profile, as Malay­
sia was a Muslim country and it was illegal to preach to
Malays but not illegal to preach to Chinese, Indians and
others. The Malays controlled the government and the
military, while in business the Chinese were the most
prominent. It happened that Hanuman prabhu and
Amogha were interviewed in a newspaper article and
mentioned that they would soon be returning to Sin­
gapore. Their pictures appeared also. A couple of weeks
later when they were crossing into Singapore, the im­
migration officials asked them if they were Hanuman and
Amogha. Their entry into Singapore was denied without
any explanation. Apparently at high levels of the govern­
ment, officials were afraid that we would become too
influential in their “planned economy? The most unfor­
tunate result of this policy was that when Srila Prabhu­
pada would join us some months later, Singapore would
not be able to enjoy the imprint of His Lotus Feet.

In the meantime, we decided to travel North. We went

to the cities of Ipoh, Telok, Ansen and finally the island
city of Penang (Georgetown). It was wonderful: wherever
we went we were received with friendship and respect.
Books were being distributed in great quantities, people
were chanting Hare Krishna and the stage was being set
for Srila Prabhupada to come.

In Penang, especially, we found that it was ideal for an

influx of Krishna Consciousness. We had discovered a
very old Krishna Temple near the center of the city. We
were able to stay there and also have programs there as
we wished. People were so sincere we had a good crowd
attending our morning program of kirtan and class. Lec­
turing in the open courtyard in front of the deity we cer­
tainly felt the Mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. We told
people about the glorious qualities of Srila Prabhupada,
and everyone was anxiously waiting for his visit. Also
notable in Penang was the enthusiasm of the children
that we met. Many were so enthusiastic for Krishna Con­
sciousness that when we finally had to leave they contin­
ued to hold weekly programs of kirtan and reading from
Prabhupada’s books. In addition many were now chanti­
ng japa on beads daily. The Kalia family was notable in
this respect with all its members being involved in assist­
ing us and taking part in Krishna Conscious activities.

One morning after the program, an Indian gentleman

who had regularly been coming to our programs came
up to express his appreciation. He gave me his card
and explained that he was in Malaysia to oversee the
construction of a textile factory. His last name was
Birla, which, in India, is as famous as Rockefeller in
America; the name is synonymous with wealth, phil­
anthropy and culture. The treasure that Srila Prabhu­
pada was offering could be appreciated by all classes of
society from the highest to the lowest. Prabhupada did
not discriminate, as did other leaders who pandered to
particular sections of society. Prabhupada taught that
anyone could become a Hari-jana, an associate of
God, by purifying their life and engaging in devotional
service and chanting God’s Holy Names.
It was quite amazing to us to experience the love and
friendship of so many people who assisted us and treated
us like family. The family of Krishna transcended materi­
al designations, and in discussing Krishna topics we were
sometimes drowning in an ocean of nectar. The gifts our
Guru Maharaj had entrusted us to deliver were certainly
being well received.

As we traveled north, we passed many rubber planta­

tions. Established by the British during colonial days,
many were still owned by British companies. To work
these plantations, the British had brought large numbers
of Tamil speaking workers from South India. As we trav­
eled, our contacts with the South Indian community
developed and we were invited, increasingly, to have pro­
grams with them. Prominent members of the South
Indian community had arranged for us to make a tour of
the many rubber plantations in the area. Each plantation
had a couple of hundred resident workers of Indian
descent, and usually there was a temple of a demigod on
the premises.

Nonetheless, these people loved kirtan and the Maha-

mantra. We would go in the evening with slide-show in
hand and have our program. One particular feature of
these programs was that when the kirtan got heavy, usu­
ally someone would fall into an uncontrollable trance­
like fit, screaming or jumping or rolling on the floor, and
it would take about five or six people to keep the affected
one from hurting himself/herself.

We had been offered a couple of pieces of land. One in

 64

Kuala Lampur included $50,000 for construction of a

temple. Near Ipoh a gentleman wanted to donate his
house. In Kuala Lampur the deal involved a Doctor and
his wife, who was a prominent real estate developer. They
say “the devil is in the details,” and when it came down
to it, she did not want to give full control to ISKCON. In
any event, this project had to be abandoned at Prabhu-
pada’s instruction. While the negotiations were underway
the land had been cleared and a small one-room house
was built where Gopal das lived for some time.

Although it was connected to a major road, it was a

little distant from the city. So, our visas running out,
we decided to go to Bangkok Thailand to renew them
and to explore the possibilities there instead.

Bangkok was a twenty-four hour train ride from the

Malaysian border. The train ride through the Thai coun­
tryside was informative. We passed village after village,
surrounded by lush farmland and centered around a
Buddhist Temple as the center of activity. The remnants
of Vedic Culture were apparent everywhere. Lines of
monks begging door to door was a common site. When
we arrived in Bangkok, the peace and tranquility of the
countryside was replaced by harsh noises, unpleasant
odors and unbearable traffic congestion. A hellhole of
vice passed for advancement of civilization.

We were able to stay at an Indo-Thai cultural center

which included a school for children of Indians in Bang­
kok. We had some programs there and did some book
distribution. The Indians in Bangkok had a peculiar cus­
61 (/VVLysiA

tom which struck us as quite amusing (if also misguided):

When we had a program and the tempo of the kirtan
increased to its peak, people would start running up to us
while throwing money at our feet. We could only surmise
that some so called yogi on the ‘‘swami circuit” had insti­
gated this practice for his own economic ends.

In Thailand, English was not widely spoken, except per­

haps by those associated with the tourist trade. It was a
country with ancient traditions currently under siege by a
frenzy of materialism, at least in the cities. It was an excit­
ing field for future development, but for now we had to
return to Malaysia after securing new visas; we needed to
begin making arrangements for the visit of our Spiritual
Master. The cities of Malaysia as well as its plantations
welcomed us and could not seem to get enough associa­
tion. It was harder and harder to leave places where peo­
ple were sincerely looking to us for guidance in Krishna
Consciousness.

I made a visit to Singapore incognito to settle some of

our affairs there. Our friends in Singapore were quite
upset about the government policy of not allowing
devotees to enter the country.
 PREPARATIffiN FOR
PRABHUPADA

anuman, Amogha and Gopal would stay in

H Malaysia and finalize plans for Srila Prabhu-

pada’s visit while I traveled to Sydney, Australia,
to help prepare things there. In Sydney, things were go
on quite well. A new temple in Paddington had been
secured—a storefront on the main road (reminiscent of
26 Second Avenue) with devotees’ living quarters above.

There were approximately fourteen devotees waiting to

be initiated together with the installation of Radha-
Krishna Deities—all when Srila Prabhupada visited.
Preparations for Srila Prabhupada’s travel and accommo­
dations, as well as programs, interviews, etc., had to be
made. One problem was the uncertainty regarding the
dates of the visit. There were a lot of contingencies, and
65
64

so the devotees (myself included) were all quite nervous.

Upendra had gone to Fiji, and Tirthapada had gone away
(whereabouts unknown!). An uninitiated devotee from
Los Angeles (later named Deepak) had arrived. He had
been trained in Diety Worship while in California; so he
was going to train our people in Sydney. Bhakta Chris
(later named Caru das) was an American who, along
with his wife, Baibhavati, joined in Australia. He was put
into a position of authority due to the older devotees
leaving. In the tenth chapter of the Gita, Lord Krishna
says “To those who are constantly devoted and worship
Me with love, I give the understanding by which they
can come to me.” Thus, as mentioned earlier, I felt justi­
fied in my faith that Guru and Krishna would give our
devotees the intelligence to carry on as long as they were
genuinely sincere.

The number of devotees joining as well as their sincere

enthusiasm bore this out. In spite of this, some felt a little
abandoned and unprepared for the responsibilities that
were thrown upon them. We were like a big family with
occasional differences of opinion. Srila Prabhupada’s
impending visit loomed closer with each passing day. We
were in anxiety, wondering if he would be pleased with
our meager efforts. I stayed in Sydney for about two
weeks and then flew back to Kuala Lampur in prepara­
tion for Srila Prabhupada’s arrival. Hanuman, Amogha
and Gopal had done well in arranging programs for Srila
Prabhupada and informing the local communities of his
arrival. The people of Malaysia were waiting expectantly
to taste the nectar pouring forth from the lips of Krishna’s
Pure Devotee. It was as if they knew instinctively that
His Divine Grace was a unique personality, a fully liberat­
ed soul who had come to this world to distribute freely
the greatest treasure—pure love for Krishna.

The communication between Malaysia, Australia, and

India was a nightmare. This was reflected in Prabhupada’s
letter to me dated 4/13/71. It is a response to my letter
forty days earlier:

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter

dated 3rd March, 1971 and have noted the contents. I
have received one letter from Air India and they are pre-
pared to give the tickets for going to Sydney. But your
assistant in Sydney writes that he cannot spare the money
for other passengers. So I am prepared to go alone. But you
are not in Sydney, so how can I go there at this time? Also,
what is the position of the temple to be donated in Kuala
Lampur? If you so desire, I am prepared to go to Sydney via
Kuala Lampur, stay for one week and come back. The sum­
mary is that because you are not in Sydney, I am hesitant
to go there. So please give me your instructions what to do.
I am so glad to note how nicely you are distributing
KRSNA book. Thank you very much. We have got now
10,000 KRSNA book, Volume one, third edition, already
printed in Japan and sent to Los Angeles, and they should
be reaching there within one week. Hoping to hear from
you soon.

The relationship I had with Prabhupada had changed

dramatically. The awe and veneration had now become
mixed with a more intimate friendship and love. I was
always afraid of becoming too familiar and forgetful of his
elevated status as Representative of the Supreme Person­
ality of Godhead. Yet the fire of separation I had endured
for the last twenty months would soon be soothed by the
dust of His Lotus Feet. The vision of meeting him again
consumed my thoughts.
 BHAKTIVCDANTA
BOOK TRUST

local Chinese boy had joined us, and I was

A concerned about his training (since we trav­

eled so much and there was not yet a perma­
nent center). We thought that if he went to India
some time to get trained he could later return and help
to establish Krishna Consciousness through the medi­
um of the Chinese language, which was an extremely
important project. I had written to Srila Prabhupada
about this and his reply was replete with new develop­
ments of cosmic significance. Srila Prabhupada stated his
intent to establish a “book trust” of all of his books and
requested me to be one of the trustees. The formula was
simple. The proceeds from the sale of the books should
be divided: one-half for reprinting and the balance for

^7
 63 vest-

building temples. The “trust,” later formally named the

Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, would manage the printing,
distribution and publicity of our books. This was an awe­
some responsibility, and it was hard to fathom why I had
been chosen by Srila Prabhupada for this, as my field of
activities was somewhat isolated in relation to the rest of
ISKCON. More important than the job, whatever it
would turn out to be, was the reciprocation of love and
trust with my Guru Maharaj.

My Dear Bali Mardan, Please accept my blessings. I am in

due receipt of your letter dated 8th April, 1971, along
with enclosed documents, gift deed documents, and plan
of the land proposed. I have received all these just yester­
day evening. Now I shall find a notary public and sign it
by tomorrow or the day after duly sealed and send it back
by registered post. Formerly it was understood that the
lady lawyer gave land plus $50,000. for the construction of
the temple. The temple construction should be according
to the Indian style, as a rough idea is enclosed in the
sketch. So for as my going to Kuala Lumpar, negotiation is
going on for two important things: One for purchasing a
big property here, in Bombay, and another is going to
Moscow, Russia, having been invited by a university pro­
fessor there. Both the things will be decided in a week’s
rime; so if I do not go to Russia, I shall go to Kuala
Lumpar. I have already received credit letter for my ticket,
so if I do not go to Moscow, I will surely go here and shall
let you know the time and day of the flight; if 1 go to
Moscow I shall return your ticket by mail. It is a hard job
to go to Moscow. There are so many conditions. There­
fore I am a little perplexed whether it will be possible to
go there. That you arc distributing KRSNA book so nicely
is very encouraging. Please sell as many as possible. 1 want
to make a book trust of all my books. The idea is chat the
book trust will manage all publicity and distribution. One-
 half of the money should be spent for building our tem­
ples, and one-half should be used for reprinting our books.
Unfortunately, the building fund portion is being swal­
lowed by eating. I shall be glad to know if you can take up
the responsibility of managing these affairs because I want
to make the trust body as soon as possible. If you like you
can send the Chinese boy here for being trained up. I
have no objection. So far as Upendra coming to India,
when there is possibility of staying there, he should not
come. I never advised Tama I Krishna to tell him to come.
Yes, Indonesia will be a very nice center for propagating
Krishna Consciousness in that part of the world. And
don’t mind about Singapore. If we can get firmly estab­
lished in Kuala Lumpar, that will be best. Yes, by all
means try to get registered there, as we have done else­
where. Hoping this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

In this letter Srila Prabhupada pointed out how ISKCON

could be successful all over the world. The focus was dis­
tribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books, which were so
wonderful that reading any one of them could transform
a person and give them the knowledge to successfully
cross over the ocean of material miseries to an eternal life
full of bliss and knowledge. The formula for success was
to use the proceeds from these book sales to build temples
and reprint more books in the same and additional lan­
guages. Prabhupada pointed out the danger of using this
money for eating and other maintenance expenses. Al­
though large sums of money were to be generated from
the sale of his books, Srila Prabhupada earmarked all the
proceeds for the above purposes and kept nothing for his
personal use. On occasion, he jokingly remarked that if
he received the customary royalties he would be im­
mensely wealthy. In fact, he was completely renounced
from anything material, but at the same time he was vigi­
lant that everything be used properly in Krishna’s service.

Two other subjects mentioned were preaching in Russia

and acquisition of land in Bombay. Srila Prabhupada per­
sonally directed the effort in Russia, which was to
become (after a long struggle) hugely successful. The
same could be said for our project in Juhu, Bombay, in
which I was to become directly involved at a later period.
The feet that Srila Prabhupada shared such information
with me was very inspiring, although I felt so unworthy
to be allowed to share his confidence.

Prabhupada’s visit to Malaysia and Australia was now in

doubt. We were in complete anxiety, waiting for final
confirmation. There was a small window of opportunity
that remained open prior to the beginning of a series of
large programs in Calcutta, New Delhi, and Bombay. We
prayed that Lord Krishna would be merciful and allow
the visit of His dearmost representative.
 PRABHUPADA ARRIVES
IN fflALAYSIA

ith barely any notice, I received word that

W Srila Prabhupada would be arriving in Kuala

Lampur on April 30th at 230 P.M. He had to
be back in Calcutta on May 15th for the beginning
huge Pandal program. We would have two weeks of his
time to tour Malaysia and to visit Sydney, Australia. An
enthusiastic reception was waiting at the airport in Kuala
Lampur on 4/30/71. When the flight we were waiting for
arrived, I am at a loss to describe the disappointment that
was felt when it was clear that Srila Prabhupada was not
on it. In one of those inexplicable foul-ups which seemed
to occur so frequently in India, we found out that Srila
Prabhupada would now be arriving on 5/2/71. Our sup­
porters were consoled, programs were rearranged, and we
 Lupznb/H c7*'~ \~i\JCS i*> (/r1x*lz* y?st&

looked towards tomorrow with great expectation. Later I

was to find out that Prabhupada’s passport had been sent
to Tamal Krishna prabhu in Calcutta to be renewed, but
that there had been a delay in its return, thus making it
impossible for him to travel on his scheduled flight. It
had been almost two years since I had last had Srila
Prabhupada’s personal association. As I waited for his
plane to arrive on 5/2, the pain of separation was begin­
ning to slacken as the joy of meeting was anticipated. But
what would I say? How could I act so as not to betray the
nervous, inept and incompetent fool that I was? Could
anything remain hidden from the loving yet all-knowing
gaze of my Lord and Master? With minutes appearing as
hours, the plane had landed and was now taxiing toward
the embarkation point on the runway. By Sri Krishna’s
grace, it had been arranged with the authorities that I
would be able to stand on the tarmac and accompany His
Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada from the plane through
customs and immigration.

The plane stopped and the door was opened with passen­
gers starting to descend the mobile stairway. Suddenly
there was a swirl of saffron cloth and His Divine Grace
was coming down the stairs. I offered my prosrated obeis-
sances on the hot black asphalt. When I arose and my
eyes met his, the joy of meeting melted my stone heart.
When I had last seen Srila Prabhupada in Los Angeles, I
had been overwhelmed with awe and reverence.
Through service, an intimacy with tinges of friendship
had developed. I did not deserve any of it and only want­
ed to be his menial servant again, to be chastised for my
arrogance and ignorance. After accepting garlands, Srila
 wives H z* ysf/* 7$

Prabhupada handed me his white case to carry as we

walked towards the reception building. Vegavan prabhu
had accompanied Srila Prabhupada and he was carrying
in his hand wrapped in cloth one of the two marble
Deities later to be installed in Sydney. They were named
Radha-Gopinath, and Radharani was wrapped in cloth
and Gopinath had been packed in a wooden box and for­
tunately not damaged by the baggage handlers.

Later, on the flight to Sydney, I would carry Gopinath

wrapped in cloth and Vegavan prabhu carried Radharani
as before. Prabhupada dictated a letter to Tamal Krishna
Prabhu nicely describing events during his Malaysia tour:

Please accept my blessings. You'll be glad to know that I

have come to Malaysia. On Monday night there was a
good meeting upon my arrival, and then yesterday I was
all-day busy in attending three or four meetings. All of
them were very big meetings, and this place appears to be
very prospective for our preaching work. People are
inclined to give us land and a house. Two or three such
offers are already in view. So I’ll try to open a branch
immediately, either in Kuala Lampur or Ipoh or Teluk
Anson. In Teluk Anson one retired principal of college
has offered a house which can be used as a temple, already
started very big. It is understood that the property is about
fifty to sixty thousand dollars. So, things are going on nice­
ly, and I shall be glad to hear from you about how things
arc going on there. Another point is that from here I shall
be going to Sydney, and then from there I shall be going to
Calcutta. 5/6/91

I had recently arrived in Malaysia from Australia and the

arrangements for Srila Prabhupada’s programs and living
74 wives

arrangements had been made primarily by Hanuman

prabhu and Amogha. In Kuala Lampur we stayed in a
detached apartment of a large mansion owned by a
wealthy Indian textile merchant whom I had not previ-
ously met. Much to our surprise, we were to discover that
the femily was not pure vegetarian and Srila Prabhupada
told us not to accept any food prepared by them.

After the arrival program, when Prabhupada had fin­

ished his bath and taken prasadam, we discussed the
meetings that had been scheduled. It was clear that Srila
Prabhupada was exhausted from traveling and this was a
problem. Originally, there had been an extra day to rest
in Kuala Lampur, but since the arrival was delayed this
was eliminated. We had a program scheduled the next
day in a small city called Telok Ansen, about four hours
by car from Kuala Lampur. In the hot sun of Malaysia,
this was no joy ride. To go or cancel the program—that
was the question. Finally, when we were able to obtain a
large vehicle which only Prabhupada, myself, and the
driver would travel in, it was agreed that we would go.

Srila Prabhupada decided to travel in the front seat and I

sat in the back. It was quite hot in the car and I was pray­
ing that Srila Prabhupada would not find the journey tax­
ing. As we traveled along the road through the Malay­
sian countryside, Srila Prabhupada was slipping in and
out of external consciousness. Every time he closed his
eyes, his head would fell back (hitting the seat) and he
would be disturbed. After this happened several times, I
could not restrain myself: as his lotus head began to fall
backwards, I caught it with my hands and supported its
weight. By my doing this, Srila Prabhupada was able to
rest, and when he returned to external consciousness and
realized what I had done, he turned around to look at me
and said “thank you very much.” What mercy!

Our next adventure was to stop the car and have a tran­
scendental picnic. We found a nice grassy spot shaded by
trees near a small stream. I spread a large cloth for Srila
Prabhupada to sit on and I proceeded to serve him from
the tiffen that we had brought along. He seemed to like
this arrangement very much. After washing up from the
stream, we carried on and reached our destination.

The programs that were held in Malaysia were all a huge

success. They were held in large halls which were all
packed to capacity, mostly by those of Indian ancestry.
Srila Prabhupada was hailed as the pure devotee of the
Lord, and people had to be restrained as they rushed
toward him to try to obtain the dust from His Lotus Feet.
Leaving the halls, I was anxious about the surging
crowds, but Srila Prabhupada only smiled as we made
our way towards the exits. Srila Prabhupada held pro­
grams in Telok Ansen, Ipoh, Penang, and Kuala Lampur.
He would speak strongly on Bhagavad-Gita and Lord
Chaitanya’s Mission to broadcast this philosophy all over
the world. Afterwards, as I sat with Srila Prabhupada, we
would talk about how eager the people were for Krishna
Consciousness, and we would listen to tapes of the lec­
ture relishing the Divine Message flowing through Srila
Prabhupada’s lips.

When there was no program, Prabhupada would give

darshan to the numerous people who desired his associa-
tion. I will always be indebted to the many people there
that have assisted our mission. Various offers of land and
buildings were made and Srila Prabhupada took every
such opportunity very seriously. I felt very comfortable in
the role of servant, handing Srila Prabhupada his glasses
during the lecture, giving him water, holding his shoes
and cane, carrying his white case, serving him prasadam.
After a little while, no words were needed—by his glance
or movement I could understand what he wanted. In
these exchanges, his mere nod of satisfaction was my life
and soul.

In Penang, I remember some wonderful pastimes. We

were staying at the home of an Indian gentleman and
his wife. The wife had been born in Mathura and was an
expert cook. I had started to massage Srila Prabhupada
with mustard oil as our host looked on. Our host, ah
though an important man in society, became anxious to
become Srila Prabhupada’s masseur. Seeing his sincerity,
Prabhupada finally agreed, laughing at his persistence,
and humility. When the massage was finished and Srila
Prabhupada had taken his bath, he sat down to take
prasadam. After seeing that he was served properly, I left
the room so as not to be an annoyance while Srila Pra-
bhupada ate. His custom was to recite the Gayatri man­
tra first and then eat.

Suddenly, I heard Srila Prabhupada call my name and I

entered to see what was the matter. In a grave voice, His
Divine Grace ordered me to have all the assembled devo­
tees brought in front of him immediately. Trying to fath-
 wives in ysiz* 77

om what unpardonable offense we had committed, I

complied. As we stood in front of him, Srila Prabhupada
lifted a flying-saucer shaped kachori in the air and took a
bite out of it. He handed one to me and asked me to do
the same. I cannot describe it adequately, but it was soft
and wonderful, the crust melting in the mouth and the
urad dhal filling spiced just right. This kachori is a spe­
cialty of Mathura and a favorite of Krishna. The hostess
who had prepared it had apparently perfected the art in
her Mathura home.

Prabhupada was in an animated ecstatic mood and told

us all to immediately go into the kitchen and learn how
to make kachoris from this woman. It was so wonderful
to see the Spiritual Master so satisfied. After the other
devotees had left and Prabhupada continued to eat he
turned to me with a beaming smile and declared “you
know, I am going back to Godhead only so that I may eat
luglus and kachoris with Krishna.” As we both enjoyed
his good humor, he proceeded to tell me some incidents
from his youth, demonstrating his fondness for kachoris.

Returning to Kuala Lampur for our final programs prior to

departing for Sydney, our schedule was quite busy. I
accompanied Srila Prabhupada to a photographic studio
to obtain visa photos. Many people wanted to see him
and we were negotiating with Kamala devi over the terms
of her proposed donation of land and money. Somehow or
other, everything was accomplished, and Srila Prabhu­
pada, accompanied by Vegavan and myself, bade farewell
to his admirers. Carrying Radha-Gopinath (the marble
Deities wrapped in cloth), we boarded the plane.
 PRABHUPADA IN
SYDNEY

he flight to Sydney, Australia was a long one. We

T attended to Srila Prabhupada as best we could.

When the sun rose the vast outback of Australia
became visible. Miles upon miles of uninhabited lan
Prabhupada started talking about man’s artificial creation
of national boundaries and how this impacted on popula­
tion density and food production. The “barking dogs” at
the immigration counter were a topic as well—he re­
marked that wherever he traveled there was the same sun
and moon, so why should he be considered a foreigner? If
Australia was not going to develop its land, why not
make it available for Indians who were willing to work
the land? Food shortages and population explosion was
an artificial issue due to the material consciousness of
79
80

men falsely claiming proprietorship of God’s property.

When we arrived in Sydney the devotees greeting us got

quite a surprise. Apparently they had received a garbled
telegram and thought that I was arriving alone. When
they saw His Divine Grace, they were overwhelmed.

A nice apartment had been rented and for the few days
we would be there we followed a more normal schedule.
In the morning, walks along the cliffs near Bondi Beach,
then Bhagavatam class at the temple, and darshan and
interviews in the afternoon. In the evening, Srila Prabhu­
pada was working on his books—the preface to Bhagavad-
Gita As It Is was completed on May 12,1971 in Sydney.

When we first arrived, Srila Prabhupada went to the tem­

ple in Paddington and gave an arrival address. The devo­
tees held him in complete awe and veneration. When we
went to the apartment, Prabhupada instructed Vegavan
to prepare prasadam. Two problems developed. First of
all, prasadam was late and Prabhupada was becoming
upset. Then, when he was served the rice, it had not been
cooked enough and was hard. With this, Vegavan prabhu
became the recipient of a torrent of chastisement, which
is actually the Mercy of the Guru. 1 had not seen Pra­
bhupada in such an angry mood before, and the impor­
tance of timeliness in serving prasadam and seeing that
the offerings were cooked properly was indelibly etched
in my mind. As Prabhupada has taught us, we cannot sat­
isfy God in a whimsical fashion, but we must serve Him
as He desires.
During this event, I tried to keep a low profile suitable to
my cowardly nature. Another matter which has been
written about elsewhere involved the installation cere­
mony of Radha-Gopinath. During this celebration, Srila
Prabhupada wanted me to stay with him at all times. As
the apartment was quite distant from the Temple, I could
not see or direct the preparations that were being made.
Although the Sydney devotees were for the most part
inexperienced at Deity worship, an ‘‘expert” had recently
come from L.A., so I did not expect any problems. Along
with the installation was to be the initiation of fourteen
devotees and two second initiations. When we came to
the temple for the installation, Prabhupada surveyed the
preparations from his Vyasasana and commented that
there should be more flowers. Devotees scrambled to try
and fulfill this order and the function proceeded. Prabhu­
pada was teaching us the proper standard. Some devotees
who had not had any association with Prabhupada prevh
ously magnified this episode in their minds. Luckily, they
were not present at prasadam time in Srila Prabhupada’s
apartment or they might have jumped out of the window.
Our position of ineptitude before our Guru was our natur­
al one, and it highlighted his position as the source of all
our knowledge. His critical tones were actually waves of
love, purifying our consciousness and placing us in a sub­
servient posture to his Lotus Feet. I can remember epi­
sodes both of chastisement and of praise, but those of
chastisement are more memorable, for my stupidity in
front of my Guru Maharaj was thoroughly revealed and
I could thus beg forgiveness at his Lotus Feet, under­
standing my true position as infinitesimal servant.
Two programs were held, one at the Wayside Chapel and
the other at the Sydney Grammar School. Kurma Prabhu
is writing a detailed book describing these events in full.
In addition to these meetings, there was quite a bit of
media coverage with reporters asking what turned out to
be rather silly questions.

One night in Prabhupada’s apartment I awoke from a

sound sleep about 1:30 a.m. to the ring of Prabhupada’s
bell. Entering his room, which was dark except for a read'
ing light on a small podium, Srila Prabhupada was sitting
reading from a large red Bhagavatam. He motioned for
me to sit down. His voice cracking and tears forming in
his eyes, he began talking to me about the glories of
Prahlad Maharaj and the true meaning of being a Vaish'
nava. He talked about how Prahlad’s only desire was for
others to be rescued from this world of birth and death.
He described the compassion of the Vaishnava for the
fallen souls and, seeing how hard he worked to spread
Krishna Consciousness, I could feel his own heart over­
flowing with this intense form of Vaishnava love.

As Prabhupada spoke, I could only think: why me? I did

not deserve such intimacy. If only the world could know
Prabhupada’s glory, a Mahabhagavata Devotee, a nitya-
siddha, eternally liberated soul, whose thoughts day and
night focused on how to free the conditioned souls from
their bondage. Paraduhkaduhki, Prabhupada uttered soft­
ly while contemplating the incomparable qualities of a
true Vaishnava, which he exemplified perfectly. If there is
another person living with these attributes, I have not
met him.
 83

Prabhupada’s mood gradually changed and soon he was

describing his youthful acting in transcendental dramas,
and we were laughing as he graphically recreated charac­
ters for me. After some time, Prabhupada indicated that I
should return to take rest. I was walking in a cloud sur­
charged by the pure devotional energy emanating from
the mouth of the Lord’s dearmost representative. As I lay
down to sleep, I thought that no possible dream could
surpass the reality I had just experienced.

Srila Prabhupada and 1 prepared to travel to Calcutta

where Prabhupada was to speak to thousands each
evening at a week long pandal program in the center of
the city. The Australian yatra had been strengthened by
his visit—now the joy of meeting would temper the bit­
tersweet taste of separation. Prabhupada seemed very sat­
isfied with the tour of Malaysia and Australia. It was
something of a respite from the rigors of India where he
was deeply involved in the minute details of manage­
ment. Three great projects in Mayapur, Vrindaban, and
Juhu, Bombay loomed in the near future.

By Herculean effort and concentration of mind, Srila

Prabhupada would translate his dreams into reality. At
the Sydney airport, devotees with long faces sang sweet
kirtan as the inevitable departure of their Spiritual
Master drew closer. Prabhupada blessed his spiritual
children with the enthusiasm to carry on in his absence.
As we left Australia, I felt fortunate to be traveling to
India at Prabhupada’s Feet and wondered what India
would be like. s
 HIS SECRETARY IN
CALCUTTA

t was evening when the plane landed at Dum Dum

I airport in Calcutta. When the doors opened it was an

unforgettable event. As the hot, thick pungent stench
of ancient India enveloped the plane, we became aware
of the pounding sounds of Harinam Kirtan at full blast.
We descended the ramp to the tarmac and saw swirling
saffron dhotis, clashing kartals, and melodious mridungas,
as Srila Prabhupada’s disciples gave him a vibrant wel­
come. Climbing into a waiting jeep we were transported
to customs and given the VIP treatment. After seeing
that our baggage was collected, we journeyed to our cen­
ter at Albert Road, where we settled in. It was wonderful
being able to serve Srila Prabhupada during this period,
acconpanying him to the evening programs, sitting by his
sy
86 is s\ecrct&\-

Vysasana, waiting for his command, hearing him speak to

the assembled masses. Afterwards, I would often discuss
the evening’s events with him.

On days when we had no evening program, Prabhupada

would call a few of us into his small room off the veranda
and he would enjoy talking about Bengal, past and pre­
sent. He taught us about Bengali culture, humor, and his­
tory, as well as his personal experiences. We were fascina­
ted by his revelations, yet amid the laughter that often
arose there were serious lessons for us. Vedic etiquette had
subtle nuances that, if unlearned, were sure to cause of­
fenses by westerners in dealings with Indians. During the
day there were letters to answer and endless darshan of
Bengalis coming to venerate their native Son. In addi­
tion we had smaller programs during the day and would
sometimes travel with Prabhupada to see places that were
supposedly being offered for ISKCON’s use. One place
we traveled to in the countryside in this connection re­
quired us to travel by jeep and then by boat to inspect
some property. No hardship was too great for Srila Pra­
bhupada to endure in pushing on his mission. Sometimes
Prabhupada would accept an invitation to visit some gen­
tleman’s house for lunch. These types of invitations were
a Vedic tradition. A few of us would accompany Prabhu­
pada and we would also be fed. These could be very casu­
al and friendly affairs, lacking the formality of larger
events. Sitting on the floor eating alongside Prabhupada
was a unique experience. We would joke with him about
how many chapatis he would eat. If he ate at least three
it was a sign that his digestion was strong and was feeling
good. After the meal, the host would usher Prabhupada
to a large bed to take a short nap. This was also a Vedic
tradition.

As Prahupada’s secretary, the greatest frustration oc­

curred in trying to control the flow of people constantly
desiring to meet with Prabhupada for darshan. This was
a thankless task as we faced the wrath of the visitor who
was denied access as well as the wrath of Srila Prabhu­
pada if a complaint was later made to him. Yet seeing
how exhausting these sessions could be with endless
questions of questionable merit, we tried with little suc­
cess to keep Srila Prabhupada’s schedule simple and
straightforward. His Divine Grace’s patience and reluc­
tance to offend anyone was remarkable. Prince or pau­
per, he gave them the same respect and opportunity to
accept the gift of devotional service.

One of Prabhupada’s dreams was to establish a World

Headquarters of the Krishna Consciousness Movement
in Mayapur, the birthplace of Lord Chaitanya. Mayapur
is located approximately 90 miles north of Calcutta along
the sacred Ganges River. Negotiations had been going on
to purchase the first piece of land there—this was gov­
erned at every step by Prabhupada’s personal direction. In
Mayapur, Jayapataka prabhu (my Godbrother) was living
in a hut on the land we were attempting to purchase. We
were getting legal advice from a lawyer, one Mr. Das, and
Tamal Krishna prabhu was trying to get this deal final­
ized. Somehow I became involved, and Prabhupada
asked me to accompany Tamal Krishna to Mayapur to
finalize the purchase and see that the land was formally
registered with the government in the name of ISKCON.
88

In preparation, we visited Mr. Das’s house in Calcutta to

review legalities involved in transferring title of the land.
While we were there, the family priest also visited and
proceeded to light up a waterpipe he had brought with
him. As the room filled up with a smell reminiscent of
Haight-Ashbury, Tamal Krishna and I looked at each,
shocked to find ourselves in this situation. Eager to leave
the intoxicating fames from the Hookah, we made our
excuses to our host and walked a little unsteadily back to
the temple.

We were to travel to Mayapur by train with thousands of

rupees for the land purchase stuffed in moneybelts under
our clothing. At this time, traveling in Bengal was not
considered safe. Bands of Naxalites roamed the country­
side, killing, robbing, and burning their victims. We were
confident of Divine Protection, however, and so leaving
the congestion of Calcutta we were soon in rural Bengal,
a most beautiful sight. Bright green paddy fields inter­
spersed with flowing ponds and lush forest. When we
arrived in the current city of Nabadwip, we stayed at the
family home of Mr. Das, our lawyer. We made arrange­
ments for prasadam from one of the temples. Our mor­
ning meal consisted of flattened rice mixed with fresh
mango and misthi dahi, a sweet beige yogurt that, once
tasted, can never be forgotten. We traveled by boat to
the island of Mayapur to meet the Muslim farmer from
which the land was being purchased. Seeing the spires of
temples rising from the landscape was quite inspiring,
as was the Yoga Pith (the actual site of Lord Chaitan­
ya’s birth). At our prospective land, we met Jayapataka,
who showed us his hut and the surrounding land.
Negotiations were soon completed, papers signed, and
the final activity involved registering the deed at the
district capital at Krishnanagar. Due to the dacoit dan­
ger, we were transported in an army truck surrounded
by armed soldiers. We paid the money and saw that all
our papers received all the proper stamps, seals and sig­
natures. Deed in hand we became eager to return to
Calcutta to bring Srila Prabhupada the good news.

Returning to Calcutta, the train was packed and people

kept trying to force their way into our compartment. One
of the passengers feigned a contagious disease to persuade
others to look for another compartment to barge into.
Very late at night we arrived at the Calcutta temple.
We were filthy from our journey and exhausted and it
appeared everyone was asleep. Then we noticed a light
emanating from Srila Prabhupada’s room and we could
understand that he was awaiting our return. Entering his
room, we fell down at his feet to offer our obeisances.
Under Prabhupada’s questioning gaze, we explained the
successful outcome of our journey and produced the
legal papers. ISKCON’s Mayapur plans had now become
a reality. Prabhupada’s anxious demeanor gave way first
to relief and then to a broad smile of unabashed joy. It
was an ecstatic moment that will never be forgotten. The
whole room was spiritually energized. Glowing with the
pleasure of seeing his dreams become reality, Prabhupada
ushered us off to take rest. Our mission completed, my
Guru Maharaj pleased, I lay down on the floor to take
rest, still basking in the golden glow of Srila Prabhupada’s
merciful glance.
 ABGUT TH€ AUTHGR

Bali Mardan das joined ISKCON in 1968 at 26 Second

Avenue in New York City. Under Srila Prabhupada’s direc­
tion, he completed his B.A. degree at New York University
and in early 1969 traveled to Japan with Sudama das to open
ISKCON’s first center in the Far East. From Japan, Bali
Mardan traveled alone to Australia where ISKCON’s Sydney
branch was opened, and later traveled and preached in Fiji,
Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand,
opening centers where possible. He was chosen by Srila
Prabhupada as one of his twelve original Governing Body
Commission members, and as one of three original trustees of
the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. He enjoyed a special bond of
love with his Gurudev.

In this book he gives us a taste of what it was like in those

early days in Prabhupada’s close association, as well as work­
ing under Prabhupada’s direction from a great distance. In­
terspersed with letters from Prabhupada, as well as details of
Prabhupada’s first visit to Malaysia and Australia, devotees
will find in this book a storehouse of nectar to drink to their
full satisfaction.
lieURNEY T® THE PACIFIC Rim...
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada traveled from
India to the United States in 1965 and, the following year, established the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (1SKCON). This move­
ment, dedicated to non-sectarian God consciousness, attracted legions, es­
pecially young people, who were dissatisfied with modern western culture.
One such person was William Berke (Bali Mardan das), who took Pra­
bhupada's teachings and mission to heart. On Prabhupada’s order, Bali
Mardan brought the timeless teachings to other lands—Malaysia, Fiji, Ja­
pan, Australia. Journey to the Pacific Rim tells the exciting story of
Bali Martian’s missionary adventure, bringing a profound philosophy and
culture—still new even to him!—around the world.