SPL – Canceling of Agreement

Giriraj Swami: Reading Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, Chapter Five, Bombay, November 25th, 1972.

CHAPTER 5

Although Prabhupāda had come to Bombay with hopes of finishing the land transaction, Mr. N. was still delaying, despite the new agreement. Obviously his stalling was simply part of his plan to cheat ISKCON. Śrīla Prabhupāda waited many days in Bombay, finally departing for a paṇḍāl program in Ahmedabad. He left behind instructions for his disciples to get the deed on the new terms or else to take back the original two lakhs of rupees paid as the down payment.

While Śrīla Prabhupāda was away, however, Śyāmasundara, Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami, and the others began talking about how even if they could one day get the deed to the Juhu property, to develop Hare Krishna Land the way Prabhupāda had envisioned would be practically impossible. Śyāmasundara argued that even if they got the land, how could they really expect to build a big temple and hotel out here in the jungle? It just wouldn’t work. Meanwhile, from Ahmedabad Prabhupāda continued to wage his Bombay campaign, and he requested Mr. N. and Mr. D. to come to Ahmedabad to try and make a settlement. They declined.

In Bombay the devotees learned that if they wanted to get back their down payment as well as the money they had deposited toward the five-lakh gains tax, then they would have to cancel the new agreement. They were confused, and their time was running out.

COMMENT

Actually, what we later learned was that our lawyers and Mr. Nair’s lawyers were working together. So, as per the agreement reached in Hyderabad, we would have to pay five more lakhs and then Mr. Nair would sign over the deed. And the money was supposed to be paid in exchange for the deed by December 31st, 1972. So the days went by and we were waiting very expectantly, hoping that Mr. Nair would pay, would give us the conveyance. But he never did. Even December 31st came and went, still, we waited a few days because we thought maybe he would still execute the document. But days and days passed by, then finally we realized that Mr. Nair was not going to hand over the deed. So, we wanted to take back our five lakhs of rupees which were deposited with our lawyer to pay to Mr. Nair when he executed the document. So, our lawyers told us that, ”If you want to take back your five blacks, you have to cancel the agreement,” which may not have been the actual fact. But Shyamasundara in any case was thinking that the whole idea to get Hare Krishna Land is a mistake. They told Tamal Krishna Goswami, ”If we get the Hare Krishna Land then you have to stay here for the rest of your life and, develop it. Do you want to be stuck in the Juhu for the rest of your life?” So, between the lawyer’s bad advice and their own lack of faith in the Juhu project, Shyamasundara and Tamal Krishna Goswami decided to cancel the agreement.

READING (continued)

One morning one of Prabhupāda’s disciples, Viśākhā-devī dāsī, arrived in Ahmedabad from Bombay. Prabhupāda called for her and told her to return to Bombay immediately with a message. Out of concern that his leaders in Bombay not make a wrong decision and decide to relinquish the land, he told her to tell them that they should not under any circumstances cancel the agreement with Mr. N. “Actually,” he said, “this is not a woman’s job, but everyone else here is either engaged in the paṇḍāl or has not been with us long enough to do this task.”

Viśākhā took the next train out of Ahmedabad and arrived in Bombay the following morning. But what Prabhupāda had foreseen had already happened: the devotees had canceled the sales agreement. They were convinced that to get the land would be a mistake, and their lawyers had agreed, pointing out that if the devotees wanted to retrieve their money, they should cancel the agreement immediately. When the devotees heard Prabhupāda’s message from Ahmedabad, confusion reigned. They now had no legal standing, no claim to the land. And they had failed to carry out Prabhupāda’s desire! Girirāja phoned Prabhupāda in Ahmedabad to tell him what had happened.

“Bhaktivedanta Swami here,” Prabhupāda said as he took the telephone. Girirāja was saying that a devotee had come from Ahmedabad with a message. “Yes, yes,” Prabhupāda said, “what is the point?” Finally Girirāja blurted out that they had canceled the sales agreement. Prabhupāda was silent. Then in a voice that expressed both anger and resignation, he said, “Then everything is finished.”

“I shall be the last man to give up the Hare Krishna Land to the rogue Mr. N.,” Prabhupāda wrote to a life member just before leaving Ahmedabad for Bombay. Prabhupāda was now immediately planning how to rectify his disciples’ mistake. No money had yet been transferred, so perhaps it was not too late.

Mr. N. could not possibly understand why Prabhupāda was so determined in his fight to keep the Juhu land. Not that Prabhupāda had kept his motives hidden, but only a devotee can understand the mind or actions of another devotee. Mr. N. was dealing with Prabhupāda just as he had dealt with C. Company. He had cheated them, and now he would cheat ISKCON. He could only surmise that Prabhupāda and his disciples were driven by the same motive as he himself, the only motive he could understand: material possessiveness.

COMMENT

So as we discussed yesterday, Ātmavat manyate jagat, that you think that others also think. In other words, Mr. Nair was driven by material possessiveness. So Mr. Nair imagined that Srila Prabhupada and his disciples must also be driven by the same force, by material possessiveness. Just to illustrate the principle of how others think that others are the same as themselves, there is one story about Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna asked Duryodhana to go throughout the world and then come back and inform Krishna how many honest men there were. So Duryodhana travelled throughout the world. And he came back to Lord Krishna and reported that, “I could not find even one honest person in the whole world. I am the only honest person.” Then Lord Krishna asked Maharaja Yudhisthira to go throughout the world and inform Lord Krishna how many honest persons were there. So he travelled throughout the world and then he came back and reported Lord Krishna that everyone in the world is honest. I am the only cheater. So Ātmavat manyate jagat, we think that others are same as we are. So Mr. Nair wanted to possess some land and he thought that Srila Prabhupada and his disciples were the same.

READING (continued)

Actually, even Prabhupāda’s disciples were having difficulty understanding Prabhupāda’s unbreakable determination. Prabhupāda’s main motive was to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Bombay. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “My Guru Mahārāja ordered me to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the West, and I have done that. Now I want to preach in India.” Bombay was the most important city in India – the gateway. And within Bombay, Kṛṣṇa had somehow led Prabhupāda to this land, where he had begun preaching and had brought the Deities of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. In Prabhupāda’s eyes, the land was suitable for the large, gorgeous temple and international hotel he had planned.

Bombay was an important city and required grand temple worship, large festivals, mass prasādam distribution, and a variety of Vedic cultural programs. The Juhu land seemed ideal for a school, a theater, a library, apartments – a Hare Kṛṣṇa city. So how could Prabhupāda retreat from this rogue who was trying to cheat him? There would always be persons opposed to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Prabhupāda said, but that did not mean the devotees should give in. A preacher had to be tolerant, and sometimes, when all else failed and Kṛṣṇa’s interest was at stake, he had to fight.

Another reason Prabhupāda refused to give up this particular plot of land was that he had promised the Deities, Rādhā-Rāsavihārī. He had invited Kṛṣṇa here and prayed, “Dear Sir, please stay here, and I will build You a beautiful temple.” When Prabhupāda had been touring and a devotee from Bombay had written him that the Deities were being neglected, Prabhupāda had written back insisting that these “abominable activities” be rectified. The Deity of Kṛṣṇa was not a stone statue but was actually Kṛṣṇa, eager to reciprocate with His sincere devotee.

So if using the land for missionary work was the obvious or external reason for Prabhupāda’s determination to keep his Hare Krishna Land, then the internal reason was his personal commitment to Their Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Rāsavihārī. Certainly Mr. N. and his associates could never understand this. Even Prabhupāda’s own disciples could not realize it fully. Prabhupāda had brought Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa into very poor conditions, but with the promise of something wonderful to come.

COMMENT

Actually, Tama Krishna Goswami sometimes remarked that we have often heard of devotees performing austerities for the sake of the Lord, but here the Lord performed austerities for the sake of His devotees. In other word, Lord was standing up in a very simple tin shed, in a very austere arrangement for the sake of His devotees. But Srila Prabhupada had invited Them to come, he invited deities to come. And he promised, “My dear sir, please come and stand here and I will build You a beautiful temple.” So Srila Prabhupada promised to deities that he would build beautiful temple for Them. He persevered in the struggle with Mr. N. In fact later, Srila Prabhupada commented that, “Actually, I was not so interested in this land. But because I called the Lord to come here, and now to drive away Him would be great insult. I am insistent for the land.”

READING (continued)

At his request Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa had come, and They were standing patiently, giving eternal benediction to Their worshipers, while Prabhupāda struggled to fulfill his promise.

By Prabhupāda’s disciples’ cancellation of the agreement, ISKCON’s legal position had been weakened. But Prabhupāda had faith that if the devotees just maintained possession of the land, their position would remain strong. At the same time, he urged the devotees to preach more. They should not think that without a temple they could not preach, so he arranged for another big Bombay paṇḍāl festival downtown, which proved to be a great success, with twenty thousand attending nightly.

COMMENT

So when Srila Prabhupada was getting reports from Bombay, he could understand that he could understand that the preaching had slowed down or almost stopped. He said, the reason we are having so many problems is that we are not preaching. He said, ”You are thinking that without the temple, you cannot preach. And I was thinking, we would use Hare Krishna land to preaching even if we never built a temple.” So Srila Prabhupada ordered the devotees to make another big pandal program, downtown Bombay. And big pandal program would make the devotees preach. They would have to preach to raise the funds for the festival. They would have to preach to get people to help with the arrangements for the pandal. And at the pandal itself, they would preach. So Srila Prabhupada wanted the devotees to engage in preaching. And the best way to impel them all to preach is to have another big festival. So Srila Prabhupada often said that good management follows preaching just like shadow follows the man or tail follows the dog.

Once I personally asked Srila Prabhupada that, “In the course of time, if I become the most expert manager and also the most expert preacher, what should I do?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “You should preach.” Hare Krishna.

So are there any questions or comments?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:36:25]

Giriraj Swami: Well, we are coming to that part tomorrow. So please be here. Don’t miss the next installment. It is a very interesting story. Any other questions?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:37:28]

Giriraj Swami: So initially, Srila Prabhupada conceived three main projects in India. Mayapur, Vrindavan and Bombay. And Srila Prabhupada commented, Vrindavan is my home, Bombay is my office, and Mayapur is my place of worship. So from Bombay, Srila Prabhupada wanted to preach. Not just to the people resident in Bombay, but to the foreigners who came to India in search of spiritual life, because Bombay is the gateway to India. Many foreigners come to India in pursuit of spiritual knowledge. So before they get involved with wrong people, Srila Prabhupada wanted them to be in touch with pure devotees of ISKCON so they could get the real idea of spiritual culture. Of course, Mayapur and Vrindavan are holy dhāmas, and Srila Prabhupada wanted his foreign disciples to be able to come to India and spend time in the holy dhāmas. And now other major temples are opening in Indian. In April, a very big temple opened in Ahmedabad. And in May, a completely amazing temple and preaching facility opened in Bangalore. And now, in November, another grand project is scheduled to open in Delhi.

So these projects have great impact on the people of India, but they also have great impact on foreigners who comes to India. And they provide places where foreign disciples can come to India, worship the deity, preach, and learn Vedic culture. So the big projects in India are very essential for preaching in India. So they are very important for foreign devotees who can come to India and develop more faith in Krishna consciousness. Any other questions?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:43:15]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, from very beginning Srila Prabhupada envisioned major cultural centers in Bombay. When Mr. Nair offered the Juhu land to Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada considered it the ideal place for the cultural center. And Srila Prabhupada envisioned the cultural center would have a temple, a guest house, a school for training devotees and preacher, perhaps the restaurant, and auditorium for cultural programs. So from the very beginning after first pandal, Srila Prabhupada envisioned a grand center for Bombay. And when Mr. Nair offered the Juhu land to Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada, thought he could establish the cultural center at Juhu.

Actually, Srila Prabhupada inspired one drama troupe called The Vaikuntha Players. He wanted them to be based in Bombay and perform dramas in auditorium in Juhu. And from Bombay to travel all over the world and perform, especially in Russia. So in 1977, when we had the last big public preaching program for Srila Prabhupada in downtown Bombay, the Vaikuntha players came. And at the end of the performance, Sita, Rama, Lakshman, and Hanuman came forward on the stage as if They were deities. And Lord Ramachandra took the opportunity to speak to the audience. And He said, “My devotees are building a grand temple for Me in Juhu. But they need help. So please contribute. And we will be very pleased with you.” And then he took off his helmet, and held his helmet like begging bowl. And people really felt that Lord Ramachandra was speaking to them, so they come forward and give money and offer obeisances and take blessings from Sita, Rama, Lakshman, and Hanuman. So drama is a very potent medium for presenting Krishna consciousness.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:49:40]

Giriraj Swami: Generally, women do not like to travel alone in India because sometimes men try to exploit them. So when Srila Prabhupada said this is not a woman’s job, I believe, he meant travel alone, carrying message is not a woman’s job. But otherwise, the woman’s work will depend on what her actual abilities are. The first duty for all disciples, whether they are men or woman is to get up early and attend the morning programs, chant sixteen rounds, study Srila Prabhupada’ books, participate in deity worship, and preach. In ISKCON basically, the women can do any of the services that the men do, plus they have one extra service that they can do that the men can’t do. They can give birth to Krishna conscious children.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:52:34]

Giriraj Swami: So we are in Lord Chaitanya’s movement. And standard altar that Srila Prabhupada established had Gaura-Nitai, on the left altar when we facing the deities, Radha and Krishna in the center of the altar, Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra in right altar, because our ultimate object of worship is Radha and Krishna. But we approach Radha and Krishna through the mercy of Gaura-Nitai. So first we worship Gaura-Nitai. And when Lord Chaitanya was in Jagannatha Puri, He used to worship Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra, and celebrate the Ratha-yatra with Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra.

So the standard temple for the ISKCON established by Prabhupada was Gaura-Nitai, Radha-Krishna, Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra. But Srila Prabhupada also commented that there  are many devotees of Lord Rama in Bombay. And therefore, we should have Sita-Rama. And Srila Prabhupada also established Sita-Rama-Lakshman-Hanuman in Washington D.C, which is the capital of United states. Because he said that Lord Rama was the ideal ruler, so we should give the idea of the perfect ruler to the heads of the US government and to the people from all over the world come to Washington. And Srila Prabhupada left, devotees established Sita-Rama in England because there are many devotees of Lord Rama among Indians in London. And Srila Prabhupada had already installed Jagannatha in downtown London, so the devotees thought that in the next temple, they may install Sita-Rama. Now when the new temple opens in Delhi, Sita-Rama will also be installed there. But especially in Kali-yuga, Lord Jagannatha is very merciful. Start with Gaura-Nitai, Radha-Krishna, generally we worship Jagannatha. Any other questions?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:58:20]

Giriraj Swami: Actually, the lady had asked what service is appropriate for a lady. So I will tell one story from Srila Prabhupada, which the ladies may or may not like. Every morning, Srila Prabhupada used walk on Juhu beach. And generally, ladies would clean his quarters. So one morning, Srila Prabhupada returned from morning walk. I happened to be with him. When he entered his room, he was so pleased. The room was perfectly clean, nicely decorated with flowers, scented with incense burning. And the whole room was just like the spiritual world. And Srila Prabhupada was so pleased. So he asked, “Who has cleaned my room? Who has decorated my room?” So perhaps Tamal Krishna Goswami said, “Srila Prabhupada, some of the ladies have done it.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “Yes, ladies are very expert in cleaning.

Actually, they should be put in charge of the whole cleanliness of Hare Krishna land.” So, perhaps Tamal Krishna Goswami said, “Well, Srila Prabhupada, they are cleaning your quarters, they are cleaning the deity room. But they may not want to clean the whole Hare Krishna land.” Srila Prabhupada said, “They should not make distinction. All Hare Krishna land is Krishna’s property. All of the Hare Krishna land is property of the spiritual master. We should not think that the only deity room is Krishna’s property or only the spiritual master’s quarters are His property. But we should see every part of Hare Krishna land is Krishna’s property and keep it nice and clean.”

Very often Srila Prabhupada commented that women are expert in cleaning and cooking. And between the Juhu temple and Juhu beach, there were some very simple sheds almost. When Srila Prabhupada used to go Juhu beach around six in the morning, and return around seven, he would see the ladies early in the morning, sweeping, starting the fire for cooking. And Srila Prabhupada said, “Yes. This is Indian culture.” That early in the morning, the women begin their work, cleaning and cooking. So, the fact that women are good at cooking and cleaning does not mean that they cannot do other services. They can also engage in preaching and distributing books, which is the highest service. Still Srila Prabhupada did mention that they are meant for cooking and cleaning as regular duties.

As you know, there is no divorce in Vedic culture. Even when we first went to India in the 1970s, practically there was no divorce at all. And if someone did get divorce, it was considered a horrible thing. So, some years later, divorce became a little more common. And one man commented to me that one of the main factor for divorce now that women do not cook so nicely. Then coincidentally, a few days earlier, I had taken prasāda at a life member’s house in South Africa. And the prasāda was fantastic! So I asked the lady of the house, “Where did you learn to cook? She said, she learned from her mother, that from the age of nine years, they were taught to help the mother and learn to cook from the mothers. Therefore, girls became very good cooks.

So, then a few days later, when I was in Johannesburg, the man was discussing about divorce, why divorce has begun to come? He said the reason is that the modern girls don’t like to stay in the kitchen and learn to cook. They want to go university and get some degree. But he said,  what husbands really want is good meal when they come home. And he was saying, how previously when girls were young, nine years old, eight years old, ten years old, they used to be in the kitchen with the mothers, learning how to cook. And then, when the parents of the boy would come to the house of the girl to see if she was a suitable match, the first thing they would see was how clean the house is kept, how nicely the guests are received, and how good the prasāda is. When they saw house is very clean and nice, and guests was received nicely, and prasāda is cooked and served nicely, so the parents of the boy would think, “Yes, this is a proper family to give the daughter to my son.” And there is no divorce. And for preaching also, cooking is a very important element, and not just for making new devotees, even for keeping the devotees we have, good prasāda is very important.

I see that everyone is smiling, they seem to agree. Maybe they are thinking, this is the time for prasāda now. So we shall say prasāda prayers.

mahā-prasāde govinde nāma-brahmaṇi vaiṣṇave 

sv-alpa-puṇyavatāṁ rājan viśvāso naiva jāyate

śarīra avidyā jāla,   jaḍendriya tāhe kāla,
jīve phele viṣaya-sāgare
tā’ra madhye jihvā ati,   lobhamāyā sudurmati,
tā’ke jetā kaṭhina saṁsāre

kṛṣṇa baḍa dayāmaya,   karibāre jihvā jaya,
sva-prasāda-anna dila bhāi
sei annāmṛta khāo,   rādhā-kṛṣṇa-guṇa gāo,
preme ḍāka caitanya-nitāi

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare Hare

Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, Srila Prabhupada mahā-prasāda ki jaya!

Gaura premānande Hari Haribol!