Reading from Giriraj Swami’s Forthcoming Book, Dancing White Elephants

Giriraj Swami: Hare Krishna.

So now, I will read from my forthcoming book, Traveling With Srila Prabhupada in India. The proper name is Dancing White Elephants—Traveling With Srila Prabhupada in India from, I think, October of 1970 to February of 1972. And I have decided to read from the section about Madras.

[Reading from Dancing White Elephants—Traveling With Srila Prabhupada in India]

Chapter Twelve: Madras, November 27, 1971–February 24, 1972

In November, just after the Delhi pandal program and on the eve of Srila Prabhupada’s first tour of Vrindavan with his disciples, Achyutananda, Bhavananda, and I volunteered to go to Madras to arrange a preaching program for Prabhupada there. When Achyutananda informed Prabhupada of the plan, Prabhupada asked, “Oh, you are not going to Vrindavan with us?” In fact, none of us could imagine missing being in Vrindavan with him. But Achyutananda replied, “ISKCON is Vrindavan, Srila Prabhupada.” And Prabhupada said, “Yes, my guru Maharaja used to think like that.” “But which do you want us to do?” I asked. “What is the better service?” “I want you to put on a pandal in Madras,” he said. “That would be more pleasing.”

I met many so-called intellectuals in Madras who tended toward impersonalism. They thought, “Oh, how silly. You are saying that Krishna is supreme, and someone else is saying that Shiva is supreme.” (There were many Shaivites in Madras, who believed that Shiva was supreme.) These impersonalists considered themselves to be more intelligent than the naive sentimentalists who worshipped particular deities, and they considered us to be naive sentimentalists because we worshipped Krishna, chanted Krishna’s name, and preached Krishna’s supremacy.

As one of the first ISKCON devotees to visit Madras, I was quite a sensation—an American Vaishnava. Most people there had never seen a Western sadhu, and several, wanting to help, suggested that I meet a Mr. Ramakrishna, who they said was pious and religious and would be happy to hear of our activities.

So, I met Mr. Ramakrishna, and he turned out to be one of those people who thought that Shiva was supreme. And before long, we came to verbal blows. He had a volatile nature and turned red in the face and raised his voice in anger. So, the meeting ended quite abruptly.

Still, as I continued preaching, people kept telling me, “You have to meet Mr. Ramakrishna. He is a very pious man. He is a very religious man.” And I imagine that people were telling him, “Oh, you should meet this Hare Krishna devotee. He is very nice. They are doing excellent work.”

After a few weeks, I thought, Maybe I should give it another try. This time I will be more careful. When I phoned Mr. Ramakrishna, he immediately agreed to meet me, confirming my thought that people were speaking favorably about us to him. It was probably embarrassing for him that we had disagreed so vehemently. So, we met, and this time I tried to restrain myself and he tried to restrain himself. But eventually we came to the same point of contention: Who was supreme—Krishna (Vishnu) or Shiva? Again the argument escalated, but neither of us wanted it to end the same way it had the last time. Then I got an inspiration. “In two weeks, my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is coming to Madras,” I said, “so instead of us arguing, why don’t I invite you to meet him, and you can discuss with him directly.” Mr. Ramakrishna liked the idea; it was a way out for us both. And ultimately, what could be better for him than to meet a pure devotee of Krishna?

When Mr. Ramakrishna eventually met Srila Prabhupada, he told him about our dispute. “I met your disciple Giriraj,” he said, “and I argued that Shiva is supreme, and he argued that Krishna is supreme. So, who is supreme?” Prabhupada took a different approach. He didn’t enter into polemics about who was supreme. Rather, he said, “There are two words in Sanskrit—puja and bhakti. In puja one worships the Deity to get some material benefit, and in bhakti one worships only to give pleasure to the Deity, without expectation of personal return. Generally the worshippers of Shiva engage in puja—they worship to get some material benefit—whereas in bhakti we worship Krishna for the sake of Krishna’s pleasure, just to please Him.”

“Is it not possible to worship Shiva in the mood of bhakti?” Mr. Ramakrishna asked. “It is possible,” Prabhupada replied, “but it would be exceptional. For example, generally people go to a liquor shop to buy liquor. Now, one could go for another purpose, but that would be an exception. Generally people go to buy liquor.” He did not enter into the controversy over who was supreme; rather, he explained the different moods in the worship of different Deities. And Mr. Ramakrishna was satisfied with the answer.

My stay in Madras was the first time I was really on my own in India, and I was trying to preach the same way I had heard Srila Prabhupada preach, declaring that Krishna was the Supreme Personality of Godhead and criticizing demigod worshippers and impersonalists. There were many impersonalists in Madras, and many demigod worshippers too. And gradually I began to hear from some of our friends that there was an undercurrent of protest against the way I was preaching. The Shaivites didn’t like it, and the Mayavadis didn’t like it, either. Actually, hardly anyone liked it.

I heard the criticism, and I was surprised, but I didn’t really make any change. Eventually the criticism reached such a point, however, that I began to have doubts. So many people are saying the same thing, I thought. Maybe I am doing something wrong. Even one of our best friends, at whose home I had been staying, echoed the comments. “You shouldn’t criticize others,” he advised. “Just say what you want about Krishna consciousness and don’t say anything negative about others. Don’t criticize.” He gave the example of the Gaudiya Matha: “They don’t criticize others. They have a nice temple, and every year they have a big celebration of Janmashtami and thousands of people come, but they don’t criticize, like you do. They just present their own activities. Why can’t you be like them?”

I thought about what he said, but when I asked myself whether Srila Prabhupada would really want us to be like the Gaudiya Matha, I didn’t think he would. So I kept preaching as I had been. But then another friend, whose brother had offered to sponsor Srila Prabhupada’s program in Madras, said the same thing: “All right, you worship Krishna. You can worship Krishna, but don’t say that Krishna is better than Shiva or Ganesh. You do bhakti. That is all right, but don’t say that bhakti-yoga is better than karma-yoga or jnana-yoga or. . .”

Wherever I went, I kept hearing it. Finally I thought, Maybe Krishna is trying to tell me something. Maybe I should listen to what they are saying. And I made a resolution: “I am just going to present Krishna consciousness. I am not going to criticize, and I will try not to offend people anymore.”

Soon thereafter, I had an appointment with a big industrialist. Srila Prabhupada had said that if we just placed his books on a person’s table, the person would become a life member. So, I went to the man’s compound, which included his factory, office, and residence, and in his office I showed him the books and the pictures of our activities, took out the life- membership form, explained the benefits, and asked him to sign. “What about Shankaracharya?” he asked. “He is one of the great acharyas of India. You haven’t said anything about him.” So, I said, “Yes, he is one of the great acharyas of India.” “But you haven’t said anything about him. What about him? What about his teachings?” I tried to avoid getting into an argument, so I said something vague and general. But he kept pushing, probing. And finally I couldn’t help myself—it all came out. I told him that actually Shankaracharya was an incarnation of Shiva and that as such we gave him all respect. But I also told him that Shankaracharya had come with a special purpose: to present an imagined, monistic interpretation of the Vedas and thus bewilder ignorant people. I even took out the Teachings of Lord Caitanya (we didn’t yet have the Caitanya-caritāmṛta) and read the verses from the Padma Purāṇa and Śiva Purāṇa about Lord Shiva taking the form of a brahman, preaching the false doctrine of Mayavada philosophy, which was covered Buddhism, and promoting atheism. Still, Shankara’s ultimate purpose was to bring the Buddhists, who were atheists, to accept the authority of the Vedas. It was a strategy. Then Lord Chaitanya came and taught the proper understanding of the Vedas.

Things became tense. The gentleman put forth a series of arguments, and I thought, I didn’t want to get into an argument, but somehow, I did anyway. He will never change his position; I might as well just leave. And that was the end of the discussion. Dejected, I put away the pictures, put away the books, put away the membership form, closed my briefcase, and was ready to go. As I was about to leave, however, the gentleman said, “Before you go, I would like you to see my temple.” I thought, Oh, no. There is going to be a shiva-lingam, and he is going to want me to bow down, and if I don’t, he is going to be even more offended. I looked at him, and he looked at me, and I could see he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. So I said, “All right.”

He escorted me to his temple room, which was quite large for a personal temple and was all white marble. Facing us on an elevated platform at the opposite end was the altar. And much to my surprise, on the altar were large marble deities of Radha and Krishna. Boy, was I ever happy to see Them! I hadn’t seen any Radha-Krishna deities for some time, since even the Vaishnava temples in Madras were mostly Vishnu, and the famous temple of Partha-sarathi was just Krishna alone.

So I was delighted. I offered my obeisances and prayers, and then I looked at the gentleman with an expression that asked what was going on. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “I am a devotee of Krishna, and all my family members are devotees of Krishna. My family has worshipped Lord Krishna for many generations. I was just testing you. And you did not compromise. So I am very pleased, and I will be honored to become your life member.” We went back to his office, I took out the forms, he took out his checkbook, and he paid the whole amount in one installment.

Later, when I thought about the encounter, I was confused. I wondered if maybe I hadn’t been doing the wrong thing after all. But I still wasn’t sure. When I got back to my room, there was a letter waiting for me from Srila Prabhupada. Receiving a letter from Prabhupada was always a great occasion. When I opened it, the words jumped off the page: “The fact is that I am the only one in India who is openly criticizing, not only impersonalism and demigod worship, but everything that falls short of complete surrender to Krishna.” Prabhupada’s words continued: “My guru Maharaja never compromised in his preaching, nor will I, nor should any of my students. We are firmly convinced that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that all others are His part and parcel servants. This we must declare boldly to the whole world, that they should not foolishly dream of world peace unless they are prepared to surrender fully to Krishna as Supreme Lord.” So, I got my answer.

That was Prabhupada’s mood—his guru Maharaja’s mood and his mood—and that was the mood he wanted us to have. We don’t compromise in our philosophy.

In the same letter, Srila Prabhupada wrote, “I have read the text of your speech delivered to the Rotary Club, and it is very thoughtfully prepared. Try to arrange many speaking engagements like that and simply repeat what you have heard me say in lectures and in our books, and the spiritual effect will be very potent. I am very pleased with your preaching attitude.”

“It may be that the Governor of Madras will invite me as his guest. If this happens, I will come to Madras. So for the time being you may remain in Madras making members, and by my next letter I shall let you know definitely whether I am coming. If I come you can arrange lectures in all the prominent halls and all over the city you can advertise ‘A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada speaks.’”

COMMENT

So, as it is, Srila Prabhupada did come.

READING (continued)

On January 21, Srila Prabhupada replied, “I am in due receipt of your letter of January 11, 1972, and with great pleasure I have noted the contents. I am especially glad that you are planning a very nice 3-day program in Madras, and for that purpose I plan to return by first week February from Africa. . .. You may please approach the governor as a chief guest. There is also one big man in Bombay, Mr. A. B. Nair, who is a close friend of the Governor of Madras [and] who is trying for us to stay at the Governor’s mansion. I shall inform you more of this matter later from Bombay.

“I am very much engladdened that you are collecting so nicely for life membership and book sales. I think that you are very easily the best collector and one of the most responsible and best organizers of all my students in India, so I am very very much appreciating your sincere efforts. The simple formula for success in Krishna Consciousness is this sincerity. If He sees that His devotee is sincere, then Krishna gives all help to bring that devotee back to Him, and thus the devotee feels himself being drawn as if helpless by the force of loving service, closer and closer to the lotus feet of Krishna. . .. Now try to arrange chief guests like the Governor and others and make the program very nice and advertise it nicely, then I shall really enjoy to come there and see what you have done.”

COMMENT

Well, I sort of started this, I will finish it. It is very instructive.

READING (continued)

One day, Achyutananda had an argument with our host, a so-called orthodox Hindu who believed that you couldn’t be a brahman unless you were born in a brahman family. Still, the man conceded, “You can be a Vaishnava, and a Vaishnava is more than a brahman—but you are not a brahman. To become a brahman you have to take birth as a brahman in your next life.”

Achyutananda explained, “One takes birth in a particular family according to his karma, his previous pious and sinful activities, and thus someone who has engaged in sinful activities may not take birth in a brahman family. But by chanting the holy name of the Lord, you can immediately eradicate all sinful reactions, without a change of body.” In conclusion, he questioned our host, “What is stronger—the holy name or sin?”

And the man had to admit that the holy name was stronger. By taking shelter of the holy name under the guidance of a pure devotee, one could be freed from sinful actions and reactions without changing one’s body and thus transcend the position of even an ordinary brahman. One could become more than a brahman—and also a brahman.

While in Madras, Achyutananda, Bhavananda, and I got to speaking about how things were going in India and how they could be better organized. And somehow, although I did not have as much regular interaction with Srila Prabhupada as the others, they wanted me to write him the letter. And so I did.

“Achyutananda Maharaja, Bhavananda Prabhu, and myself have met and collectively decided upon a plan based on our limited and imperfect senses and limited knowledge of what has happened in India since we left Delhi,” I wrote, “and we humbly put forth those ideas for Your Divine Grace. . .

Although some of our ideas may have been impractical or inappropriate, Srila Prabhupada praised our efforts. “I am very encouraged by your thoughtful plan to organize very nicely all our men in India,” he replied from Bombay. “I can understand that you are very eligible to be among the biggest leaders, so I have all confidence in your Madras programs. There appears to be some feeling of dissatisfaction with the way things are being managed in India, so I have simply said that if you all get me at least two life members daily in India, then I shall do the rest. So, I am pleased to hear from you that you are making many life members there, that is the proof of our preaching strength. Wherever there is preaching strength, there is also success, no matter it may be pandal show or making members or traveling saṅkīrtana party or whatever it may be—just maintain our strong position of purity of routine work and preach and distribute literature, that is all.

Devotee: Maharaja, we can’t hear you. You are muted. Maharaja, will you please unmute yourself so we can hear you?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, I did. Okay, thank you. Okay, so I will get back to this very interesting reading.”

READING (continued)

So, we went out. At first, there was only a light drizzle, but within minutes the sky opened up and the rain poured down. And it kept getting heavier. And there wasn’t much of a drainage system—just an open ditch two or three feet deep, lined with concrete—so as the storm continued, the channel started filling with water. Pretty soon, we couldn’t distinguish between the water on the street, the water in the ditch, and the water in the fields beyond.

Through it all, Bhavananda and I walked along blissfully, drenched in water but inspired in our service to our guru Maharaja. Then Bhavananda fell into the ditch—up to his waist in sewage water until I gave him a hand and he climbed out, dripping.

When I related the incident to Srila Prabhupada, I praised Bhavananda, that he had equal vision and didn’t distinguish between high and low. I quoted Bhagavad-gītā 5.18:

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

“The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater [outcaste].”

“Yes,” Prabhupada replied. “You have theoretical knowledge. But Bhavananda has realized knowledge, practical realization, so he is more advanced.”

Then Hindu newspaper announced Srila Prabhupada’s forthcoming visit to Madras,

COMMENT

And it carried an account of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival. And I will read from some of that account.

READING (continued)

The Hindu reported on Prabhupada’s arrival:

MADRAS, Feb. 11.

The father of the Hare Krishna movement, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, arrived here today from Bombay on his first visit to the city. [H]e was accorded a reverential welcome by a gathering of his followers and admirers. He will give discourses at the Rajeswari Kalyana Mandapam, Mylapore, from February 12 to 14.

To mark the Swamiji’s arrival, a group of his disciples, mostly hailing from the West, but donning saffron robes in the traditional Hindu style, conducted what they call “nagara-saṅkīrtana” (group singing of hymns in streets and other public places), which is the most important aspect of the movement.

With an elephant in the lead, they started from near the Anand Theatre on Mount Road and as they moved along chanting “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna” and dancing in devotional fervour, a number of onlookers joined them to make a modest-sized procession of devotees—a rare sight on the arterial highway and in refreshing contrast to the marches and demonstrations one commonly witnesses.

For the following day, I had arranged a meeting between Srila Prabhupada and Sri Chakravarti Rajagopalachari—Rajaji—the first chief executive of independent India and the author of a well-known English translation of the Mahābhārata and other books on Indian philosophy. Rajaji was now ninety-three and had been the last governor-general of India and the first Indian-born governor-general, as all previous holders of the post had been British. He had also served as leader of the Indian National Congress, Premier of the Madras Presidency, Governor of West Bengal, Minister for Home Affairs of the Indian Union, and Chief Minister of Madras State. He was one of India’s elder statesmen—deeply religious and a founding father of the nation. And when Vice President Richard Nixon visited him in 1954, Nixon called him “the wisest man in India.”

COMMENT

So there is a very nice discussion between Rajaji and Srila Prabhupada. It went on for quite a while. And in the end, Rajaji raised a quite important question.

READING (continued)

Rajaji: The Gītā acharya will confirm, I have no doubt. But the question which I put to Giriraj was whether it would not have been better if you work from inside rather than make yourself a separate cult and organization. Separate organization, once you form it, becomes like a person who is born. He gets his attachment, his ego, his everything. So, the separate organization, like Mr. Banu, becomes an ego. He is fond of his own attachments, of his own interest, and so the organization must be looked after. The organization should succeed. The organization should succeed better than other organizations. There is competition among organizations. So, all the egotistic weaknesses apply to organizations also. Therefore I was wondering whether it would not, if you had convinced that your mission was to spread the Gītā acharya’s teachings as to how to act with detachment and with faith in the grace of God, where you go wrong, could not be having better done without making yourself separate.

Prabhupada: No. The thing is, when there is detachment, there must be another attachment.

Rajaji: Yes—to God.

Prabhupada: Yes. That is required.

Rajaji: If you wish to live with detachment, attach yourself to God.

Prabhupada: Yes. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. [“Ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste.” (Gītā 2.59)] After getting good attachment, one gives up the inferior attachment.

Rajaji: Right. That will be better. The attachment should be to God.

Prabhupada: Krishna.

Rajaji: Krishna—Govinda, as I will call Him. Attachment should be to Govinda, not to an organization.

Prabhupada: Govinda is absolute. Govinda and Govinda’s organization are the same. Govinda is absolute.

Rajaji: I don’t want to discuss it, as I told you. I am not competent to discuss. I am just telling you what I think.

Prabhupada: No. I am also answering this point. Just like Krishna, His name, His form, His pastimes, His entourage are all the same. Otherwise, what is the benefit of chanting Krishna’s name? Suppose I am thirsty just now. If I simply chant the name of water, “water,’’ I will not be satisfied. Water is required, the actual substance. But when we chant “Krishna,’’ Krishna’s name is not different from Krishna.

I had also arranged for Srila Prabhupada to meet with Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who served as the second president of India from 1962 to 1967 and as the first vice president of India from 1952 to 1962 and who had written several books and translations of Vedic philosophy from the impersonal point of view. Srila Prabhupada had previously criticized Dr. Radhakrishnan’s translation and commentary on the Gītā, which declared that although Krishna says surrender unto Him, we don’t actually have to surrender unto the person Krishna but “the unborn, beginningless, eternal who speaks through Krishna.”

COMMENT

So, Prabhupada very severely criticized Dr. Radhakrishnan’s interpretations. But coming to their meeting,

READING (continued)

Now Dr. Radhakrishnan was a decrepit old man. Withered and bent over, he shuffled in with the assistance of a nurse, who lowered into a chair, and, Visakha remembered, “sat near Prabhupada, wordless.” With Dr. Radhakrishnan, silent and trembling, next to him, “Prabhupada leaned forward and gently addressed the doctor, explaining how he was traveling widely to present the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is throughout the world, and receiving a good reception. People were hankering for this knowledge, taking it seriously and becoming devotees of Krishna, Prabhupada said. Prabhupada quoted Krishna in the Bhagavad-gītā: ‘I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.’

“ ‘Krishna,’ Prabhupada went on, ‘is a person. Not a person like us, for we are embodied souls; Krishna’s form is all spiritual.’ We could personally relate to Him by serving Him with love and devotion.”

Devotee: We can’t hear you.

Giriraj Swami: Right my dear devotees, we are back again. We have overcome the latest interruption to the Wi-Fi. So coming back to Madras. I think for this, I will come to one last discussion.

READING (continued)

Srila Prabhupada met with many of Madras’ most important citizens. They were leaders, he told them, and if they became Krishna conscious, others would follow their example. One such dignitary was Sri K. K. Shah, the governor, who was a staunch Mayavadi and follower of Shankaracharya. Prabhupada patiently tried to explain Krishna consciousness to him, but the governor kept interrupting with his own philosophy. And when Prabhupada asked him to somehow help the Krishna consciousness movement, Shah replied that as governor there was nothing he could do—everything was in the hands of the chief minister.

COMMENT

My dear devotees, please listen very attentively because this is very significant.

READING (continued)

For one program, the chief justice of Madras invited Prabhupada to speak before a large gathering of high-court judges, advocates, and other leading citizens. Prabhupada appealed to the audience to follow the examples of Sri Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami, who in the sixteenth century had given up their exalted posts as prime minister and finance minister in the Bengal government to help Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spread the Krishna consciousness movement.

After the program, the chief justice invited Prabhupada to dinner at his home, and there he disclosed that he wanted to join Prabhupada’s movement as soon as possible. Prabhupada again began to glorify the Six Gosvamis, but this time in a different way. He explained how after going to Vrindavan the Gosvamis were always longing for Lord Krishna and His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani. “They never said, ‘Now I have seen God! Now I am satisfied!’ No! Rather, they were saying, ‘Where is Radha? Where is Krishna?’”

The chief justice presented Prabhupada a sandalwood garland and a small statue of Krishna. To demonstrate the ecstasy the Gosvamis had felt in separation from Krishna, Prabhupada held the statue of Krishna in front of little Sarasvati and said, “Who is this, Sarasvati?” “Krishna!” Sarasvati exclaimed. Then he slowly moved the statue around to the side, hid it behind his back, and said, “Sarasvati, where is Krishna?” When Sarasvati realized that Krishna was gone, a startled look of anxiety crossed her face. Her eyes darted in all directions—“Where is Krishna?” But Krishna was nowhere to be found. She looked to the devotees, checking their hands and around behind their backs—searching everywhere. But Krishna was nowhere to be found. Then a devotee said, “Sarasvati, who has Krishna?” And Sarasvati opened her eyes wide with realization and exclaimed, “Prabhupada has Krishna!” and rushed to Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet. “Prabhupada has Krishna!” And he brought the statue from behind his back and presented it to her.

As the rest of us observed the touching exchange, we gained a clear understanding that Srila Prabhupada held Krishna in his hand and that he could deliver Krishna to us when he felt that our desire for Krishna—like Sarasvati’s—was sufficiently intense. He knew our inner feelings, knew each of our hearts. Although Sarasvati was only three years old, Prabhupada knew just how to engage her in Krishna consciousness. And we were able to witness him as the supreme preacher, engaging everything and everybody in spreading Krishna consciousness.

COMMENT

So dear devotees, thank you for listening so attentively. And if you have any reflections you would like to share, you can raise your hand, your physical or your virtual hand.

Devotee: Thank you Maharaja. There was so much interruption today. Maybe we can continue this reading next time, sometime in the future. It is so interesting, that is such a journey. When you go back to Carpinteria, maybe we will have no problem there.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, yes, here the internet connection is unstable. But that is a very good idea. Maybe next time, maybe in Surat, that will be also a very amazing visit.

Devotee: Maharaja, it is so wonderful and it shows Prabhupada’s disciples’ tenacity and perseverance and total faith. You all have such faith and Prabhupada did it. So that is why we are here.

Giriraj Swami: Nice, wonderful.

Devotee: Maharaja, I have one question. How do you remember every single detail?

Giriraj Swami: First, I want to make a request that the devotees on Zoom unmute themselves. Someone asked how I remember so many details.

Well, I have a pretty good memory, especially when it comes to Srila Prabhupada. I absorbed a lot. And I also did, you could say, research because many of Srila Prabhupada’s conversations, which I quoted are in the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase, the folio. So, for example, his long discussion with Rajaji was there in the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase. And yes, I guess it is Prabhupada’s mercy. That is all I can say. It is Krishna’s mercy because He wants Srila Prabhupada’s glories to be recorded and proclaimed. And I pray a lot when I write. I pray a lot for guidance.

Devotee: So, you must have a big team of devotees to help you with everything.

Giriraj Swami: I do. I do. There is one devotee disciple named Rohini Nandan dasa from Israel, and he puts together collections of everything that he could find about any particular incident. So, I get to review those. And I have four editors, very expert editors, who help refine the writing. My main editor is Kalachandji dasa, who is Tamal Krishna Goswami’s brother. And then, next editor is Vishaka Priya, who has been based in Vrindavan for a long time, but now is in Mayapur. And then the next editor is Madhurika. She is originally from South Africa, but now she lives in Alachua, Florida. And then, Nikunja Vilasini, very good. She is originally from South Africa, but now she is staying in Portugal. So they really do an excellent job with the writing, with the editing, I should say.

Devotee: Yes, these books will be coming out sometime soon Maharaja?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, yes, it is written. And the photos and the captions have been selected, the front cover and back cover and front flap.

Devotee: We lost you again Maharaja.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, yes, anything else from anyone? All right, if not, then I suggest we conclude with Vaishnava praṇāma.

Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone and are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca 

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

Ananta-koṭi Vaiṣṇava-vṛnda kī jaya!

Thank you.