Melbourne, Australia. June 21

I mentioned to Srila Prabhupada that now that India has the nuclear bomb, other small nations are rushing to get it. He said, "What is this nuclear bomb? I will drop it on you and in turn you will drop it on me. What is the advancement over the dogs? This fearfulness of one nation for another with nuclear bombs is the dogs' mentality. Sometimes, even when chained by their respective masters, two dogs will fight as soon as they meet. Have you seen it? It's no better than that. "But," I pursued a vague anxiety, "devotees sometimes think we are planning for the long-term future when we distribute books to schools and libraries, but if everything is going to end in nuclear war. . ." "Assure them," said Srila Prabhupada, "that there will be no nuclear war if they take to Krsna consciousness. And even if there is nuclear war, that is not going to end everything. Formerly there was the brahmastra [a weapon of Vedic times similar to today's nuclear bomb]. Everything is under the control of the Supreme Lord. We are not afraid of the nuclear bomb, because the soul cannot be killed by the atom bomb. Do you know that? Have you read it? So what do they want to do in fear of the nuclear bomb-to sit down and do nothing and cry?" I said, "Well, we are asking people to invest in 60 volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam, but they might say, 'I don't want to make such a long-term investment in the future because there is nuclear war ahead.' " "Then why are they going to the university? Why don't they stop eating? Do they mean one should not go for an education and should not have any hope and should stop everything?" "Yes," I said, "some think like that-that it is doom." Srila Prabhupada expressed concern that people have been put into such a consciousness. Then he repeated that I should assure people that there will not be such a war if they can become Krsna conscious. "In fact, because of our Krsna consciousness movement, there will be no nuclear war. But even if there is, the soul cannot be killed, so we are not afraid the bomb will kill the soul."

In Melbourne, Srila Prabhupada has been getting lots of news coverage. One article misrepresented him, saying, "His Divine Grace is resigned to dying soon and returning to earth as an animal." Amogha prepared a letter to the editor asking him to print what Srila Prabhupada actually said. Amogha wrote that a pure devotee's condition is just the opposite: he goes to the kingdom of God after leaving this body. The next morning in class, Srila Prabhupada commented on the news article. He explained how the reporter, being against us, was really saying, "Let the svami come back as a dog." (Actually all the miscreants will come back in the lower forms of life, not the devotees.) Prabhupada had actually said, "The devotee doesn't mind how he comes back, so long as he is with Krsna. To become Krsna's animal is a great thing. In Krsnaloka the cows embraced by Krsna, and the other animals-or even the plants-are very exalted to be with Krsna." So there is no objection if he becomes Krsna's animal in his next life.