poem at Boston (arriving in USA)_

Prabhupada: No. I was not very much hopeful. That I wrote one poetry, that "Krsna, why You have brought me in this country? What can I do? How I shall convince them how they will understand the philosophy? So, but because You have brought me here, must be there is some purpose. So all right. You make me dance as You like." That poetry, I..., in Boston, Commonwealth Pier, on the sea. I came by ship. So I wrote that poetry, that I do not know what for I have come here, why Krsna has brought me here. As soon as I shall say that there is no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no drinking and no gambling, they'll say, "You go home. Don't talk." I knew this. Still I attempted. But these boys kindly accepted. I never made any compromise. I said, "These are the first condition to become Krsna conscious: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. Are you agreed?" They say yes, then come. If I would have made compromise, "Yes, whatever you like you can do," no, I never did. Ask them. I never did. Some of them left, that "It is too difficult. The primary necessities of life are denied here." [chuckles] But these boys, they accepted, and therefore it is improving. They are young men, they have got all the desires for material enjoyment, but they have sacrificed everything. That is tapasya. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattvam [SB 5.5.1].    (More...)