Short Discussions – May 24, 1977, Vṛndāvana

Oh, here is a snake with jewel. Let me embrace him

Jayapataka: Yes, Srila Prabhupada, everything is all right. Except that your health is not all right. But preaching is going on. Very receptive field in Bangladesh.

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Jayapataka: There has been no sadhus there for many years, and the people there are very eager to hear about Krsna consciousness. Wherever I went, thousands of people gathered. One time ten thousand people gathered. It was the biggest function held in the history of the town, either Hindu or Muhammadan. The Muhammadans are also very interested. They don't know anything about Lord Caitanya. Many have asked, "Do you have any book on the life of Lord Caitanya?" They like to read. And the person who arranged...

Prabhupada: So give the book, Teachings of Lord Caitanya.

Jayapataka: Yes, we can give the book Teachings of Lord Caitanya, although the books in Bengali will be more suitable. But some English books will be... We are distributing about ten to fifteen big books a week and several thousand Bengali books. Everywhere we go, they are offering us a temple, but we are waiting to see what happens with the Gauḍiya Matha. The local secretary-president of the Gauḍiya Matha, they are going to see Govinda Maharaja June 4th and tell him that they want to give the temple to us, because for forty years they haven't done anything. And then he said that if they refuse, then they'll go back and make a resolution that they should give it to us anyway.

Prabhupada: Yes, they can give. It is Bangladesh law. It has nothing to do...

Jayapataka: Also, Tirtha Maharaja has given him a power of attorney from before. He said Tirtha Maharaja had tried to sell the temple several times to other people.

Prabhupada: That I checked.

Jayapataka: But he had stopped it. So the potential looks very good. Some devotees I sent there for visa extension to come back to India, and they have requested to stay there and preach because it was such, such receptive. Many young men are coming and asking very intelligent questions. They ask questions about Deity worship, about guru, about hari-nama-very intelligent questions. There's no CIA rumor. There's no any type of bad talk about us there, no envy at all. Very open-minded. And because they are a little bit oppressed, so they're always being challenged about believing in Krsna, so that's why they're eager to understand.

Prabhupada: What about the Muhammadans?

Jayapataka: The Muhammadans... At one place the Muhammadan who heard my lecture in Dacca, he came and approached me and said that "What you are preaching," he said, "this is very applicable for the modern day and..." He lives in Mymensingh. He said, "In Mymensingh there is nearly a majority of Hindu, and they have their sadhus come and preach there, but it's very, very old-fashioned, and we find it very unacceptable. But what you are saying we find very enthusing." So he arranged the program for me at Mymensingh, the Muhammadan. And every Muhammadan I met, discussed with, ultimately they became interested, just because it was represented in a way acceptable to them. They say, "You are Hindu?" I said, "No, we are Vaisnava. Vaisnava means we believe in only one Supreme God, and He has got no equal and no second." "So you...? We believe in the same."

Prabhupada: There is a... Asamordhva. There cannot be anyone equal to God or greater than God. Then He is God.

Jayapataka: Many young men, both Hindu and Muhammadan, will join, I'm quite sure. Right now we're getting the society registered and getting our place. Before we actually...

Prabhupada: So did you not get? Finish that. Get the place and society registered.

Jayapataka: Well, I was there with Prabhavisnu, and he joined me after ten days, and I instructed him what to do, everything. Then I was called back to Mayapur. But there'll be no difficulty. I can go any time there within a week. The Bengal government is giving me re-entry visa, so I can go and come back without difficulty.

Prabhupada: Do this seriously.

Jayapataka: Because the secretary and the president of Gauḍiya Matha, Dacca, are coming June 4th to Calcutta, so it's better that I'm here to meet them to make sure that the... Because that's the best place that we've seen in whole Bangladesh. We've been offered places in Khulna, Chittagong, in Barisal. Everywhere we've been offered places, but that seems to be the best place. That's also Bhaktisiddhanta's place.

Prabhupada: So why don't you see the donor of that place? I gave the address.

Tamala Krsna: To Prabhavisnu.

Jayapataka: I don't think he's seen him. Now the main manager has been handed authority. We've seen him. He's also favorable. But the people who are holding the main power, they are also favorable, so they've given us. Good facility for boat program. I went to a village by boat one day, and the villagers, they were very receptive also. They held a whole festival. Everyone, five hundred people, stopped their work, and they all came and chanted Hare Krsna, and we cooked a big pot of khicuri. I said, "Everyone to provide dal and rice. You don't eat at home today." And he cooked up khicuri and we gave everyone prasada. And they said, "Please, if you could come every two weeks or every month, we could have a festival."

Prabhupada: Just see. So much good reception. So organize. These people will not give.

Jayapataka: Who?

Prabhupada: These rascals, Gauḍiya Matha.

Jayapataka: No. But they don't have any... They don't have any sadhu to go there.

Prabhupada: They have nothing. Still, they have got... That is called in Bengali, bisa nai kulopana cakra [Transl. A snake with a large hood but without venom.] There is no poison, but the hood is: "Arrhh." [laughs] That is their... Even this bite, there is no poison. But they are showing kulopana cakra. Still, it is bhayahkara. Canakya Panḍita says, manina bhūsitaḥ sarpaḥ kim asau na bhayahkaraḥ: "A snake..." Sometimes snake has got some jewel on the hood. So he can go in the darkness by the light of the jewel. If somebody thinks, "Oh, here is a snake with jewel. Let me embrace him," no, no, no, it is very ferocious. Even it is jewel there, it is ferocious.

Similarly, these people are envious. Although they have become so-called Vaisnava, they are ferocious. They have not acquired the qualification of Vaisnava. Simply vesopajivi [earning livelihood], by dress. So what is there? They could not do for the last fifty, sixty years. Still... They wanted to exchange. I stopped it, the Mohini Babu. Mohini... Bali hatti zamindar. So if we do not get that place, we can get other place?

Jayapataka: Oh, yeah, there is no difficulty.

Prabhupada: Hmm, just start something. Start something.

Jayapataka: They said that by the middle of June, that definitely we'll find out.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Jayapataka: So... But we've been offered in Narayanganj and many places nearby. Even Dacca we can get some place. People are...

Prabhupada: One gentleman, he has now become my disciple.

Tamala Krsna: Mr. Sen. That jeweler from Calcutta?

Jayapataka: He's given three names to see in Bangladesh.

Prabhupada: They are very rich men, that Sen jeweler. They can give. He is very nice man, very nice man, very well-to-do. You have seen them?

Jayapataka: Yes, before I went I saw him, and he gave me three, four names of very wealthy people in Bangladesh to see, and those people are also... One person already became a member, and they'll give us much support.

Prabhupada: No, you'll get.

Jayapataka: There are so many. They're scattered about. I couldn't see all the different people in a short period. It's a big place.

Prabhupada: And whole Bangladesh is a picture.

Jayapataka: It's just so green, all rivers. And everywhere I saw rice field and jackfruit and mango. Everywhere filled with fruits. Very luscious.

Prabhupada: And cow's milk.

Jayapataka: Oh, oh, no buffalo; only cow's milk. And pure ghee there is six rupees per ser [800 grams]. It's becoming...

Prabhupada: Those who are fish-eaters, they can eat sumptuously fish. There is no scarcity.

Jayapataka: Most of all, they're liking your books, Srila Prabhupada. They like the books. Everyone is very eager for books. When we bring out this Gita, that will also be very, very popular. Whatever books we bring there, as soon as we're there, they are immediately sold. I had no books. We had sold out all the books, so I only kept one copy to show, and I said, "We can't give you the book. You buy it by subscription, and we'll send it to you later." Ninety people took subscription, without getting any book, just on the basis of seeing one book. They're so eager.

Prabhupada: Which one? Bhagavad-gita?

Jayapataka: That was for the magazine, yearly subscription for the magazine. When I showed the cinema, then many of the people, they had... In the villages especially they're very isolated, and so they're always being told by the Muhammadans that "Your religion is just very..., only situated within India. It has no broad scope. Over the whole world Islam has spread. Why you are worshiping Deity? Why...? This..." They are always giving them so many challenges. So when they saw how Krsna consciousness has spread over the world, when they saw us chanting, it was as if new life had been given to them. They said, "Now we see that sanatana-dharma has spread throughout the whole world. We are just..."

Prabhupada: And Deity worship.

Jayapataka: Yes, and Deity worship everywhere. They are very much eager. Actually if we don't preach there now, in a few years, gradually, time, time, Krsna consciousness will fade there because of the Muhammadans' presence. But once they see us, never they'll switch. Never they'll lose their faith, just to see how foreigners have taken. That I have seen.

Prabhupada: This is our thesis.

Jayapataka: And educated young people, they're very... They're very susceptible to being devotees. When we traveled in one city, two people joined with us and traveled with us and said they'll be shaved and everything. Very easily they give up. Even when I returned in Mayapur, about five or six new young men had joined. In the twenty days I was gone Bhavananda Maharaja had enlisted about five or six men and about fifteen gurukula students and two families. And they were all very enthusiastic. They want to go and preach also. Things are improving.

Prabhupada: So building work is finished?

Jayapataka: They're just finishing the top waterproofing, jala-chada. They're building that now. That'll be finished in fifteen days.

Prabhupada: Others things are going on.

Jayapataka: Other things are going on.

Bhavananda: Painting. Painting, finishing painting work is going on, first floor.

Jayapataka: Painting is going on. Now we just have to furnish the rooms. Then guests can stay. The rooms are still unfurnished. This weekend it was packed, filled with guests, our big guesthouse. One Tata minibus came and filled, large building. People only come to Mayapur to see our temple. They don't go to see any other temple.

Prabhupada: What they'll see there? [laughter] How Sramana Maharaja is managing?

Jayapataka: He somehow is trying to maintain. I don't see any improvement.

Prabhupada: No, he cannot make improvement, but if he can maintain, that is our question.

Jayapataka: I didn't go there, so I can't exactly say. I don't go there.

[pause]

Tamala Krsna: Shall we start kirtana Prabhupada?

[break] [end]