751013 - Conversation - Durban

Conversations by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

751013CR-DURBAN - October 13, 1975 - 10:16 Minutes

(Car ride from Durban to Johannesburg)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: But still they come?

Prabhupāda: Yes, out of curiosity only, not to accept your philosophy: "What this Swāmījī is speaking?"

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes, you asked them, "So why don't you surrender? What is your objection?"

Prabhupāda: Objection is that they will not be allowed to drink tea. That is objection. No cigarette, no even tea. They think it is impossible. All, they are Indian house. Eh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: They live?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Some live upstairs.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Some live upstairs here. But all of these people who are living in this area have to move out.

Prabhupāda: And business?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Businesses, for now they can stay. They try to push them out, though, all the time. (break)

Prabhupāda: Sahajananda has written very frankly that, "All the svāmīs and yogīs, they are deriding Kṛṣṇa. You are the only person pushing on Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, single-handedly."

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes, that's a fact.

Prabhupāda: He has very much appreciated this effort. Everyone will do that. I am the single man speaking of God. Nobody speaks. All big, big leaders, politicians, philoso . . . who is speaking of God? We are stressing only God consciousness. As soon as you speak of God, "Oh, it is old-fashioned to bring in God. These are primitive. Now we speak of science. There is no God. That is very nice." As soon as you speak of God, "Oh, you are useless. You have no advanced knowledge."

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They are challenging, then, the authority.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They are challenging the authority.

Prabhupāda: There is no authority. And Vivekananda says: "You manufacture your own God, whomever you like. Even you can worship stool as God." They say like that.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: But now the Indian government—if this is true—they are giving visas to the devotees, and that means they are favorable towards the movement more and more.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It may be due to my interview with Indira Gandhi. I appealed to her that, "No Indians are joining, and these European, American, they are helping me. And if they are asked to go away, then how shall I maintain the establishment? Indians are not coming." So they might have studied that, "They are not politician, and this movement . . . everyone will appreciate God consciousness. They are doing something," this consideration. Otherwise it is surprising. They have given three years.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. It is very surprising.

Prabhupāda: It is very, very surprising. (break)

Harikeśa: I think there may be something other than . . . there may be some more information to come about that.

Prabhupāda: What is that other?

Harikeśa: I don't know, but . . .

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Harikeśa: Navayogendra is not the official source.

Prabhupāda: Navayogendra, yes. Why Navayogendra has said?

Harikeśa: I think he wants to remind you of . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because it is coming from Navayogendra it is not to be relied so much. (laughs)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: There should be mail there. There should be some more information, for sure. But then sometimes I think it's simply Kṛṣṇa's grace.

Prabhupāda: Yes, by Kṛṣṇa's grace . . .

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Here in South Africa is very, very conservative government, and we've been allowed to do practically everything. Simply Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Yogamāyā allows our saṅkīrtana activities to go on.

Prabhupāda: Anyone who will read our books, he will come to senses. These are all Indian quarters? (break) . . . haven't got any good temple till now. (break) . . . Africans, they do not live either with Indians or Europeans. They live separately.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Live separately. But usually every Indian or European has one or two Africans living behind the house as servants, so there are many living in the cities. We have one African girl in Johannesburg. She works at the temple. We've called her Pārijāta.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We have one African girl, because when we first came there were only a few of us, and we didn't want to take up time to clean up the temple for our preaching work. So she has to get up very early in the morning.

Prabhupāda: She was paid for that.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. It facilitated our preaching work there. At first, I was against the idea, but I found it was good.

Prabhupāda: No, it was not good to give . . . keep young unmarried girl.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No, she is married with children. She is older. Her husband was murdered.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes, in Johannesburg. We didn't pick any young African girl. Older lady, and very respectful, honest. She's about fifty years old.

Prabhupāda: Then is all right.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Her husband was walking home one day, and African killed him.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Just for money. (break) . . . just to test her. If she washed the clothes . . . (indistinct) . . . (break) . . . couldn't go right back . . . (break) (end)