Today is the appearance of Lord Baladeva, but we all broke the fast because no one checked the calendar until it was too late. Srila Prabhupada wasn't happy about it but didn't react too strongly. He simply told us to observe it tomorrow.
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Prabhupada didn't take his walk this morning because his legs are swollen, but he still preached to everyone on the back balcony for an hour, prompting the devotees to present challenges to our philosophy, and then giving effective counter arguments to defeat them. His disciples here are preaching under difficult circumstances, and he infused them with encouragement and strength by his attentive concern to the mission they were attempting to conduct in such a remote place.
Navayauvana kicked off the debate by saying that people see us as being sectarian. He said they have their rituals, and we have ours, and they don't see any greater benefit in what we are doing. Atreya Rsi added that many people simply find fault with us.
After a short exchange Prabhupada boiled it down to one basic issue. "So what they want us to do? If you don't want me to do this, then you must say what you want me to do. Is it not right? Suppose I am chanting. If you don't want me to chant, then what do you want me to do? The next question will be."
Jnanagamya said people want us to engage, as they are in sense gratification.
But Prabhupada reduced that to a basic premise as well: "Who will decide who is right? Eh? You cannot find fault with me by saying that I am not acting like you, sense gratification. If you are acting in your way, I am acting in my way."
Jnanagamya suggested it was all relative.
"But if you want philosophy, the aim of life," Srila Prabhupada said, "then we can talk; what is the destination of life, what is required. If you criticize me, then I can criticize you also."
"Then we must take it to the absolute platform in order to actually have a sincere argument, to make a sincere decision," Jnanagamya proposed.
That was the solution Srila Prabhupada was looking for. "Yes. There is no end of such things. Therefore unless one accepts a person guru, there is no need of talking. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. Unless one accepts somebody as guru, the instruction will not be fruitful. Just like Arjuna is accepting Krsna as guru. So long he was talking as friend, it was not effective. Arjuna therefore decided ... Find out that verse, karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah."
Harikesa Maharaja read out the full verse and then the translation. "Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me."
"This is the position," Prabhupada went on. "Unless one feels like that and asks somebody, a superior, accepts him as guru, there is no use talking. If anyone is interested to know about the transcendental subject matter, he must approach a guru, and unless one approaches a guru, he cannot understand, and if by force I become guru, he may not be interested. This is the position.
"But still, for a preacher, he has to do something against all odds. That is preaching. Your question was that we go and they say like this, but you cannot expect that wherever you are going you'll find favorable situation to talk. That you must understand. But you have to preach, you have to create favorable situation. That is your duty. If they are not prepared to take good instruction, you cannot expect favorable situation. It is not possible. When I came in America, I never expected any favorable situation. I wrote that poetry in disappointment, that 'Who will accept this?' That is the position. By Krsna's grace, gradually it will become a favorable situation, but don't expect any favorable situation. You have to handle unfavorable situation and make favorable situation to preach. That is preaching.
"Nityananda Prabhu, He went to preach to Jagai and Madhai. There was no favorable situation. They were drunkards; they caused injury on the body of Nityananda Prabhu. So this is preaching with only unfavorable situation. You cannot expect favorable situation. And still you have to preach. That is preaching. They will speak like madmen, so many things. They are mad, after all; nunam pramattah kurute vikarma. They have no sense. All materialistic persons are madmen. Still, by the order of superior, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we have to do this preaching work.
- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu
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