The devotees were amazed to discover that Srila Prabhupada had no visa to visit Australia.
Amogha: All that needed to be done was that the Indian embassy had to give some stamp of permission, and the Australian consulate had to issue a visa. Prabhupada was due to fly out that night. But it was Saturday morning, and all the embassies were closed. It was very hectic. Finally, Gopal dasa went to the homes of the right persons and convinced them to give permission for Prabhupada to travel.
I carried Srila Prabhupada's passport in my hands as we finalised pre-boarding formalities at Kuala Lumpur airport. I noted something very nice written in the front of the passport. Where it said "father's name", Srila Prabhupada had written "The Late Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja", his spiritual master.
Srila Prabhupada, Bali-mardana and Vegavan boarded the plane for Sydney. The small marble Deity of Lord Krsna, previously unpacked from the heavy crate on arrival at Kuala Lumpur, now rested safely in the arms of Bali-mardana.
In transit at Singapore airport, Srila Prabhupada bathed and prepared to board the plane for the last leg of the journey to Australia. But Vegavan yet again found himself in difficulties. Being so concerned with Srila Prabhupada's visa, he had neglected to arrange his own. Immigration authorities in Singapore warned him that he would not be allowed into the country when he arrived in Sydney and that they would have to fly him back again. Somehow or other, though, Singapore officials allowed Vegavan to board, and soon the party was en route to Sydney via Perth.
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On the four-hour flight from Perth to Sydney, Srila Prabhupada occupied the window seat and lean, bespectacled Bali-mardana, with the tightly-wrapped Deity of Lord Krsna resting on his lap, sat beside him.
Prabhupada spoke little, fingering his japa beads, chanting almost inaudibly. Below stretched the vast, sparsely-populated landscape of Australia. Although practically the size of the United States, Australia hosted only a little over 12,700,000 people who lived on a very tiny percentage of Australia's total land area. Occasionally, Srila Prabhupada looked out at the brown, unending vista.
"There is such immense land," he said, "yet people are complaining about "over-population". Enough food can be produced; there are so many vacant places, but they are not being utilised."
Bali-mardana nodded in agreement. "Yes, Srila Prabhupada."
There was so much uncultivated land, Srila Prabhupada noted, that the whole world could be fed 10 times over.
"God has given us the capacity to cultivate and produce food, in enough quantity," he said. "The scarcity is due to our Godlessness."
- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu
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