When Prabhupada arrived at the hall around twilight, it was packed with both guests and devotees absorbed in a rousing kirtana. Prabhupada's golden form, with lengths of fragrant frangipani garlands around his neck, looked striking against the purple and pink satin vyasasana.
After the kirtana, Prabhupada played his karatals and sang Jaya Radha-Madhava, then spoke at length on Chapter 7 verse 5 of Bhagavad-gita.
apareyam itas tv anyam prakrtim viddhi me param
jiva-bhutam maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat
"Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature."
Srila Prabhupada returned to the temple around 9pm, leaving most of the devotees behind to serve a feast to the guests. Prabhupada relaxed behind his low desk at the temple as the bells of the last arati ceremony of the day chimed sweetly downstairs.
Prabhupada continued to discuss with a few devotees the theme established in the evening lecture -- the distinction between Krsna's superior energy, the living entities, and his inferior energy, material nature.
"The man who constructed that hall -- he is important or the hall is important?"
"The man, Srila Prabhupada," answered Bali-mardana.
Prabhupada agreed. "But they're claiming importance to the hall -- bahir artha maninah -- being enamoured by this big, big building, they do not care about the small particle, the soul."
Prabhupada gave an example. In America, if a construction worker employed on a skyscraper building site fell down, the owners of the building would not be concerned: "Oh, another man can come. But the skyscraper building is more important."
"But the Bhagavad-gita says:"yayedam dharyate jagat" -- the living entity is important because he is maintaining the material world. This wood and stone is not important. He is maintaining the wood and stone. They are giving more importance to the wood and stone than the person who is utilising it. This is ignorance."
Prabhupada turned to Vegavan. "So everything is alright?"
"Very nice, Srila Prabhupada."
"So you are not going to India again?"
"No, I don't think so."
Prabhupada looked to Padmavati. "Padmavati, you are not going?"
"I don't think so."
Prabhupada grinned. "You don't like?"
Vegavan: We might stop there when we go to Sweden, Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada: You are going to Sweden?
Vegavan: We hope so.
Madhudvisa spoke to clarify the subject: "Hamsaduta wants him to come and open one centre in Sweden."
Prabhupada enquired about the Swedish weather. "Is it very cold? Do you belong to Sweden?"
Padmavati: Mm. Yes.
Prabhupada: You belong to Sweden, or Padmavati belongs? You belong to Australia -- and you belong to Sweden. So your wife also will go?
Vegavan: Yes.
Prabhupada: Is that alright?
Padmavati: Yes.
Prabhupada: That's nice -- you must follow your husband. Very good. Open a centre. Now you are experienced, you can open. What is the difficulty in opening a centre? Simply take one man and chant Hare Krsna and this is centre.
Prabhupada and the devotees laughed.
Prabhupada: We haven't got to make any big, big arrangement. Start in this way, then people will come, it will increase. That Sweden, is it very cold?
Vegavan: Very cold, Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada: What is the general temperature there?
Vegavan: In the wintertime?
Prabhupada: Below zero degrees?
Vegavan: Oh! Yes!
Prabhupada: How much?
Vegavan: Ten degrees, average.
Prabhupada: I've never experienced below zero. I have seen, New York, snow.
Madhudvisa: But you've been to Darjeeling.
Prabhupada: No -- Darjeeling is not so cold. Snow there is. I have seen snow in Kashmir also. In New York I have seen five degrees. Boston, also. I was having a morning walk in the snow in New York. I had good experience of snow fall, how it was being cleansed by the municipality. Duhkhalayam asasvatam -- This place is simply miserable.
Madhudvisa: Is there snow in the spiritual sky?
Prabhupada: There is no disturbance. Only fruits and flowers and nice clear water. People's walking is just like dancing. Talking is just like singing. These are the descriptions. "Katha ganam", when they talk, it is just musical singing, and the walking is dancing.
Madhudvisa: Does everybody speak Sanskrit there?
Prabhupada: Yes. In the higher planets also they speak Sanskrit. In India, it was common amongst educated classes to speak in Sanskrit. Just nowadays, they speak in English. Originally, in meetings, they would speak in Sanskrit. Now it is not so easy. The Bengali does not understand Madrasi, the Madrasi does not understand Bengali. Now there is no scope for mingling.
Inevitably, Prabhupada indicated that it was time for the devotees to take rest. The intimate meeting was over.
- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu
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