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After receiving a short foot-bathing ceremony with warm water and rose petals, Prabhupada looked around at his newly-furnished room. Glancing at the corner, he frowned quizzically. There, piled up atop a cloth on the floor, lay a large stack of Srimad-Bhagavatam and Caitanya-caritamrta volumes. He turned to Rama dasa. "What are these books doing on the floor?" he asked.

Rama dasa tried to explain. There was a bookcase, he said, but since it was only purchased that afternoon, and varnished a few hours before, it was still wet. Two devotees had, in fact, stayed back from the airport just to fan it dry, but to no avail.

"It doesn't matter, bring it in," Prabhupada insisted. The sticky bookcase was quickly carried in.

"Fill it," said Prabhupada. As Rama dasa reached for the books it suddenly struck him that the shelves were not far apart enough to fit them.

Rama dasa: I made a miserable attempt at an excuse. "The books won't go in, Srila Prabhupada." Prabhupada patiently repeated his instruction: "Put the books in the bookcase." I nervously picked the books up again and, laying them flat on the shelves, started to stack them one on top of the other. Prabhupada stopped me, "No," he said, "you should never lay the books down like that."

"But Srila Prabhupada," I pleaded, " I can't get the books to go in."

Srila Prabhupada came over next to me and took the books out of my hand. "This is how you do it," he said. He held one on its edge, the side opposite the spine, and slid it into the bookshelf that way -- spine up. It fitted. As I handed him each book, he placed them all into the bookshelf in the same manner. Then he said he would like something to eat.

The devotees had presumed -- mistakenly -- that Prabhupada would not be hungry after his late-night flight. Rama dasa quickly ran down the stairs to arrange the prasadam. As Prabhupada's bags were unpacked, the kirtana continued downstairs. Hare Rama, the young brahmacari who had played the guitar for Prabhupada's arrival, led the chanting with another mellow, sweet tune. After a while, Prabhupada asked that all the devotees be invited up.

In a few minutes the room was packed. Prabhupada sat behind his low desk. Beside him on a stand stood a flourishing tulasi plant in an ornate pot. Prabhupada spoke pleasantly for some time, emphasising the great value of the human form of life. Now, he stressed, having progressed beyond animal life, there was a need for further improvement to advance more and more to the point of meeting Krsna face to face.

Unfortunately, he pointed out, the leaders of society were actually misdirecting, because they did not instruct the general population how to do this. "These rascals, so-called leaders, gurus and others, they do not know what is the goal of life. Na te viduh. They do not know. Some imaginary theory, 'I am God', 'I am this', 'I am that'. A commonsense: 'If I am God, then why I am under the control of the material nature?' Eh? Another rascal came, saying that 'I am God'. If you are God, so why you have become dog? They say it is lila." The devotees laughed.

"Just see. God has come to manifest his lila, by becoming a dog, and He is beaten. Whole day, night, He is hungry and He has come to your home to ask some food and you are beating. So, God is displaying this lila. Just see what foolish rascals they are. This is going on. So don't be misguided by such rascals."

Prabhupada quoted the famous song by Narottama dasa Thakura. Hari hari biphale janama gonainu: My dear Lord, I have simply wasted my time. Why? Now, manusya janama paiya, radha krsna na bhajiya, janiya suniya bisa khainu: I got this human form of life. It is meant for understanding Krsna, and Krsna's pastimes with Radharani, Radha-Krsna. So I do not care for that. That means knowingly I have drunk poison.

"My only request," Prabhupada said, "is that the Krsna consciousness movement is the most scientific movement to save the human society from falling down again in the cycle of birth and death. It is a very scientific movement. The cycle of birth and death is going on. We are eternal. The people have been put into such deep darkness that they do not know what is the aim of life. Whimsically, everyone is manufacturing some nonsense. So fortunately you have got this Krsna consciousness, so utilise your life properly."

Prabhupada reminded the devotees that they had an immense stock of literature. "Read it, digest it, and make your life perfect." He looked around the room. "We have published this book, Nectar of Instruction." He held up the new book. "Have you seen?"

He noted the devotees' enthusiastic greeting. "I'm very glad to see you, you are so enthusiastic. And you should be enthusiastic. For enhancing devotional activities, one must be very enthusiastic. That is the first proposition. Don't be dull. Enthusiastic and patient. And niscayat. Niscayat means firmly convinced: 'Yes, surely I shall meet Krsna and go to Him, back to home, back to Godhead.' But you have to do the prescribed duties. Sato vrtteh. You must be very honest, and sadhu-sange, and in the association of the devotees. If we follow these six principles, then it is sure."


- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu