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After lunch, Srila Prabhupada rested on his chaise longue, hands placed together under his head, as if in prayer. Upon rising, Prabhupada took a glass of freshly-squeezed orange and mandarin juice. In the early evening, Prabhupada prepared to meet his guests.

Father Frank Wallace SJ was the Acting Provincial of the Australian Province of the Society of Jesus, an order of monks in the Roman Catholic Church. As well as being effectively the "second in command" of the Jesuits in Australia, he also happened to be Cittahari's uncle, so Cittahari sat in on the conversation.

Prabhupada was, as usual, the cordial host. The priest inquired about the daily spiritual routine of the devotees, and in response, Srila Prabhupada described the nine processes of devotional service, beginning with hearing.

Father Wallace wondered whether everyone was able to take to the nine processes.

"Yes," Prabhupada replied. "It is not difficult."

"Do you have what I call a training in contemplation?" asked the priest.

"That is smaranam," Prabhupada replied. "Memorising. Thinking of God's activities."

Father Wallace was of the opinion that passive mystic contemplation on the greatness of God was perhaps higher than active service. Prabhupada did not agree. Such contemplation on God's greatness, he said, was called "neutrality" -- a stage which he defined as "the marginal stage between material life and spiritual life".

Real devotion, Prabhupada explained, began after this neutral stage. After realising the greatness of God, one would realise that all his activities in the world were more or less a useless waste of time, then one would naturally desire to actively render service to God.

Prabhupada and the Jesuit spoke extensively. Father Wallace, although submissive, expressed his difficulty in coming to terms with the idea that the souls in animals were equal to the souls in human beings. "Jesuits believe," he said, "that animals have ordinary souls, whereas man has an immortal soul."

"Both souls are of equal importance," explained Srila Prabhupada. "There is no difference. The soul is the part and parcel of the Supreme Soul."

Father Wallace took this to mean that all souls added together made God -- a philosophy, he said, that he found unacceptable.

Srila Prabhupada assured him that this was not the case. He clarified his point by explaining the philosophy of acintya bheda-abheda -- that the living beings were simultaneously, inconceivably one with and different from God. They were indeed one, he said, but in quality, and not quantity.

Cont'd


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