Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
At 4:00 a.m., the kaviraja arrived, along with Jayapataka Swami. As the kaviraja began to examine Srila Prabhupada, the mangala-arati bells began to ring, making us feel that his coming was auspicious. The kaviraja had stayed up all night on the plane.
Prabhupada asked for a report of Mayapur from Jayapataka who said, "We want to finish the big temple within your lifetime so nothing will be left incomplete."
Prabhupada: My lifetime is now very difficult. At any moment, I can go. That Muhammadan-what is his name? (Srila Prabhupada was referring to the man who owned the adjoining land)-up to three thousand rupees. You can take four bighas and make a dighi.
Jayapataka Maharaja: We were thinking to only make the temple three hundred instead of 470 feet. (He explained the financing and indicated that if the temple were only three hundred feet, it could be begun at once.)
Prabhupada: The present design is too much. Too much strain is not good.... I want to develop Gaura-mandala-bhumi. In Yoga-pitha, they could not build a darsana-mandapa in fifty to sixty years. So we can build a hall. What do you think? We want cooperation.
When we asked Prabhupada to drink, he retorted, "How can I drink? There is no thirst, no hunger. I cannot sit up."
Prabhupada was becoming increasingly weaker, despite the medicine. The kaviraja said all organs, except for the kidneys, were all right. There was no blood, marrow, flesh, or muscles. He said he had seven patients in Calcutta who were dying, but who were gross materialists. Whether they lived or died was of no consequence; but if Prabhupada lived, he could save the fallen world. Thus, the kaviraja decided to stay here for the time being.
Jayapataka Swami brought Srila Prabhupada a campa flower garland, which smelled very sweet. Srila Prabhupada said he could smell it a little. I said then there must also be taste. Srila Prabhupada said yes and then requested Gujarati rotis and very thin dal. We asked Visnutattva and his wife to cook, both of whom are Gujarati, living now in Fiji. They prepared Gujarati roti, dal, mashed potato sabji, dhaniya [coriander] and tomato chutney. Prabhupada, eating a little, Srila Prabhupada said it was prepared well, and asked if Visnutattva's wife could prepare malpoora.
When Viraha Prakasa Swami arrived, he and Panca-dravida Swami gave a report of preaching in South America.
We talked with the kaviraja, who was giving medicine to help the kidneys function. Everything in Srila Prabhupada's body was drying up. Although the kaviraja had high hopes, improvement would be slow, because Prabhupada's getting better would mean that he would be perfectly well for ten years. At present, his body was unable to tolerate the really strong medicine because of the kidney trouble. Since the kaviraja wanted to see Srila Prabhupada every two or three days, he had to take him to Mayapur. If the medicine worked that was now being given, Prabhupada would be able to leave in one week; but he would have to go to Mayapur even if the medicine didn't work, because the kaviraja, wanting to see Prabhupada almost daily, was unable to remain in Vrndavana for three months.
Three letters read to Srila Prabhupada were from the Governor of Madras, Vasudeva from Fiji, and Allen Ginsberg.
Biographies and Glorifications of Srila Prabhupada-TKG's Diary: Prabhupada's Final Days-November 7th -Tamala Krsna Goswami
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