Prabhupāda: I never agreed to be misguided by these rascals. Perhaps I am the first man who protested against these authorized scientists.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, yes. Very strongly. Everybody is afraid except Śrīla Prabhupāda. (Prabhupāda chuckles) Frankly speaking, I never knew that the problem is this serious before I met Śrīla Prabhupāda. I never thought about this.
Prabhupāda: Therefore I took it so seriously. Every morning walk, I was "Where is the scientist?" I thought, "Here I have got an opportunity to impress that will fructify in fruition." That was my aim. Therefore I was bothering you in so many ways.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: It is your wonderful mercy, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Because I cannot use the technological words, and he can do that. So he should be trained up. What is the news of Dr. Rao?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Dr. Rao died.
Prabhupāda: (surprised) Died?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. That I informed in the . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes, you informed, but it is confirmed?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. He died of heart attack.
Prabhupāda: I thought of him to become good assistant.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: I thought he would be very . . . we would get together very well, and we had plans together to do, to start work, and come back in India. But about . . .
Prabhupāda: Finished.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes.
Prabhupāda: He was a good soul, but he wanted little material profit. That doesn't matter. So his father is there.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yeah, his father is actually still alive. Some day, if I get an opportunity, I will pay a visit.
Prabhupāda: Yes. He is very intelligent.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. I even asked him to join this writing of our book, to contribute some chapters, and he agreed to that.
Prabhupāda: Never mind. He has given some service. It will not go in vain. (coughing)
Svarūpa Dāmodara: He had the greatest respect for Śrīla Prabhupāda. Every letter he wrote me, nothing but praise of Śrīla Prabhupāda, though he had some difficulty in getting along with some of the prabhus here. He wrote me something about those points, but he never said anything against Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: That is natural. If one gets little prominence, other becomes envious. Society is so polluted. Mātsarya. So we have to adjust. (aside) Give me my shirt. So take care of your health and circumstances. You have to adjust things according to . . . (long pause) If there is difficulty, his wife and children may come to Vṛndāvana.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. His family's more or less well off. They have . . .
Prabhupāda: They've got good position.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They are zamindars.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. His father.
Prabhupāda: They are also kṣatriya.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. He was also a good chemist.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, very qualified.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: He works very nice. He is very good in experiments, making compounds.
Prabhupāda: Great loss. He will get again good birth to become Vaiṣṇava. There is no doubt. He was initiated. Again he will get chance. Anyone who has joined this movement and given little service, his human life next birth guaranteed. There is no doubt. And then he will get again chance to develop. He is not going to be cats and dogs.
Hari-śauri: I remember once in Vṛndāvana, though, that you said that if someone deliberately breaks the principles even after initiation, he can become a dog in his next life because of that.
Prabhupāda: That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
- tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer
- patet tato yadi bhajann apakvo 'tha
- yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ
- ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ
- (SB 1.5.17)