Prabhupāda: . . . any bird called thunderbird?
Bahulāśva: Thunderbird? A big bird, big eagle, in the United States.
Prabhupāda: No big eagle. Thunderbird. You have seen in this car?
Brahmānanda: Automobile is called.
Prabhupāda: But actually is there any bird called thunderbird?
Jagadīśa: It's a legendary bird from Indian legend. American Indian.
Prabhupāda: Indian legend?
Brahmānanda: Of the American Indians, the Red Indians. They. . . Sometimes their chiefs are called Chief Thunderbird. It's a popular name for their chiefs.
Prabhupāda: Oh. Oh. We have got an idea of thunderbird. The bird flies in the. . . near the cloud in expectation of water, and they are not afraid of thunder. That is called cātaka. That example is given by Rūpa Gosvāmī. The cātaka does not take water from ground. They will take water when it falls from the cloud. So in the beginning of every cloud there is thunder. So this bird, because they expecting water from the cloud, the cloud is giving him thunder, but still he does not. . . will not take water from ground.
Dhīra-kṛṣṇa: In what connection do the Gosvāmīs use that example to illustrate?
Prabhupāda: Example means a devotee will take mercy from Kṛṣṇa, not from the material world. Even there is thunder—Kṛṣṇa does not give mercy but puts him into difficulty—still, he will not take any mercy from the material world. This is the ex. . . (break)
Dhīra-kṛṣṇa: You are showing your mercy upon us. How do we prevent ourselves from becoming guru-druha, or ungrateful for the benediction you are giving us?
Prabhupāda: So, you want to be guru-druha? Eh?
Dhīra-kṛṣṇa: No.
Prabhupāda: That's nice. (break) . . . come when there will be lightning, thunder, but there will be no rain.