19880310 Arrival Address

The following is the Arrival address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on March 10, 1988 in Atlanta Georgia.

Jayapatākā Swami: How is everyone?

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa!

I cannot remember chronologically. Probably there is some island. From here, I was invited to the New York Ratha-yātrā, where they had a big Ratha-yātrā festival down at 5th Avenue. And I see some devotees from here, Flora, Lara and Maria. They went there also. Nice gathering. What’s it called? The Washington Square Park or something, where the festival and everything set up. In New York there is a lot of people there anyway. They came and participated. They don’t have many people at one place, except on New Years Eve.

So very nice. Gave a short introductory talk. Actually the Ratha-yātrā was a bit delayed because Balarāma’s cart developed a flat tire or something. So they moved Balarāma to Jagannātha. I booked a flight that evening for Toronto, because they told me the whole Ratha would be finished by six. But everything was delayed. So I just had to kind of rush off. There is so many old devotees. Itd had been nice and talk to them.

Then I went upto to Toronto where they had already arranged a big program. About 200 Indians, mainly Indian origin people, Canadians did a program in Toronto. Stayed there for almost two days. Then went on to England for a day, and then went to Eastern Europe. Although the country I went to is legalized, I don’t know how much I'm supposed to say or not, because legal means that now we’re able to legally function. And they want to build a temple. I don’t know how much I'm supposed to say or not. So I cant say which countries I went to but I went to two different countries. One just for short time and one for several days. But they were very fired up chanting in kīrtana. About a hundred devotees went to one farm they had and they did big fired up kīrtana. Just jumping up and down like anything. Lectures were held. They don’t listen, they drink. (laughter) They are very cheap compared to American standards. Dollar there goes a long way. I asked the devotees and they said they like to stay there in Eastern Europe because people are more simple and receptive. Good place for preaching. As long as they’re able to preach freely, they like it there. This particular country, it didn’t have too much trouble. You have to be careful of course. They were not legal when I went there, but when I was there they announced that it was legalized. So that was awesome.

Then I flew and was stopped. Went back to Māyāpur, India, just in time for the Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā, no excuse me Snāna…. I just got there. Huge flood. So much rain. All the streets were flooded. I just arrived in Calcutta and there’s like 3 feet of water through the city. The plumbing is done there in the British time. And they never put new plumbing since that time. They only designed small piping, which who knows what clogs up in it. So whenever there is a heavy rain, the whole city floods. Sometimes 4 or 5 feet. So here’s one of those heavy rains, and they came out to pick me up with a big bus, because they said there is no way a car could get through the water. And I said I wanted to go directly to the Pānihāṭi festival. I already sent the head money that was donated. Of course theoretically donated. I kind of loaned it. (laughter) I got the authorization from the temple board. I sent the funds ahead. They had already purchased the things. The ciḍā, the dahī, the fruits and everything. Got to Pānihāṭi little late because my flight was delayed. So they already started. Bhakti Charu Mahārāja had been there and I just saw him leaving. He said we already offered and we started distributing. About 5000 people already got. We expected about 50000 but because of the rain I don’t know how many there will be. So we had to first through knee deep water in the low part, then right around Pānihāṭi and Rāghava Paṇḍita place that was high and dry. That’s near the Ganges. So on behalf of all the devotees of New Pānihāṭi-dhāma, I offered obeisances at the banyan tree where Nitāi had the ciḍā-dahī festival at that day. Offered a prayer for everyones benediction and then we completed covered the Rāghavā Paṇḍita's house with the waterproof tent, and they had offered the prasāda, ciḍā-dahī to Nityānanda at the tree, to the Rādhā-Madanamohana Deities of Rāghavā Paṇḍita. And they were distributing. So they said that 15000 ppl got prasādam that day. Other people were lined up. They were givin leaf plates. And because there was such a crowd, there were little plastic bags. They were putting ciḍā and dahī, and mixing in that. They gave me a clay pot. And I tell you… I wish I could’ve got there earlier to decorate the mahā-prasāda. I think we kinda more decorative offering here. But that was very nice. But one thing they had we didn’t have, they had jackfruit (laughter) Of course we had a few things they didn’t have, raspberries, strawberries, so on. Somehow we have to get jackfruit, then we’re undefeatable.

Actually, its amazing. Rain and everything. So many people gathered. They are doing kīrtana at Pānihāṭi. This is the special blessing of Gaura-maṇḍala-bhūmi. Although there are so many obstacles, even though Kali-yuga, but still theres a big festival and so many people do come. And that is the blessing of being born in India, of being able to live there. Their tendency to respect sādhūs and to go to the festivals. So after respecting some prasādam and paid my obeisances to all the Deities and everything, then headed out towards Māyāpur. Then the huge rain started again. So after two days in Māyāpur, it was Jagannātha Snāna-yātrā festival and Nitāicānd Mahārāja had made a lot of arrangements. He got about 1000 clay pots. Clay water pots. If you ever been in Bengal, you will see clay water pots. Not such big ones. But small, little bit wide, small. Maybe a gallon or three-quarter gallon. On that day he announced to all the villagers, “if you want to bathe Jagannātha, you have to take the empty water pot and chant in kīrtana to the Ganges, take a bath with your clothes on, fill it up with Ganges water, carry it on your head back to bathe Jagannātha, wet! (laughter) So amazing enough because it was little raining anyway. But thousand didn’t come, but 6-700 did come. And lot of them were women. Men and women came, and when they first came to our temple before going to the Ganges, so just coincided 10 mintues before Govinda prayer. And we could hear them go “JAGANNĀTHA! JAGANNĀTHA! JAGANNĀTHA! JAYA JAGANNĀTHA! JAYA JAGANNĀTHA!” They’re like really fired up (laughter) And they’ve been walking 3 miles saying “JAGANNĀTHA! JAGANNĀTHA! JAGANNĀTHA!” By the time they reached the temple, they were like so intense. They were going around the Deities, then they had darśana, they bowed down. They sat down. Didn’t know what to do (laughter) So they took darśana of Rādhā-Madhava and the sakhīs, Māyāpur Candra, Nrsimhadeva, got the blessings. Then Prabhupāda pūjā, Prabhupāda parikramā. Then after that they all headed out to the ganges with the Elephant. Went to the Ganges and they all went in. Filled up their waterpots and then, “JAGANNĀTHA! JAGANNĀTHA! HARE KṚṢṆA!” Over 150 devotees or so, they all went to Jagannātha temple and first we offered mahā-abhiṣeka, all the brāhmaṇas and priests. Pañca-gavya, pañcāmṛta. Then about 108 different items of different herbs, sandalwrood, kuśa grass, various types of spices in water. Then on a special bathing device which has 1008 holes in it, then they bathe with that. It comes like a shower over the Lord. Then they put Navratna, nine jewels, diamond, sapphire, ruby… nin e jewels and they bathe water over that and take the jewels back. Then fruit juices. Orange juice, papaya juice, banana water. Open a fresh banana, pour the water over that. That thing also. Then green coconuts and so on. Then finally everyone was allowed to line up. They were still sitting there with their water pots. (laughter) Then we had devotees lined up, we had to keep back. They had to hold the water high enough not to hit the deity with the pot. So many people. Put tulasī in each pot as we came up. Jagannātha had a mahā-abhiṣeka and he was dried off. That time there was a pukūra nearby, a little lake. I took a bath there with all the gurukula kids. Then mahā-ārati. Offered 100s of preparations to Jagannātha, all in clay pots they cooked. I hired a brāhmaṇa panda from Jagannāth Purī a year or so ago, and he trained few devotees how to cook in the Jagannātha Purī style. That’s why now in Māyāpur you get the same kinds of sweets and things you get in Jagannātha Puri. Then the philosophy was explained behind Jagannātha Snāna-yātrā, why we bathe Jagannātha. After this of course you wont see him for 15 days. When Lord Caitanya couldn’t see Lord Jagannātha, very great sepāration, he ran from the temple after it was closed, for 11 miles away to Alālanātha temple in Jagannātha Purī and paid his obeisances to the Deity of Lord Viṣṇu and just worshipped there. Actually his body was so hot from separation, when he paid his obeisances, he *swoosh* melted right into the stone. His vibration was so intense that the body imprint of Lord Caitanya is still there in the temple. Daily worship is going on. 

So then there was a big feast at Māyāpur. By that time 5000 people had already gathered. There was no room in the temple. Somehow in batches they fed very nice feast prasādam. They gave khichri, naturally. Jagannāthas favorite. They gave chutney. Sabjī. 4 items they gave. Sweet rice. Everyone was very satisfied, very nice feast. And lot of the people got some of the mahā-prasādam, 100s of prepārations they made. Its pretty amazing. It was very ecstatic. Really you could feel the mercy of Jagannātha. This place in Māyāpur is non different from Jagannāth Purī. In our holy-dhāma of Māyāpur there is replicas of all the different holy places of India: Kaśi (Benares), Puśkara, Badrinātha, Govardhana, Rādhā-kuṇḍa—Śyāma-kuṇḍa, Jagannātha Purī, Dvārakā. All the places! Even Ayodhyā, Daṇḍakāraṇya, Mathurā, all the different forests. They’re all there within Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi, Navadvīpa-dhāma. Nṛsiṁha-kṣetra. 

So this place happens to be non-different place from Jagannāth Purī. And everyone can come and serve Lord Jagannātha there. It’s a special mercy that Jagannātha gives his prasāda. Its also very significant because Katyāyanī (idk if I told it in America); how mother Pārvati got the blessing of Kṛṣṇa to give her mahā-prasādam and how Jagannātha came as one of the ways to fulfil her desire so everyone could get prasādam. That explains the glories of mahā-prasādam. 

Then of course the next big festival was the Ratha-yātrā festival in Calcutta which was dedicated to the Soviet Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees. Recently, in Soviet Union, the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement had been recognized! I was thinking that we should invite the Soviet officials. I came in to Calcutta to suggest it couple of days before the Ratha-yātrā. When I got there, then (?) prabhu said that he and Bhakti Caru Mahārāja just invited them yesterday, they got the same idea. So, they had gone. Actually the Soviet Union consulate had invited them to the temple and they told us, “We are very sorry for all the difficulties that happened in Russia. But now that you’re recognized there, you should stop making any propaganda against us. (laughter) We’re friends now! (laughter)” And then somehow they showed that they got a special order from Kremlin. You can see how big an effect the Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees all over the world have. Especially India they were concerned, there shouldn’t be any more bad press. They said, “You know, we didn’t know anything about Vedic culture. We’re friends with India but they never tell us about their culture. About their religion. So we don’t know. We thought this was something from the West. Now we understand its from India” and everything. So then they got the idea, ‘Well lets invite them to inaugurate the Ratha-yātrā. We’ve dedicated it to the Soviet Union devotees.’ So they agreed. And we didn’t tell anybody. The night before the Ratha-yātrā we informed all the press. Because one time before one government official agreed to come, and we informed everyone, and then theres so much politics in the communist party there. Stopped him from coming. So we didn’t inform anyone till the day of the ratha. They just told all newspapers. So theres no time for anyone to activate. So then the counsel general, which is the like the ambassadors, where the Embassy is in the capital. The officer is called the counsel general in other cities. So he couldn’t come. But he sent his vice counsel and he sent his wife and son. So three of them came. And Bhakti Charu Mahārāja, and (?), and myself were there and other devotees. Subhag Swami Mahārāja. So he garlanded them. Nice garlands on. And then I didn’t know what to do, so we took them up on top of the ratha to give a speech. Then I had them put some camphor on a tray. I offered an ārati to Jagannātha to show them what to do and handed to the vice counsel. So then he offered.

Devotees: Jaya.

All the newspaper men are *clickclickclickclick* (laughter) Then the wife comes and she offeres. They didn’t know whats going on. (laughter) Then they gave a talk praising ISKCON for dedicating this to the Soviet devotees and how this will promote friendship between India and Russia and things like that. Then Bhakti Charu Mahārāja spoke, I spoke in Bengali. He even said he liked my Bengali speech. He could understand Bengali, the vice counsel. Then they offered a flower to Jagannātha. Then we went down and we had them sweep the road.

Devotees: Jaya!

All the photographers… *click click* Then they pulled the ratha ceremoniously, you know. Then he left. It was a very nice Ratha-yatra. We had about 200000 people watching, and the whole ratha must have been about a million people. It was one of our smaller rathas. (laughter) We started right from the downtown bus terminus. Normally we start another five kilometres north, about 4 miles north. But the whole road was torn up by subway construction. They’re making the subway in Calcutta, famous subway. Its another section. Its due to be finished in 1981. (laughter) Little late! (laughter) Anyway, its quite a big achievement that they have it open. It is nice and clean also inside. One section is there. But the other part that they’re doing… so we couldn’t do the ratha. So it’s actually a very short ratha for us. How many kilometres we went this time? Seven kilometres. Then we had pandal programs for 7 days. They had big floats in front of the ratha. And in India, they just had the Rāmāyaṇa series. For 76 weeks kept the whole country; whenever the Sunday 10:40 happened, the whole streets would be empty. Everyone would just be… *Gurudeva mimics Hanumān, devotees laugh* Now you see, all the vendors in the street, they sell Hanumān’s gadā, the club. In fact, even kids are beating each other with it. (laughter) Everyone’s buying bow and arrow toys. Then one boy shot an arrow in the eye of his little brother. So people are forecasting, “This Rāmāyaṇa is not good”. Out of 7 billion people, something happened to somebody…

I mean people are really into the Rāmāyaṇa. So one float there was a Kumbhakarṇa fighting against Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa. This is an amazing demon. He was you know, 14-15 feet high. He was like 10 feet wide. 8 foot head. His arms were cut off, blood pouring down. His eyes were red, “roaaaaaaar”. And then you know hes eating monkeys (laughter). Monkeys bleeding, hanging from his body. Then there was an arrow coming from Rāma. *Gurudeva mimics Kumbhakarṇa dying* 

Devotees: Jaya! (laughter)

It was like a huge battle scene. A really ferocious body with gray, with brown and green things (laughter), red eyes.

Then they also had Lord Caitanya in Jhārikhaṇḍa. The biiig… what were the other floats? Nauka-vilāsa, with the gopī rowing the boat. There was one Gajendra-mokṣa. They had a big pandal. They had QA booth. They had Bhaktivedanta Youth Service booth. They had drama. There were different speakers. I spoke for two-three days at the end. One day in the beginning. Lokanatha Mahārāja came, Bhakti Caru Mahārāja was there. Subhag. Few days in the middle I went to Assam for a day or so and came back. But everyday there was… The pandal this year was designed little differently, so not so much seating room was there. Normally about 10-15 thousand can sit but I don’t think seating accommodates more than 5000. But standing maybe another few thousand. But every night must’ve been a crowd coming and going, between 15-25 thousand. Maybe on the big days more. How many on Sunday? 40000! Big thing! So while this was going on, Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami came. He spoke one day also, the first night.

So the day after the ratha, of course all the papers had big pictures of the Soviet counsel inaugurate. Very big press. They went to see the Soviet counsel. He is very happy. He actually had clippings on his desk when they went to see him. Then the next day the newspapermen, they’re looking for controversy. They went and asked the local communist leaders, “What do you think?”. Because Bengal is actually the state government. In India, they have multi party democracy. Not just two parties. They got dozens and dozens of parties. Hundreds of parties. (laughter) Probably atleast a few dozen. So in that particular state there is a coalition of 7 or 9 parties which are the communist parties, Marxist, CPI, Forward Block… like 7 different parties. And its called the left-front. So they went and asked the left front leaders. The number one left-front leader of the state, the CM, she didn’t make any comment. And also the secretary of the leading party, he said, “Well, the Russians do what they like.”  

But the other leaders, they really were outspoken. They said, “This is inconceivable! Unimaginable! Russia, communist country, would do such a thing. Inaugurate a religious function.”

Marxists said, “This (organized religion) is the opium of the people. How did they do it?”

“These people believe in fate. How could they go to their function?”

Another said, “We’ve been crushed by the left wheel of Jagannātha.” (laughter)

The next day it was in the front page. Ruling left-front government leaders speak out against Soviet counsels inauguration of Ratha-yātrā. Then they came and did an interview with us for hour and a half, the leading papers. And Bhakti Charu Mahārāja and myself, he was there for a few days and then he went to Belgium. That day, we were both there. It was a long interview. That was also in the front page. They published everything with pictures of us. We gave our reply that, “No. Its quite appropriate. Why are they complaining. When they marry their daughters, they don’t have religious function? Why are they having a double standard??” Different things. “This is very good. The Soviet devotees have struggled so much. Now we’ve dedicated it to them.” Then next day again they come back with some more bad comments. Then the day after that, a news comes from Russia. That in Russia, one of the state governments had aired a television show against the Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees. And the soviet supreme ministry of cultural and religious affairs; the minister of that, he made a national press release on television as well as in all the papers denouncing that. That they had not given their permission to do that show. That they were against that show. That actually they had done a detailed study of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. They infiltrated a couple of people into it and studied it. The main criticisms of the TV show were that we starve our members for long periods of time. They sit and chant monotonous mantras until they totally lose their intelligence. (laughter) We break up families, and we don’t work. In a socialist state, you have to do your work. We don’t work. So these were the main criticisms. 

They (Higher Russian Government officials) said, “Well, they have good food!” (laughter) It’s vegetarian but it’s quite good. And certainly, its not monotonous, they have quite a variety. They only chant for an hour and half to two hours a day. So that’s not a problem that in two hours… people listen to music that long.” So they didn’t see that as a big problem. “They do their work in the factories, as well farms.” They had given that recognition that they are not doing anything anti-state. So that came in all the Indian papers. So while all the criticism’s coming from Russia, the Russian government endorses the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement! So that was another… so one day after the next it was coming out. So then, few leaders of the left wing said, “Why they go to ISKCON? ISKCON is American imperialistic organization. They are all CIA”, this that. That was just too much. We didn’t have to hear that. So I gave a response to that because they started attack us. Why attack us? So then I wrote a reply and (?) prabhu put it in. I didn’t put my name on it but everyone put my name. Although it didn’t have my name on it but they still published my name in all the papers. What the news release said was that, in the time of Lord Caitanya, he had also faced various obstacles and he was criticized by different people, including Jagāi-Mādhai. So we’re going on preaching. This is not an anti-national organization. Its registered in India. Nothing against us. We’re simply preaching Indian culture so why are they falsely accusing us? We’re also being falsely accused, like Lord Caitanya was falsely accused. But anyway, the movement is going to go on and this movement is going to be spread. One of the things we had said in the first interview I just remembered now. They said, “What do you think of Gorbachev?”

We said, “Well, with a name like he has, you can’t help but like him. Because his name contains the name of Lord Caitanya. Gaur-bachev.” (laughter) In fact in Bengali there’s a word called ‘bāchāo’, which means, ‘save me’. So… bachev, bāchāo. (laughter) So one of the newspapers published, ‘Gaur-bachao!’ (laughter) Soviet devotees were saying, “Gaura, save us!” So he sent Gor-bachev. (laughter) Gaura bāchāo! (laughter) Then the newspaper editors, they just took an opportunity just to take their shoes off and smash it on the face of all the [left wing?] leaders. They said, “Alright, the leader, he didn’t say anything. And the head of the leading party, he just said, ‘The Soviet Union does what they like, what they feel good they do.’ But these other leaders, why they are criticizing?” And they just tore them apart, piece by piece, using very eloquent language. Just satirical. That’s the paper’s intro. What we couldn’t do, they did. And every famous writer, “Do you wanna feature articles?” and things. Just writing like comical, satirical things. One wrote, ‘Swami Gorbachevananda’. (laughter) Gorbachev called a police bureau meeting, and he called a Hare Kṛṣṇa devotee there. He said, “I’d like you to introduce to the new Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees here.”

And someone said, “But Mr. Gorbachev, why’d you allow them?”

Then he is like defending. “I want everyone to give a sound round of Hare Kṛṣṇa!” (laughter) Everyones having a hayday. Peoples imagination, you can’t imagine what effect it had on the people of Bengal. They are very emotional people. They don’t think that Hare Kṛṣṇa is just been legalized in Soviet Russia and there’s only 10000 of them. They’re just thinking like the whole Soviet Union is flooded with Hare Kṛṣṇa, which it is not. Far off! (laughter) But I can hear rickshaw drivers and taxi drivers, they asked, “Whether by the year 2000 the whole world will be following Lord Caitanya? It was predicted. You only have to wait another 10 years. Now that Russia is gone, there is no other problem. Just waiting for China to shave up.” (laughter) It’s just like We Talk. Another newspaper editor, he just came up. He’s just like, “Danḍavats, Jaya! You did it! You did it! (laughter) You got the Soviet Union to sweep the road in front of Jagannātha! You did it!”

*devotees ecstatic in background*

Everybody’s mind was totally swept away. So then the communists couldn’t tolerate it. Everyone was just going into panic mode. (laughter) The little guys, they didn’t know. They didn’t realize what a big splash it was gonna be. So for my rebuttal that I published, most newspapers published it very soberly. But one newspaper just wrote, “Jayapatākā Swami accuses left front leaders of being Jagāi-Mādhāis” (laughter) Then the next day outcome to rebuttal, “How can this guy… just because he maybe a sannyāsī, an ācārya. He can’t write these things!” Of course I gave explanation that I didn’t call them Jagāi-Mādhāi. But anyway, they nearly jumped out at me. “How can you say these things? We never expected such a respectable person to say such a thing against us. Jagāi-Mādhāi were womanizers, drunkards.” Some of the people said, “Wait a minute…”

(Jaya Nitāi-Gauracandra ki! Jaya!)

Meanwhile the news come that in Poland, we’re given recognition. Just two days before the Return-ratha. Then we called up the organizer of Polish yātrā, whether we can announce this to the press? He said sure. So we call a new press conference and announce to them. Because I had already said that in the future other communist countries will also accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So two days later we get the news it’s recognized. So we phone up and Kirtirāja Prabhu said, “Yeah, you can give a news release. We don’t mind.” So then we give the press release to all the people and they publish again on the front page, “RECOGNIZED IN POLAND!” So it’s just like *boom* one after another, you know. Then there was the Return-ratha. All the newspapermen, all the cameramen are there. “Nobody coming this time?” (laughter) Then they published a cartoon in the front page of the ‘Juganta’, the second largest circulated paper in India from one place. And in the cartoon there was Reagan and Gorbachev wearing the harināma-cādara and tilaka (laughter), holding hands and dancing. Behind them there is me with my hands in the air. (laughter)

Devotees: Hari bol!

Then the caption said that “Māyāpur gosāñī tells everyone to chant the holy names. By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Rāma, whether Diana, whether Obama, whether right-wing,  whether left, all can be happy, including Reagan, Gorbachev, Jagāi-Mādhāi” (laughter) So that was just like… somehow or other everyday it was going on. Then the ratha finished. We give news release to the communist party leaders. But they were just burning you know. They went all the way to Delhi and complained to the ambassador of Soviet Union, they took all the newspaper clippings. “Look at what’s happened!  Your representative went there and did this. Inaugurated this religious functions. He set us back 15 years! How could this…” Actually all Prabhupādas, and Lord Jagannātha’s, (Jagannātha Swami ki! Jaya) Lord Caitanya’s transcendental pastime. We can’t take any credit for anything. They’re doing the whole thing. It was beyond any imagination that these things could happen. All the response that was there. Simply by Prabhupāda’s and Lord Jagannāthas yoga-māyā, all these things were going on. They go there and they make a big complaint, and the ambassador, he doesn’t know anything. He just came. He saw all the newspaper articles. “Well, this is of course something quite serious and certainly our own intelligence will have to look into it and make a study. And you can take my reassurance we will do everything proper in this regard.” (laughter) Usual diplomatic double-talk. So they published that on the papers. So next day big theoretician, Ideology chief, some Mohammedan communist, he gives a whole editorial article on why this is not proper according to the Soviet, or according to Marxism and Leninism. Of course, other newspapers say Lenin wasn’t so fanatical. He said even a priest can be a member of the party if he’s working for the upliftment of the masses and so on. So there was like a big controversy. Then what happens after this going to Delhi? The news hits the paper, “Vice counsel who inaugurated the Ratha-yātrā, he gets transferred out of Calcutta”. So everyone speculates, ‘Uh oh! He got sacked.’ The communists are like really proud, like they’ve done it. They got back at the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, the Soviet Union. They showed the people, ‘Don’t think communism is not what it seems to be. Atheistic.’ 

So then a lot of devotees came inside, “Lie low now! Don’t do anything. We had our day.” But actually they were given their day by Jagannātha. Three days later the vice chairman of the Supreme Soviet Presidium, which is the like the cabinet of their supreme parliament, he came on a goodwill visit and meets all the leaders and everything. As he’s leaving from the airport, the newspapermen say, “What about your inauguration of the Hare Kṛṣṇa Ratha-yātrā, ISKCON Ratha-yātrā?”

He said, “I don’t know anything about this.” Embassy people tell him what happened. He said, “Why are they making such a big deal over nothing? (laughter) This doesn’t change the character of communism. And moreover (?), this is within the parameter. ISKCON is a registered, recognized religion in the Soviet Union. And for our government officers to inaugurate one of the functions is within their right! They can do so. We want to just beating around the bush with democracy and give the people a democracy. Let them practice the religion they want in the Soviet Union. So we don’t know why they’re making such a big deal about this. This doesn’t change the character of communism if someone goes and inaugurates a Ratha-yātrā festival. In fact, he wasn’t transferred because of that. He was promoted! (laughter)” Then the communists… *sadface* (laughter) They had nothing to say after that. So Jagannātha had the last word.

Jagannātha Swami ki!

Jaya! Caitanya Mahāprabhu saṅkīrtana-andolana ki!

Jaya!

Gaura premānande! Hari hari bol!