Srila Prabhupada insisted on going to Kumbh mela in January 1977, when he was 81 years old. During the twenty-four hour train journey he fiercely debated with Rameshwara swami, who played the role of anti-devotees trying to stop Srila Prabhupada’s preaching. Despite health issues- Srila Prabhupada was externally a diabetic and had poor digestion, still he was energetic as he presented logical rebuttal to brainwashing allegations of anti-cult movements.
Normally one would expect Srila Prabhupada to defend such allegations against Krishna consciousness movement. But Srila Prabhupada’s style was: ‘attack is the best form of defence.’ He said animatedly that ISKCON is indeed brainwashing, and that’s because, ‘your brain is filled with garbage. If your house is dirty, you clean it. We are offering to clean your brains’ Srila Prabhupada said. On disturbing people at the airport with book sales, Srila Prabhupada argued, ‘you are disturbing us with your big signboards advertising all sorts of things. So we are also advertising.’ When Rameshwara charged that we break families, Srila Prabhupada spoke gravely, ‘we teach our boys and girls to respect their parents. When Brahmananda was getting initiated, I asked him to first offer obeisances at the feet of his mother. You rascals are unable to prevent your children from becoming hippies, but we make them gentlemen and train them to truly respect their parents.’ Other accusations were of chanting whole day- devotees chanted all the time and this meant they were not productive. Srila Prabhupada’s simple retort, ‘you mind your own business. What’s your problem; we chant and if you want you can join us, and if you don’t want to chant, why are you upset if we chant?’ Another criticism of devotees was that they eat only vegetarian food and that also only twice a day. Srila Prabhupada shot back, “Then you try to convince them to eat meat. We shall do our job- feed them Krishna’s Prasad and you can do your job. Let’s see who wins?’
To be continued…
