There was one gentleman, an elderly gentleman, who walked one day into the temple and he had a letter from Prabhupada, and the letter said that “Dear Mr. such-and-such, so when I come to New York you can come see me.” OK. Brahmananda had me take him over to Prabhupada’s apartment a block or so away, and the man was very respectful. He was connected with a yoga society in New York. He said to Srila Prabhupada, “Swamiji, I like your movement very much, but one thing is that one of your disciples said that Swami such-and-such is a rascal. And it always seemed to me that he was a very holy man, and I don’t understand why your disciple would say that you said that he’s a rascal.” And Prabhupada said, “Who has said this?” And the man said, “You didn’t say?” Prabhupada said, “If they say that I have said and I have not said, then they are rascal.” So then the man was pacified.
Then Prabhupada said a few things and Prabhupada pulled a book out of his bookshelf, a small hardbound blue book, and opened it up and gave it to the man. He said, “You know this book?” The man looked at it, “Oh, Swami such-and-such, Dr. such-and-such. Oh, Vedanta Society. Oh, yes,” and he was quite pleased at seeing something that he was familiar with. And Prabhupada opened it up and he said, “Read the translation.” The man read the translation, “Always think of Me, devote yourself to Me, worship Me, offer your homage to Me.”
Prabhupada said, “Yes, he has done it nicely. He is very good scholar. Then the commentary, what does he say?” So the man began reading, “It is not to Krishna that we have to surrender but to the unborn impersonal.” something something. Prabhupada said, “Just see! Therefore, I say they are all rascals!”
And then Prabhupada began explaining why such persons were rascals. He quoted, of course, “Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah, mayayapahrta-jnana asuram bhavam asritah, that they are the miscreants, lowest of mankind, their knowledge is stolen by illusion, they are demonic. Because just see, Krishna is saying Me and they are saying not Krishna. Therefore, I say.” Then Prabhupada said that “Sometimes strong words are needed to arouse a sleeping man.” Then Prabhupada said, “Anyway it is not my saying, it is Krishna is saying.” Then Prabhupada gave a dismissive sort of shrug and he said, “What can I do?”
