Satsvarupa das Brahmacari Bhagwad-geeta ’66 Diary (con’d)

There is no harm in being a householder.  No difference between a householder and a sannyasi.  But a sannyasi can’t talk with a woman in a lonely place.  Swamiji gave a practical example.  Fifty years ago, when his guru maharaja was fifty years old, a young man (a disciple, Dr. O.P. Kapoor) and his wife were talking with Swamiji’s guru maharaja.  The wife, who was about 22 years old, said to his guru maharaja, “I want to speak with you confidentially.”  His guru maharaja was about fifty years old.  This woman was like his granddaughter.  But he said, “Oh, I cannot speak privately.  Whatever you like, you can speak here.”

Swamiji was in his room.  I asked him questions.  Then he gave me little tasks to do.  And the main task for me – typing his essays and the Bhagwatam and Geeta.  It’s the best way to be with him all the time.  I’m immersed in his teachings day and night.  All the devotees are.  One way or another – as he wrote on an announcement that’s posted in the storefront – “Do some work, and if you have none, chant Hare Krishna.”  He said we could spend all our time simply chanting Hare Krishna as Haridasa Thakura did.  But that’s not possible for us.  Therefore, we have activities like producing BTG – writing, typing the stencils, printing it on the machine, selling them.  He said that in one sense, we do other things because we can’t just chant.