Signing In the Incorporation

Prabhupada is lecturing.

Mr. Goldsmith, wearing slacks and a shirt and tie, sits on the floor near the door, listening earnestly to the lecture, despite the distracting noises from the neighbourhood.  Prabhupada has been explaining how scholars mislead innocent people with nondevotional interpretations of the "Бхагавад-гита", and now, in recognition of the attorney’s respectable presence, and as if to catch Mr. Goldsmith’s attention better, he introduces him into the subject of the talk.

I will give you a practical example of how things are misinterpreted.  Just like our president, Mr. Goldsmith, he knows that expert lawyers, by interpretation, can do so many things.  When I was in Calcutta, there was a rent tax passed by the government, and some expert lawyer changed the whole thing by his interpretation.  The government had to re-enact a whole law because their purpose was foiled by the interpretation of this lawyer.  So we are not out for foiling the purpose of Krishna, for which the "Бхагавад-гита" was spoken.  But unauthorized persons are trying to foil the purpose of Krishna.  Therefore, that is unauthorized.

All right, Mr. Goldsmith, you can ask anything.

Mr. Goldsmith stands, and to the surprise of the people gathered, he makes a short announcement asking for signers on an incorporation document for the Swami’s new religious movement.

Prabhupada:  They are present here.  You can take the addresses now.

Mr. Goldsmith:  I can take them now, yes.

Prabhupada:  Yes, you can.  Bill, you can give your address.  And Raphael, you can give yours.  And Don … Roy … Mr. Greene.

As the meeting breaks up, those called on to sign as trustees come forward, standing around in the little storefront, waiting to leaf cursorily through the pages the lawyer has produced from his thin attaché, and to sign as he directs.  Yet not a soul among them is committed to Krishna consciousness.

Mr. Goldsmith meets his quota of signers – a handful of sympathizers with enough reverence toward the Swami to want to help him.  The first trustees, who will hold office for a year, “until the first annual meeting of the corporation,” are Michael Grant (who puts down his name and address without ever reading the document), Mike’s girlfriend, Jan, and James Greene.  No one seriously intends to undertake any formal duties as trustee of the religious society, but they are happy to help the Swami by signing his fledging society into legal existence.