Prabhupada, “I loved Gandhi.

Prabhupada, “I loved Gandhi. He really wanted the best things for India.”
March – April 1974: JUHU, BOMBAY, INDIA – Roof darshan, Walk, Guru Puja, Evening Aratik, Prasadam distribution
Bhagavat: One evening I was alone on the roof with Srila Prabhupada, and we were talking about varnasrama.
This was just after he gave the varnasrama talks in Vrindavan and he was telling me various things, similar things that he had discussed on the walk.
Then he started talking about Gandhi.
He said that Gandhi actually wanted to establish varnasrama throughout India.
His plan that he had presented to Nehru and the others was that first every village should become self-sufficient in making their own clothes, food, etc., etc.
But he said Sardar Patel and Nehru betrayed Gandhi and they went ahead with the British plan to introduce factories immediately, and he said because of that India has become spoiled.
Had they set up the villages first the way Gandhi taught, he said then the spiritual progress of India would have remained intact.
Then after that he was almost tearful and he said to me,
“I loved Gandhi. He really wanted the best things for India.”
I was just amazed that Prabhupada said that.
So the next morning we went on a morning walk.
Every morning Prabhupada would walk on the beach in Bombay.
At different times, some of the Indian gentlemen, Life Members, etc., would join our party.
When they would join the party, as is customary they would offer with folded palms pranam to Prabhupada, namaskar, and Prabhupada out of respect would do the same to them.
So on the morning after this discussion with Srila Prabhupada, we took a much longer walk than usual–way down to the end of the beach.
So when we got very far down the beach, and I was on his left-hand side, he turned to his left and he offered his pranam in a very deep and generous way.
And when I looked there was no one there, but way up there was a statue of Gandhi under a gazebo.
Prabhupada had walked to the end of the beach to offer a respect to Gandhi.
Then we’re walking back and some of the Life Members come and join, and one of the Life Members brings up something about Gandhi.
So they were saying Gandhi said this and that in the Gita and what did Prabhupada think.
Prabhupada said, “Gandhi destroyed the Gita, Gandhi said this, Gandhi said that, he made all mistakes,” and then Prabhupada was going on and on, now criticizing Gandhi’s translation of the Gita and his different ideas and concepts, like that.
Then after he finished saying all these things, he turned and he looked at me and he smiled.
Bhagavat

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