A Fanatical Professor

Another time a university professor was invited to speak with Prabhupada. At
first he was cordial, but as the discussion continued he started objecting
and then finally criticized Prabhupada. Prabhupada didn’t say anything, but
the professor became more challenging and more critical up to the point of
insulting. Just then, one of Prabhupada’s disciples interjected and asked
the professor why he had come such a long way to be so offensive to Srila
Prabhupada. The professor retorted not to the disciple, but directly to
Prabhupada, saying that it was “fanatics like him who give your movement a
bad name.” Prabhupada, who had previously tolerated the professor’s insults,
upon hearing the undue criticism of his disciple, replied back sharply, “He
is fanatic, or you are fanatic”? The tense mood continued for some time, but
amazingly by the end of the conversation Prabhupada and the professor became
friends and he went away with a favorable impression, not only of Prabhupada
but of ISKCON as well.
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