In Conversation with Srila Prabhupada (Contexts and Contemplations)

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In writing this book, In Conversation with Srila Prabhupada, Sripada Lokanath Maharaja is rendering a great service to the Vaisnava community, and indeed the whole world by his presentation of his exchanges with our beloved ISKCON Founder-Acarya, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The importance of this endeavor cannot be overstated. If the events that we call history are to be known, they have to be recorded, and it is the responsibility of the participants to ensure that this record is preserved and passed on to future generations. Failure to do so constitutes a great loss for mankind, especially in the matter of spiritual transcendence. In Caitanya-caritamrta Antya 14.7 it is mentioned that, "Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami witnessed Caitanya Mahaprabhu's activities firsthand and recorded them in two notebooks. Therefore, without reference to these notebooks one cannot understand the activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srila Prabhupada would often say, "if you wish to remember it, write it down". In writing this book, I reflect upon Srila Prabhupada's insistent message on writing: "Realisation means you should write. Every one of you. What is your realisation... You write your realisation... what you have realised about Krsna. That is required." (Srila Prabhupada lecture, 14 August 1972)

I have always been inspired to write, given Srila Prabhupada's keenness for his disciples and everyone else to write. Writing this book would mean following one of Srila Prabhupada's instructions and more importantly, means remembering Srila Prabhupada in an intimate way. This involved sifting through approximately 1,384 conversation transcripts and then selecting and organizing those that had direct relevance to me and in which I was engaged.

In thinking through the title for this book, I recall stumbling upon a book several years ago which caught my attention. Conversations with God, by Larry King Walsch in 1995, was a publishing phenomenon and I was somewhat intrigued by the title of this bestseller. His inspiration for writing that book however, was different to mine. He questions God about his failed existence, but mine is about how to develop a fuller and more insightful spiritual life. While Walsch "spoke" to God directly, my conversations are with the representative of God, Srila Prabhupada.