PLACE MATS

So the dialogue continues.
I'll stay with it as long as I can.

Tapasya Tyaga
You write: "I do not fault Srila Prabhupada on anything."

A more extreme and unbalanced statement can scarcely be conceived. Surely there is one grain of sand for which Prabhupada may be faulted.

But to accept that proposition destroys his perfection in your calculus. Because even a miniscule error is an error nonetheless and the false veil of perfection is pierced. There can be no return. And once you accept one grain of sand, you are likely to accept two or three. Then you have a beach.

Its better to pedestalize Prabhupada and kick him upstairs beyond all reproach, beyond any critique.

I submit that approach is preposterous 

Please forgive me if I said anything offensive

Meena devi dasi:
You are using some intelligence. Blind following is condemned. That does not mean I don't see. I see. But I don't see faults. I see he has done miracles even in the midst of the most difficult situation. He is such a great devotee we cannot really appreciate properly. There is no fault.

Who was qualified to do anything? What was he to do... wait? he was 70 years old. And unless some one is a pure devotee anyone can fall down at any time.

The people he engaged in service were able to do things. They were not of particularly good character as we all know. But in their worldliness they also knew how to get things done in the material world. Printing, business, management, construction, etc. So he engaged them.

It reminds me of a story about the place mats. One disciple handed Srila Prabhupada a stack of flyers inviting people to a mayavadi presentation... Srila Prabhupada took the stack and held them for minute... like... what is this?... he saw what it was....turned them over and used them as place mats for the disciples to take prasadam. It was like that. Hare Krishna