Open in App
Open in App

Impossible is a word in a fool's dictionary!

Ramesvara : The very next morning, as always when Prabhupada was here in New Dwarka and the weather was okay, we would drive him to Venice Beach where he would like to take his morning walk. At a certain point in the walk Prabhupada turned and asked me, "So, why are there seventeen books not published? What are you going to do?" Now Radhaballabha and I had worked out how we were going to respond.
 
We first told Srila Prabhupada that we had a plan. We said, "Right now it's taking four months. We have a plan to bring it down to two months." Then I blurted out, "We can do it. We can double our work. Somehow we'll figure we can do it in one month, a book a month."
 
Prabhupada was walking but was thinking, and said, "A book a month, that is seventeen months." He said, "No. I want all the books published in two months, not seventeen months." I knew what our capabilities were so I just blurted out, "Prabhupada, that's impossible."
 
Prabhupada became like a lion. A spiritual burst of anger and compassion all at the same time. He put his cane down in the sand, stopped walking and looked at me. "Impossible? Impossible is a word in a fool's dictionary." This was just like a thunderbolt through the heart.
 
How stupid. I said to Prabhupada that something was impossible. I said to someone who has come from the spiritual world that something is impossible. I said to someone who knows how God is having all the planets held up and stay in their orbits, and who is all-pervading that something is impossible? I felt so stupid.
 
Then Prabhupada paused enough for it to hit me really hard. The challenge had been thrown down and Prabhupada had been waiting, "What is your answer?" I responded, "Srila Prabhupada, we can do it. We'll do it." You had to accept this as divine faith. His potency would make it happen. We just have to believe that nothing is impossible.
 
So we told Srila Prabhupada that we could do it. I did ask Prabhupada if he could spend a little more time in Los Angeles because I felt we were going to need some help since these books were the Chaitanya Charitamrta and our men would need help with the Bengali. Prabhupada said, "Yes, whatever it takes I will do. But I want these books in two months."
 


Reference: Srila Prabhupada Remembrances - Siddhanta Dasa