viii Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers

movement. I was attracted by the chanting and intrigued by
the philosophy, and I was curious about the movement’s
authenticity. I had visited the Krsna temple in New York
several times before going to India, but I did not consider
the seemingly austere life of a devotee for myself.

In India I first met the Krsna conscious devotees at a
festival they were holding in Calcutta during October of
1971. The devotees explained to me the purpose of yogaand
the need to inquire about spiritual life. I began to feel that
the rituals and ceremonies they practiced were not dull,
sentimental obligations, but a real, sensible way of life.

At first, however, it was very difficult for me to under-
stand the philosophy of Krsna consciousness. In so many
subtle ways, my Western upbringing prevented me from
seeing things that were as plain as the nose on my face! For-
tunately the devotees convinced me of the need to practice
some few basic austerities, and in this way I began to gain
some insight into spiritual life. I can now recall how distant
and tenuous were my concepts of spirituality and transcen-
dental existence. I met Srila Prabhupada briefly at this
time—in November of 1971—and shortly thereafter I
decided to become a vegetarian. (I was proud of being a
vegetarian, but later Srila Prabhupada reminded me that
even pigeons are, too.)

In February of 1972, I met some devotees in Calcutta
who invited me to a festival in Miyapur (a holy island
ninety miles to the north). The festival was to be-held in
honor of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is considered an
incarnation of Krsna Himself. I had then been planning a
trip to Nepal, but the Peace Corps denied me permission to
leave India, and so I went to Mayapur.
