PRABHUPADA’s CHALLENGE – STORY
While discussing the scientists and their bluffing again, Srila Prabhupada told a funny story about Gopala Ban, a court jester:
In West Bengal during the reign of Raja Krsnacandra. By it, Srila Prabhupada Cleverly illustrated how scientists obtained their grants.
“The Mohammedan Governor of the day had asked him, ‘Now, Gopala Ban, I have heard you are very expert. Can you write a similar book as the Mahabharata about my kingdom?”
“Oh yes, why not? That is not difficult.”
So he took with him some hundreds of thousands of rupees and again came.
‘’Give me another ten thousand,’ and another ten … in this way.
“When will the book be finished? You have taken so much money.”
“It is just on the verge of being finished.”
Then when he saw that no more money can be taken, ‘I have taken so much money … ‘
He said, “Now sir, one information is very essential. Give me and Mahabharata will be finished. Everything is there.”
“What is that information?”
“Now, your wife, how many husbands she has got?”
“This is nonsense!”
“Eh? Well, that is the main subject matter of Mahabharata. Draupati had five husbands [the Pandavas], and you are such a great person your wife must have at least one dozen. Otherwise, how Mahabharata will be written?’
“It is the subject matter of…?’
“Yes, that is the only subject matter — that Draupati had five husbands. So you are such a big Nawab, your wife must at least have one dozen. So give me their names.”
So he became very angry. “Don’t talk this nonsense!”
“Then I cannot finish your Mahabharata. I have already invested!”
So he took another ten thousand rupees and [the Nawab] he said, “Stop all this nonsense. That’s all right.”
Srila Prabhupada was laughing all the way through his telling of it, making comical gestures as he relayed the foolishness of the Nawab and the sharp wit of Gopala Ban in taking advantage of his combined ignorance and pride.
Prabhupada said, meaning the scientists, “they are writing Gopala Ban’s Mahabharata, and the ………… government is paying them. They will never be able to produce anything. Challenge them. As soon as you say, ‘Make an egg’ —’That we cannot say!’ And they’ll chant ‘Chemical evolution, chemical evolution’ and get Nobel Prize. ……. But how the people are so foolish that they believe in this?”
Prabhupada repeated his challenge to the scientists to make an egg and produce life.
It is something he has said many times. “This is very simple. You see everything, white and yellow. Produce. Chemicals are white. Some chemicals are yellow also. Just like hydroform … It is yellow. And soda bicarb, white, or potash cyanide is white. So you have got so many chemicals, combine and pack it in a cell, and put underneath the incubator. Why …… do not do this?”