Śyāmasundara: In Bombay, you were having your own business then?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: Manufacturing?
Prabhupāda: Yes. No, that is small manufacturing. So I got very, very good chance. But Kṛṣṇa did not allow it. He wanted me to come to this point. That is my practical experience. And now I'm seeing that it is Kṛṣṇa's so much favor. You see? Yasyāham, anugṛhnāmi... It is, it is, actually it is His grace. "What he'll do by becoming Birla, rich man like Birla?" That was Kṛṣṇa's plan. "Come here. Do this work." You see. My Guru Mahārāja ordered. Kṛṣṇa wanted. I was resisting Him. That's all. I was actually very expert businessman in chemical line. I did it very creditably in Bose's laboratory as manager and my own business. And everyone knows... Even in manufacturing also.
Śyāmasundara: Yeah, with that same experience now you've organized a world-wide society...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: And that's a big business.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: Difficult work.
Brahmānanda: Just like before coming to India, in Japan, with simply five thousand dollars, you took fifty thousand dollars worth of merchandise.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Brahmānanda: And you brought it, had it sent...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Brahmānanda: And then everything...
Śyāmasundara: Life members...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Brahmānanda: And then you devised the program for distributing them.
Prabhupāda: Yes, practically India's, our, whatever we have got, it is starting with that five thousand dollars.
Śyāmasundara: Five thousand dollars.
Brahmānanda: But it's like you were investing, taking goods on credit, and...
Prabhupāda: Yes. And this membership became successful.
Brahmānanda: Then you devised the method for distribution.
Prabhupāda: This membership.
Śyāmasundara: Even the way you went to America in the beginning. You couldn't take money.
Prabhupāda: No.
Śyāmasundara: So you had some books...
Prabhupāda: Some books. Yes.
Śyāmasundara: Publish...
Prabhupāda: That intelligence gives me, Kṛṣṇa, "You do this." Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. Yes. And in my materialistic life, He was taking away my intelligence. Just like this Bose, Bengal Chemical agency, I should have accepted immediately. Such a big concern. Simply by sitting, I would have brought ten thousand rupees per month in those days. But there was no good intelligence. I thought, "No, I cannot accept your terms. You must accept..." Because I was at that time young man, puffed-up, no brain, no sober brain. They were so attracted with me. They would have given later on all facilities, but I did not accept. Similarly, Smith Stanstreet, they were also very good company.
Śyāmasundara: Smith's...?
Prabhupāda: Smith Stanstreet, an English company. They gave me an agency. So some of my enemy... He was my, he was my employer, but he gave information that I am also manufacturing now, drug and chemical works. So they informed them that "He's pushing his own goods, not your goods." They... He wanted that agency. Yes. In this way, because as soon as you come in the... Even in the spiritual field, my godbrothers are envious. You see? So as soon as you become successful, there will be many enemies. That is natural. That is the sign of success. In your business, if there are many enemies, competitor, that means you are successful. So anyway, Kṛṣṇa has brought me to the right path. So I may not fall down. That's all. (laughter) When I was reading this verse, that yasyāham anugṛhnāmi hariṣye tad dhanaṁ śanaiḥ (SB 10.88.8), Kṛṣṇa said that "When I show somebody My special favor, I take away all his money," I became shuddered, "So Kṛṣṇa will take my all money? If He's..." And actually that happened. He took my all money, all family, all friends and everything. (laughs) And He asked me, "Go to America. You'll get many money, much money, many friends. You go ahead, Come here." Yes. That was His intention. And I was sticking to limited money, limited friends, limited society. This is special favor.
Brahmānanda: So in Bombay you mentioned that Lilavati Munshi... There was one house...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Brahmānanda: ...and you were trying to get that house...
Prabhupāda: Yes, and she took away.
Brahmānanda: ...and you were prevented.
Prabhupāda: She took away. Because I was trying to organize a League of Devotees from that house, and Kṛṣṇa wanted, "What is this nonsense? You are stick here, in Jhansi? You come here, in open field." That was Kṛṣṇa's intent. But I thought that "Even Kṛṣṇa took away this?" This Lilavati Munshi...
Śyāmasundara: Now her institution is...
Prabhupāda: But my intention was to start this movement.
Śyāmasundara: Yeah.
Prabhupāda: I was simply planning in different way. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's favor. I never deviated from this plan. Since I heard it from my Guru Mahārāja, I've simply planning how to do it successfully. But I thought at that time, that "I'll be able to do it if I get some money. Let me do some business for the time." That I was thinking. But Kṛṣṇa said, "Even if you are pauper, you try; you'll get everything." But I thought, "Without money, how this can be done?" That was difference of opinion with Kṛṣṇa, argument. And I was dreaming also, Guru Mahārāja, asking me, "Come on." So I was going. So I was, "Oh, I have to go? I have to take sannyāsa?"
Śyāmasundara: You, you dreaming?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Guru Mahārāja said, "Come, come with me." I was going. But that... Many things happened before this. Yes. And at last it became, in America.
Śyāmasundara: Did you tell everyone you were leaving, or you simply disappeared?
Prabhupāda: No, I never said. Oh, why shall I? I lost all friends, money, everything.