“Gossip! It will Destroy this Movement”
Melbourne Temple, 14 Burnett Street, St. Kilda, Thursday, 6 April 1972
‘Behind Srila Prabhupada’s room was a tiny, two-metre square kitchenette. There, each day, Citralekha would prepare rasagullas for Prabhupada, who ate the sweets daily with his breakfast. Around mid-morning, Upendra would start to prepare Prabhupada’s lunch.
A couple of devotees entered the kitchen while Upendra was cooking. Before too long, Upendra, as was his sometimes frivolous habit, had reduced the conversation to a mundane gossip session.
After the devotees left the kitchen, Prabhupada, from his adjoining room, suddenly called for Upendra in an angry voice. “Upendra, come in here!” Upendra ran in. Prabhupada looked disturbed.
“Yes, Srila Prabhupada?”
“What were you doing?”
“I was just talking to some devotees in the kitchen …”
Prabhupada shook his head in disgust. "Gossip! It will destroy this movement.”
After a few moments Prabhupada dismissed Upendra who, visibly shaken, offered his obeisances and left the room.
Citralekha recalls: “Upendra immediately came downstairs and related the whole incident. He was mortified, as usual, from Prabhupada’s chastisement. I guess he needed it because Upendra loved to gossip. I don’t know whether Upendra was able to take the lesson to heart, but I certainly did. From that day, I made a conscious effort never to gossip about devotees.’
- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure” by Kurma Dasa