Room Conversation
with French Nun
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
August 13, 1973, Paris

Yogesvara: She’s asking… This is a French nun, and she wishes to know whether for us Christ is the son of God or is He God Himself or what is the identity of Lord Jesus Christ?

Prabhupada: Yes. Jesus Christ says that he’s son of God. That’s all right. We accept.

Yogesvara: (translates French throughout) [break]

Prabhupada: …ordinary son. And he’s powerful son.

Yogesvara: …question. She asks what is the difference between our understanding of reincarnation and the Christian concept of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ said he would come again. Is there a difference? Is it the same thing?

Prabhupada: I don’t find anything.

Yogesvara: There was this gentleman this afternoon who was asking you about people who are constantly, constantly being tested by all kinds of miserable circumstances. She asks: Is it not a sign of a soul that God has chosen to favor that he sends them such miserable conditions of material life?

Prabhupada: Yes. Devotee, in miserable condition, they accept it as a favor of God. [break] …in the Bhagavata:

tat te ’nukampam susamiksamano bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak

We are put sometimes in difficult position. But a devotee takes the difficult position as mercy of God.

Yogesvara: She, she asks you for an explanation of an event that happened to her sister. Her sister died at the age of five and a half years. And just before her death she apparently was able to explain some of her past lifetimes to her mother, that she had formerly been a princess or of noble birth and that now she was being called. Is there some explanation for that?

Prabhupada: Yes, she remembers of her last birth. That is quite possible. Because we are changing body. So one who can remember about his past life, they are called jata-smarana.

Yogesvara: Jata-smarana?

Prabhupada: One who can remember about his past life. [break] …means forgetting everything of the past life. [break] …times a person remembers.

Yogesvara: She asks for a definition of the word “occult.” What is something that is occult, something occult or mystic? What is it?

Prabhupada: Mystic?

Yogesvara: Mystic. What is mysticism?

Prabhupada: I do not say anything on mysticism. Mystic, something. It is called rahasya.

Yogesvara: Rahasya?

Prabhupada: Rahasya. Something wonderful. Is that meaning? Mystic

Indian Man: Mystic… I mean. I think when Western historians and literators explain Indian religious literature, especially literature of bhakti-marga, they term that those are the mystics and also they term the Sufi poets are mystics. [break]

Prabhupada: …say mystic means rahasya.

Yogesvara: Rahasya.

Prabhupada: Rahasya means it is little difficult to understand. [break] Just like Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita: rahasyam, rahasyam etad uttamam. Rahasyam etad uttamam. This Bhagavad-gita is the first-class mystic. Rahasyam etad uttamam bhakto ’si me priyo ’si me. “Because you are My devotee, you are My dear friend, you’ll understand.” So mysticism is not understandable by common man. It requires a special qualification. Just like to understand. It is also mysticism. Understand, to understand God. This is also mystic. It is not understandable by ordinary man. (end)