the bottom. It read, “ For ISKCON you can carve Sthanu- Nrsimha. ” The sthapati showed me the letter and said , “ I have my guru ’ s blessings. I will carve your Deity. ” I was overwhelmed with joy. I gave him an advance payment and asked him how much time it would take to carve the Deity. He said the Deity would be ready for installation within six months. I returned to Mayapur. After four peaceful months in the holy Dhama, I decided to go to South India and purchase the heavy brass paraphernalia required for Nrsimhadevaworship and then collect the Deity. The trip was well-organized and trouble-free until I visited the sthapati. I explained to him that all the paraphernalia required for the worship had been purchased and that I had come to collect the Deity. He looked at me as if I ’ d lost my senses and exclaimed, “ What Deity? I haven ’ t even found the suitable ‘ stone! ” I couldn ’ t believe my ears. “ But you told me He would be ready in six months, ” I exclaimed. “ I will keep My promise, ” he said. “ Six months after I find the stone, the Deity will be ready for installation. ” His reply was emphatic, but I just couldn ’ t understand or accept the delay. In frustration I challenged, him, “ There ’ s big slabs of stone all over South India. What ’ s the problem? ” He looked at me the way a teacher would view a slow student and said very deliberately, “ I am not making a grinding mortar, I ammaking a Deity. The scriptures tell us that only a stone that has life can be used to make a Visnu Deity. When you hit seven points of the stone slab
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