want to worship Prahlada-Nrsimhadeva. What do you think? ” “ I don ’ t think that will be possible, ” the sthapati replied matter-of-factly. I looked at him incredulously, not sure what to say. He smiled and continued, “ You want everything done exactly according to the scriptures. Your Nrsimhadeva will be four feet high. Comparatively speaking, that will make Prahlada Maharaja the size of an amoeba. ” “ But we want Prahlada Maharaja one foot high, ” I interrupted. “F ine, ” the sthapati replied, “ but that means your Nrsimhadeva will have to be about 120 feet high. ” We began to argue back and forth about Prahlada Maharaja ’ s form. Finally the sthapati sighed in resignation and agreed to make Prahlada Maharaja one foot tall. At least I now had something positive to report when I returned to Mayapur. After two months, I returned to South India. There had been no developments. I shuttled back and forth fromMayapur to South India every thirty or forty days. Finally our stone was found, and the sthapati became a transformed man. For over a week he hardly spent any time at home. Hour after hour, day after day, he just sat staring at the slab. He had chalk in hand but didn ’ t draw anything. He refused to allow his laborers to do anything besides remove the excess stone to make the slab rectangular. The next time I visited him, he had made a sketch on the stone. That was all. I was worried. The Mayapur managers were becoming impatient.
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