The Big Boss
I was going door to door in the Vienna bank and business district, in the late eighties, carrying a box containing a set of Srimad Bhagavatams. I would announce myself at each office, as a represenative of the local branch of the Institute for Vedic Studies. I would usually ask to see the boss without actually opening the box of books. It was a surprise for the boss only. When I arrived at a small firm, I would usually simply ask for the boss. Of course, nowadays, these things are difficult–due to tight security measures. But it´s always possible by going through official phone appointments, generally made upon somebodies recommendation.
In past times, I could get to important people in the business and banking sector without much of a hassle. It so happened that I stumbled into a Brokers´ office, and I asked at the front desk to see one of the directors. A secretary told me she was sorry, but the Big Boss could be found across the street, at the ‘Post Bank'. In fact he was one of the main CEO's. So with the name of the Big Boss, I ended up in the CEO's waiting room in one of the biggest banks in Austria.
As I entered the rather large office, Mr. Weghofer, the Big Boss, asked straight away: "So what do you have for me?"
"I have a set of 15 original Sanskrit books translated into German", I answered with a calm voice.
"Sanskrit?!" In an instant, I though that was it. He would throw me out, or have the security come and do it for him. But to my dismay, he asked me to sit down on a comfortable seat and we engaged in a conversation that would last for hours … The secretaries peeped in every once and a while, saying Mr. X, Y, and Z have an appointment.
"Let them wait!" hollered, Mr Weghofer. Our conversation went on and on, until lunch time. He wanted to know about everything; reincarnation, karma, demigods, soul and supersoul–and finally it was lunch time.
"Will you join me for lunch? I know you are vegetarian, but at least you can have a cup of mint tea with me, so we can go on with our conversation."
We went down the large stair case of the Post Bank (and by the way, this is one of the most significant edifices from early 20th century Austrian architecture). As we passed the tellers in the temple-like main hall, Mr.Weghofer asked, "How much do I owe you for the set of books"?
I asked for an appropriate price, and he gave me double the amount. In those days it was about $400 US. We had a "philosophical lunch" and he thanked me for my time and the books, promising that he would look at them. He also invited me to come back, and I continued visiting him until he took his retirement in the late nineties.
