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Three times (Conversations)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- October 27, 1968, Montreal, With First Devotees Going to London On Evening of Their Departure:

Prabhupāda: That is very nice, but other building in front of our temple, just not in exactly front. That big signboard.

Janārdana: Oh, 16,000, 15,000 square feet, a dollar sixty a foot?

Prabhupāda: Dollar sixty?

Janārdana: Yes. We are paying forty-nine cents a foot, and they are asking there a dollar sixty a foot. They are asking three times more rent than we are paying. It's very expensive.

Prabhupāda: How many..., there? 16,000?

Janārdana: 15,000 square feet. It is a fortified place because they keep furs. They keep animal furs there, and animal furs are very expensive, and thieves very often break in. So I think that one of the reasons why it's so expensive is because it's fortified.

Prabhupāda: I do not follow. What is that?

Janārdana: It is a place... (break) ...of animals, and they are very expensive furs.

Prabhupāda: Yes, very expensive.

Janārdana: Very expensive. They want a dollar sixty a square foot per year, which is very expensive. We are paying 49 cents a square foot per year.

Prabhupāda: Oh. I thought that because it is a downstairs floor, the restaurant can be started there.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 27, 1969, Boston:

Prabhupāda: Gopāla Kṛṣṇa is very nice boy. You give him good protection, and he will turn very good help. Sevonmukhe... This Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be, I mean to say, appreciated only by service. There is no other, no other way. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). You cannot catch Kṛṣṇa by any way, by your riches, by your beauty, by your..., because He excels everything. How you can make Him under your control? You can simply make Him under your control by service, like the gopīs did. Yes. What is this? Prasāda? Oh, I think I cannot take any. All right, I shall take some.

Satsvarūpa: The devotees have prasādam over at the temple that's ready.

Prabhupāda: Oh, they can take. They can go. (Break)... initiated, they are chanting mantras three times, oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ savitur vareṇyam? Yes. (devotees chanting japa)

(break) ...very beautiful towns(?) in India.

Haṁsadūta: What are they called?

Prabhupāda: It costs not much with single... (Someone turns on tape of chanting) Oh, the... Middle. Middle. What is this? Tune? Tune? No, what is called?

Satsvarūpa: Speed.

Prabhupāda: Speed. Yes. That's all right. Oh, so many things. This is the rest of...

Haṁsadūta: Conchshell.

Prabhupāda: Is it broken?

Haṁsadūta: A little bit. What is this for, Swamiji?

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- August 14, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: There is no question of reading. We are simply asking to chant. Reading will come later on. Just like a small child, he's taught... In our educational system they chant... What is that? That...? (Hindi) Pahara pahara.(?)

Indian man: Pahara. Alphabet. A.I.E.

Prabhupāda: They chant. By chanting, by hearing they learn. "A,B,C," like that. "2 plus 2 equal to 4." We did it in our childhood. One boy will chant like that. "2 plus 2 equal to 4." And we shall repeat. "2 plus 2 equal to 4." So repeating three times, I understand 2 plus 2 equal to 4.

Sister Mary: Do you find that the chant goes on in your heart?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Revatīnandana: Do you find that the chant goes on in your heart?

Prabhupāda: Why not? Why not?

Sister Mary: It goes deeper and deeper?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everything we hear, it goes to the heart. If I call you by name, it does not go to my heart? "You rascal. You stupid." You hear. Does it not go to my heart? Why I become angry unless it goes to my heart. If "rascal," "stupid," and all these bad names go to my heart, why God's name will not go to my heart? If by calling you by ill names you become angry, that means it goes to your heart. Why not good name? It goes. It enters through the ear and goes to the heart.

Sister Mary: I'm doing that, saying sometimes a little prayer...

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- July 5, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: Oh, oh.

Sumati Morarjee: This small girl, whatever you have got, they can come twice or four or four times, three times a week. This Manipuri girl comes.

Prabhupāda: No, we are opening here in America, one school for training small children to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Sumati Morarjee: Yes, so I told Swamiji. This Girirāja to come to our school, and tell them all my political stories, and tell them make them (indistinct) and all that. I hope he has started.

Devotee: Yes.

Sumati Morarjee: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: What is your name?

Sumati Morarjee: His name is Mr.Girish Joshi. He is from Dacca.

Prabhupāda: Oh, I see.

Sumati Morarjee: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Now, in future, in Joshi family Lord Kṛṣṇa will appear as Kalki.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 28, 1973, Jakarta:

Guest (1): Yes, yes. Rosary. Rosary...

Devotee: After one year we may become initiated with this. And every day, three times, we use this for prayer, Gāyatrī mantra.

Guest (1): Three times. How many? One time? Pray for this? Pray for this?

Prabhupāda: Is this water or not?

Guest (1): Beads, beads, how many?

Devotee: This means that I have a spiritual master.

Guest (1): Spiritual master.

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda is my spiritual master.

Guest (1): From master. Given by master to you.

Devotee: That's right.

Guest (1): So after at least one year later according some occupational training and devotion and can initiated, initiate. Not now.

Devotee: There's... No. There's first initiation and second initiation. First initiation means that you are able to chant sixteen rounds and follow those four rules.

Guest (1): Hm. Yes. Cardinal sins.

Devotee: Like that. After six months following then you get first initiation. After one more year, then you get this thread if you...

Room Conversations with Sannyasis -- March 15, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Now if they do not offer, obey the orders of the sannyāsī, then naturally... But that thing should be brought to the notice of higher or some official, president. Then steps should be taken, that if you cannot follow the rules and regulations, then you must leave. It is plain thing. There is no question of fighting. First thing is that a sannyāsī, leader, they should behave themselves according to the rules and regulations. And then ask others to follow. The others who do not follow, once, twice excused, three times please... Like that.

Śyāmasundara: If, if he follows strictly the principles, then he'll be automatically respected.

Acyutānanda: Now I wanted to ask somebody to leave, but how does he leave? We have to buy him his ticket or something. There was a boy, one...

Prabhupāda: Leave means he can go to other center.

Acyutānanda: I wanted to ask him to leave but where would he go? Who will pay for his way out?

Prabhupāda: Then one thing is, that this ultimate, we are canvassing, we are preaching to bring men. To get them out is not our business. That is not our business that, but if he is incorrigible, he is not, then he must leave. That is... We are making so much preaching work to bring men, not to ask them to go. If for some paltry reason we ask, that is not...

Devotee: (softly) This was not a paltry reason.

Room Conversation with Banker -- September 21, 1973, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: There are two things. One material, one spiritual. Spiritually, India is happy, those who are actually spiritualists. But materially, India is unhappy. Spiritually, even if you still go in the interior of village, poor man, living in a cottage, he is taking bath three times and doing his professional work, a cultivator, having little food, and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. They are happy actually. They have got their family, husband, wife, some children. If one lives spiritual life, he is actually happy. Materially, nobody can be happy. In your country, although there is enough facility for material enjoyment, actually they are not happy. Otherwise why in your country the hippies are coming out? They are coming from respectable, rich parents, nation, but they have given up their home, their father's opulence, mother's opulence. That I have seen practically. Practically all my students... Here, Brahmānanda, his father, at least he was a big industrialist, mother. But he did not like. He joined this movement. Similarly, Girirāja, his father is a big lawyer, rich man. But he did not like that. There are many, many students, their father's are... Śyāmasundara's father is big lawyer, rich man, businessman. He is the only son. But he did not like his father. So there are many... Even though he is not our student, still, I do not know. I have seen in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills. You know? That is a rich quarter. Very nice house. And one boy is coming, he is hippie, and riding on his car and going. Then I saw, although it is such a nice rich quarter, there are also hippies. That I could study. Why these boys are becoming hippies? And New York you know, the hippies are lying here and there in Fifth Avenue, Central Park, and they are worshiping pig. (laughs) You know that?

Banker: Yes, I know.

Prabhupāda: He also knows. Why this disappointment?

Morning Walk -- December 8, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: He never claimed. He said, "You call me brāhmaṇa. That's your... but I, I do not follow anything." He never said that.

Devotee: And Mahatma Gandhi, Prabhupāda, he said Rāma, Rāma, Rāma three times before he died.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So he'll get birth as human being.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Śrīla Prabhupāda, are these astrologers, ah, are, can we believe in them, what they say? Called pseudo-science.

Prabhupāda: No. Astrology is a science. (break) ...that I shall go to the foreign countries and throughout the whole world I will establish so many temples, so many things... this...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So they have some intelligence to tell that...

Prabhupāda: No, no. That is calculation, calculation. This astrologer, this astrologer was a very big astrologer and when I was in service, Dr. Bose's laboratory, so Dr. Bose was treating one patient. He was vomiting blood. So he was treating as tuberculosis. Then he could not cure him after giving all medicine. Then he asked the astrologer, this astrologer who made my horoscope, "What is the matter? Panditji, can you tell?" So he calculated. He said, "You are making wrong treatment. He has got some sore in the throat. It is not heart." And he treated, he was cured.

Yaśomatīnandana: Vedic science is so perfect.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He knew it.

Morning Walk -- December 16, 1973, Los Angeles:

Karandhara: Well, just like that one Indian chemist Svarūpa Dāmodara brought. He said that philosophy is killing India. People just sit by and watch each other die instead of trying to help each other.

Prabhupāda: No, that he is rascal. No Indian is dying. We are going three times, four times India. Who is dying? Everyone is dying natural death. This is all propaganda, to make their position secure. That's all. I have never seen anyone dying for starvation. I have pointed out so many times that fifty years ago this class of men lying on the footpath... Now the foodgrains has risen price fifty times. Still he is living. Still he is living. But he has to live in that condition. Although he must have increased his income, otherwise how he is purchasing foodstuff, fifty times? But in spite of his increasing income, he must live like that. Apart from India. Why, in your country or in Europe, so many hippies are lying? Why? They have no want.

Karandhara: But not as many.

Prabhupāda: Oh, you have not seen Amsterdam. Full, one big park, hundreds and thousands hippies are lying on the ground. Hundreds and thousands. You have been in Amsterdam? I have seen it personally.

Karandhara: Yeah. But not like India where there is millions of people...

Prabhupāda: No, no, India you will not find that in the park hundreds and thousands are lying. You never find.

Karandhara: Well, you'll find them living in sewer pipes.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, our proposition is that one class of men must lie down like that.

Rūpānuga: That is their business.

Prabhupāda: That is their business. They must.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 9, 1974, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (1): On the boat, on everywhere.

Prabhupāda: Everywhere.

Guest (1): The four times, three times, namaz.

Prabhupāda: They're so regulated, as soon as the time is there, anywhere, they'll worship.

Guest (1): There was big trouble about them...

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Guest (1): There was big trouble about them in London for some time.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Guest (1): Because they would leave their work and start praying.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Guest (1): Then the work was stopped, and later on, it was sorted out. They were allowed to do their worship.

Guest (2): (break) ...cultured under, say, very comfortable circumstances. This has a relation to constant inquiries from public, specially young men, at the entrance of our mandira, our, this building, these days. I was sort of doing, helping them for entrance and exit. In that course, many young people specially they asked, "How could people living in so much comfortable circumstances could hear and ask for bhakti."

Prabhupāda: Then does it mean that those who are...?

Morning Walk 'Varnasrama College' -- March 14, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes. They are satyaṁ śamaḥ damaḥ. He must be truthful, he must control the senses, control the mind... śamo damaḥ,... He must be tolerant. He should not be agitated in trifle matters. Satyaṁ śamo damaḥ śaucam. He must be always clean. Three times he must take bath at least. All the clothing, all, everything is clean. This is brahminical training. And then he must know all what is what, knowledge, and practical application, and firm faith in Kṛṣṇa. This is brāhmaṇa.

Hṛdayānanda: So what kind of practical work could we engage them in?

Prabhupāda: They'll be teaching. They'll be all teachers.

Hṛdayānanda: Oh, they'll be teachers.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like Droṇācārya. He was brāhmaṇa, but he was teaching military art to the Pāṇḍavas. General teacher class will be the brāhmaṇas. It doesn't matter what he's teaching. But teaching, perfectly teaching, how to become a military man. Arjuna's fighting was due to Droṇācārya. He learned it from Droṇācārya. He was a brāhmaṇa. But because he took the position of a teacher, he thought very perfectly. A brāhmaṇa should be expert in every kind of knowledge. If requires, he'll become teacher. This is brāhmaṇa.

Hṛdayānanda: So brāhmaṇa can teach how to fight?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Brāhmaṇa means intelligent, brain. So in intelligent brain one can learn anything and teach anything.

Satsvarūpa: This is all very new.

Morning Walk -- April 2, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's all right. After reading the whole Rāmāyaṇa he is asking, "Whose father is Sītā?" Similarly, this Dr. Radhakrishnan, after reading the whole chapter, he is advising, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa." Just see how much rascal he is. And he is passing on as a great scholar.

Dr. Patel: I will read this three times. Man-mana bhava-mad-bhakto. (goes on)

Prabhupāda: This is the conclusion.

Dr. Patel: "When completely yourself are settled in Me, you have got to come to Me. You can't go anywhere else." Again I will read the last. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī.

Prabhupāda: Very simple thing. You always think of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā, you become His devotee, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yājī, worship Kṛṣṇa, and namaskuru. Where is the cost? No expenditure. If you think of Kṛṣṇa, if you worship Kṛṣṇa, if you offer obeisances to Him... Therefore this Deity is there. For these purposes. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Simply by doing these four things, he is becoming liberated so much that he is going back to Godhead. That's all. (break) ...movement is very scientific movement, based on the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā. Most scientific. (break) We may be proud. Because this is scientific, therefore it is so quickly progressing. (break) ...take. This is mām cult. (break) ...so I was, that "I want to start this movement," I was talking. So he very much appreciated and he promised in writing that "As soon as I retire I shall join with you." He wrote me.

Dr. Patel: But then we have to tell him that "Come on, you are retiring. Join. And if you..."

Morning Walk -- April 7, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break)

Girirāja: ...being killed by Viṣṇu in his previous life he wasn't transferred?

Prabhupāda: No, three times he had to take birth. Hiraṇyākṣa.

Yaśomatīnandana: Is that Jaya and Vijaya?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Yaśomatīnandana: He was one of them?

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...becomes envious of others, they take birth as dogs, snake, sarpa krūra khala krūra. So much subtle laws are working. They do not know.

Yaśomatīnandana: Their limited intelligence.

Prabhupāda: Limited intelligence, yes. (break)

Yaśomatīnandana: ...nirmatsarāṇām.

Prabhupāda: Ah, paramo nirmatsarāṇām satāṁ vāstavya vastu vedyam atra (SB 1.1.2). Not for anyone. Paramo nirmatsarāṇām. That means devotees. Devotees are nirmatsarā, not envious. Otherwise everyone is envious. (break) ...like a vehicle like this. In U.P. there is, called tanga.

Yaśomatīnandana: Surat also, they have a lot of these.

Room Conversation -- April 26, 1974, Tirupati:

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...quarter there is no cinema song. Bhaja gopālam. (there is music playing in background, recording of a boy or woman singing "bhaja gopāla")

Satsvarūpa: Śrīnivāsa (?) said every... (break) ...is controlled by the temple here. Even the government doesn't control.

Prabhupāda: This is all temple here around (indistinct). (break)

Satsvarūpa: ...prominence. (break)

Indian man: We came here yesterday. We went to the temple three times and just for a long...

Prabhupāda: Oh, very good.

Indian man: This is my wife and daughter. You came yesterday?

Prabhupāda: Yes, I came yesterday at about eleven.

Indian man: We saw you in the evening going to the temple.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is very nice place.

Indian man: Very nice, beautiful place. Very inspiring. Where's (indistinct) American? (?)

Prabhupāda: I am, of course, Indian, but I have got my headquarters in America. (chuckles) Yes.

Indian man: America. (chuckles) I think I have seen you at Bombay once.

Prabhupāda: Yes, Bombay I have got my headquarters.

Room Conversation -- April 26, 1974, Tirupati:

Prabhupāda: No, I am going every year. Two times, three times, I have to go all round the world.

Indian man: I respectfully request you your name, please.

Prabhupāda: Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. That's all. Call me Prabhupāda. I am preaching this cult, what you have come to see, this being expanded all over the world.

Indian man: Yes, yes. It's very good.

Prabhupāda: And we have got about hundred temples.

Indian man: At every America?

Prabhupāda: No, no, all over the world. In America I have got forty temples.

Indian man: Forty temples, I see.

Prabhupāda: Yes. In England we have got about five. And France, in German, we have got four.

Indian man: In Germany also.

Prabhupāda: Oh yes. Germany, Sweden, Rome, and Australia.

Room Conversation with Richard Webster, chairman, Societa Filosofica Italiana -- May 24, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: Many countries... Especially we are Indian. We have seen in India. Nowadays there is no eatables. The government cannot supply food, failure, the problem which is not even amongst the beasts and birds. The birds and beasts, they have no such problem. They are freely living, jumping from one tree to another, because they know there is no problem of eating. And human society, there is problem of eating. What is the advancement? And there is enough place for producing food. I have seen Africa, Australia. Enough place. If the foodstuff is produced there, ten times of the population can be well fed. But they are: "Don't enter. Don't come here." The Africans will say to the Indians, "Don't come here. Go out." What is this? Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. We say, "Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. We are all sons of Kṛṣṇa. Let us live peacefully and utilize Kṛṣṇa's property." This is the best philosophy. But the so-called politicians and leaders, they are saying "No, you cannot enter here," immigration. America has got enough place to produce food. But they will, although they have gone to the United Nation, UNESCO, they could not find out any solution. Although there is possibility of producing ten times of the requisites of the whole population of the world, they will not allow. They will not allow. On God's side, this unit, this planet, pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation)—everything is complete. You require water. They save three times water than the land. And the water is distributed over the land, parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ so there will be sufficient food grains. And annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). And if there is sufficient to eat, have sufficient eatables to the animals and to the men, then everything is prosperous. So where is that arrangement? There is enough land, enough possibility, enough water. Now utilize them and produce food grain, eat nicely and live peacefully and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and go back to home, back to Godhead.

Morning Walk -- June 17, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: Everything is worst. Sinful is sinful. Disease is disease. This body, either it is living or it is dead, it is not very important thing. Now see. And the whole world is after this body. Kṛṣṇa says, "The body, either dead or alive, it is not a subject matter for serious consideration." Now see. And what the world is going on? Simply for bodily... Body means senses. It is very difficult to the, for the western people to understand that body is not important thing; the soul is important thing. First of all, they do not know what is soul and then consideration of importance. This is their position. And if one cannot understand what is soul, what he will understand about God? Soul is a minute particle of God. If one cannot understand about this minute particle, then what he'll understand of the Supreme? In the laboratory, if you can test a little sample, just like take a little sea water, analyze, you chemically test, then you can understand what is the composition of the sea water. But if you have no knowledge even a small drop of sea water, how you'll understand the sea, what... That is their position. They do not understand even the sample of spirit soul, as we are. Simply they are trying to cover it. "There is no soul. There is no soul. Life is generated from matter." Although they cannot prove it. A fool's paradise. The fools, rascals, they are explaining the living force in some way, and other fools are accepting. This is the position of western countries, Europe and America. It is a fool's paradise. It is paradise, certainly. Very, very, big, big building and advancement, but all rascals and fools. Fool's paradise. (pause) And if you call a fool a fool, he'll be angry. Mūrkhāyopadeśo hi prakopayati na śamyati (?). (pause) (break) ...so many, so much production, but if nature's law can stop this production, then the question of over-population. If the nature likes, it can produce three times, four times this production. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). After all, nature is producing. We do not know how to deal with nature. Therefore there is scarcity, and we say, "over-population." There is no question of over-population. There are so many hundreds and thousands of birds within this forest, other animals. They have no problems of over-population. Eh? (pause) All these men, who are living in these villages, so what is their means of livelihood? Agriculture or industry? Or service?

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's right. (German) (break) ...Vedic injunction:

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
(CC Adi 17.21)

For your perfection you simply chant the name of the Lord harer nāma, harer. Harer means of the Lord and nāma means name. Thrice. Just like we give stress three times, "You do it. You do it. You do it." This is a good stress. Similarly, the śāstra says harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma, nāma eva kevalam, simply chant the Lord's name. Kalau, in this age of Kali. Nāsty eva, nāsty eva, nāsty eva gatir anyathā. There is no other alternative for self-realization, no other alternative for self-realization, therefore stress should be given for everyone to chant the holy name of the Lord. (German) Kali means the age of quarrel, the age of quarrel. This age is simply for fighting and quarrel. They're not interested to understand the Absolute Truth. But they're interested in fighting and quarreling. Therefore this age called Kali. Kali means fighting. (German)

Dr. P. J. Saher: Will you please be so kind as to further elucidate your technique of that one chants the name of God and will you please be so kind as to elucidate further in some particular way or what comes (German) what should be done in relation to that or how it is, how it is formulated in that, in that total, in that complete system of your reverent teachings?

Reporters Interview -- June 29, 1974, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Subject is there, that "Kṛṣṇa's color is bluish, Kṛṣṇa has got in His hand a flute, Kṛṣṇa has got a peacock feather on His head, Kṛṣṇa stands, little curving." Tri-bhaṅga-lalitam. Tri-bhaṅga means in three ways He is curved. You see. Tri-bhaṅga. Three, three times He is curved. Śyāmaṁ tri-bhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśam (Bs. 5.31). These are the description of the Vedas. Just like my students, they have painted so many pictures, so I have given simply the hints that "This picture should be like this." So they take note and make the picture, and people very much appreciate our picture. So you can paint pictures by taking hints from the authority. That is going on. So if you are intelligent, you can make almost like that.

Guest (2): But still, somebody must have seen Kṛṣṇa...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (2): ...to actually paint Him.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Seen Kṛṣṇa. Just like Kṛṣṇa, when He was present on this earth, so many people saw Him. And since then, there are so many temples of Kṛṣṇa's Deity, Kṛṣṇa's form. The same thing, as it is stated in the Vedic literature, they saw also personally, and they made statues, and they are being worshiped regularly. There are thousands of thousands of temples of Kṛṣṇa. So they are worshiped.

Guest (2): But has anybody actually seen Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: What is that philosophy?

Yoga student: That involves the prayer of three to five times a day of the Shiist...

Prabhupāda: Prayer five times?

Yoga student: Well, it's the Islamic prayer five times a day, but the Shiist compress it to three times. It's the same prayer.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Yoga student: Because they are permitted to say two of the prayers at noon and two of the prayers in the evening at one time, rather than spreading them through the afternoon and the...

Prabhupāda: So why they are disobeying the order of Muhammad?

Yoga student: Yes. The... They follow... It's essentially the same practice as the...

Prabhupāda: No, you cannot amend on the words of Muhammad if you are a true Mussulman.

Yoga student: I don't think they have to amend it. They're...

Prabhupāda: Why? There was five. Why they have made three? That is amendment. You cannot do that.

Yoga student: It has been maintained that Ali..., that this was the practice of Ali.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Yoga student: That Ali prayed at noon, in the afternoon...

Morning Walk -- March 15, 1975, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Don't mind. All the work is going on. It doesn't matter. (break) ...prayer, five times?

Guest: Well, it's the Islamic prayer five times a day but she is compressing it to three times. It's the same prayer.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Guest: Because they are permitted to say two of the prayers at noon and two of the prayers in the evening at one time, rather than spreading them through the afternoon and ...

Prabhupāda: Why are they disobeying the order of Mohammed?

Guest: Yes, they follow. It's essentially the same practice as the majority.

Prabhupāda: Yes, you cannot amend on the words of Mohammed if you are a true Muslim.

Guest: I don't think they have meant to amend it, its just that...

Prabhupāda: Now why? There was five now they have made three. (indistinct) You cannot do that.

Guest: They maintain that, that Ali, that this was the practice of Ali. That Ali prayed at noon in the afternoon.

Guest: Ali is a representative of Mohammed.

Guest: He's the brother, brother-in-law, the son-in-law.

Room Conversation with Director of Research of the Dept. of Social Welfare -- May 21, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: He also does the same thing. He does not know how to cure it.

Devotee: He said that "I could not live without illicit sex life."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Mostly the bachelor daddy. They pose themself as bachelor, but they are having at least three times sex with contraceptive method, you see. This is going on. And they are accepted as standard. And if you want to reform it, then it is (indistinct). The whole basic wrong is they have become godless animals, that's all. The only method is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no other second method. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. You cannot raise anybody to high qualities unless he is Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is a subtle fact. And example is there. Because some of them have taken to Kṛṣṇa conscious they are ideal. All others, what is the value? He is a leader, and he says, "Yes, illicit sex is all right. We are enjoying by contraceptive method." If the leaders do something wrong, the others will follow. (to devotee:) I think you should continue as a gṛhastha for the time being.

Devotee: Yes, I think so.

Prabhupāda: Unless you are ripe old age. At least up to fifty years. What is your age now?

Devotee: Um, twenty-eight.

Prabhupāda: Twenty-eight. So up to fifty years you remain gṛhastha and take care of wife, children. Work honestly and attend the... You prove an ideal gṛhastha. That will be very nice. Don't change your mind.

Devotee: So they'll be able to take care of the situation there by themselves?

Morning Walk -- September 13, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: No, freedom, if I have got already, why shall I pay? I have already paid. Why you're inducing? I am already enjoying. Why you are inducing me to work hard? I have paid for it. By my karma in my previous life I have already paid for that; therefore I am enjoying.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They don't believe in the law of karma.

Prabhupāda: Therefore they are rascals. Rascal. This is a rascal civilization. Rascal civilization: one side, they say contraceptive; another side, they will encourage woman to marry three times a week. This is their civilization. If you want stop population why you are inducing "Indulge in sex life"? Stop sex life—brahmacārī. Everything is contradictory. And it is all sense gratification, based on sense gratification.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: If a person is not satisfying his senses they think he is crazy.

Prabhupāda: But where is your sense satisfied? You are crazy. You are repeatedly being kicked by nature, that your senses will never be satisfied. Still, you are trying for that. Even the old man of eighty years old, he is going to the nightclub. Where is sense satis... When his senses will be satisfied? (aside) Jaya. Relaxation. If somebody is relaxing, chanting, they will induce, "Oh, you are escaping."

Brahmānanda: "Misery loves company."

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Brahmānanda: That's a saying, that if someone is feeling misery, he wants other people to also enjoy the misery.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Brahmānanda: No one wants to suffer alone.

Morning Walk -- October 12, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: (wind blowing) Pranair arthair dhiya vacaḥ śreya acaraṇam... (break) ...by words, by intelligence, everyone should serve Kṛṣṇa, then life is successful. Pranair arthair dhiya vacaḥ.

Indian man (1): What of meetings, religious meetings, especially here in South Africa?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Indian man (1): In South Africa here especially, number of religious meetings, they start off with the Gāyatrī mantra three times, and at the end of the meeting they have a ṣantipat. Now is there any real necessity for a religious meeting to start off with the Gāyatrī mantra and end with santipat?

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's not bad.

Indian man (1): But I don't see that being practiced in the...

Prabhupāda: We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That includes everything. It is called mahā-mantra. It includes all mantras. Gāyatrī mantra is not to be chanted in the public loudly. That is not the system.

Indian man (1): Not to be chanted.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: In the public loudly.

Devotee (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda, in this country we have to do army training, and on a Sunday we have to attend a church service. We have to attend it. Is it all right to say that we won't attend it because we follow Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or must we go anyway? It's sort of a Christian denomination service on a Sunday.

Morning Walk -- December 7, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: If a sannyāsī is not offered respect, the punishment is that he should fast one day. That is śāstric injunction.

Gunarnava: What is the punishment if one doesn't fast?

Prabhupāda: You must go to hell. (laughter) (break)

Aksayānanda: ...also come two or three times before over the months, so I know he is serious.

Prabhupāda: Let him come.

Aksayānanda: Yes, he's very nice.

Prabhupāda: What is his age?

Aksayānanda: I think he's about... He's getting on. He's fifty, sixty.

Prabhupāda: That is all right. Then he should retire.

Aksayānanda: Yes. His wife has, I think, expired, so he has no problem there. And he looked in our āśrama, and he likes it inside there. He's prepared to live with brahmacārīs and so on. Very good man. His name is Mr. Ugrasena. (break) ...much colder today.

Prabhupāda: Yes, and it will increase. Yes. In December January it will be very cold.

Aksayānanda: Yes. It'll be almost twice as cold. (break)

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 17, 1976, Mayapur:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I notice some of these cows are... Hariprasāda gave us.

Madhudviṣa: They don't give milk?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They've never given any milk. Very charitable. Give it to Govinda.

Jayapatāka: These three cows, we've been doing..., sent to the hospital two, three times. They've given all type of medicine, everything, but they just won't get pregnant. This one, two, three.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He knew it when he gave us these cows. He knew that.

Jayapatāka: I was going to go to Hyderabad, but instead we started our building, so I sent Pūrna-prajña from Calcutta, my man. I sent two farmers. They called up and said, "They're giving bad cows. Don't take the cows." And then Haribhai Paduka got on the phone and said, "Oh, they are insulting me. They're saying I'm giving bad cows, this, that. I am going to..." He gave some complaint. So someone said, "All right. Whatever you give, it's all right." Then he gave these.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One good one and three useless ones.

Prabhupāda: So why did you accept it?

Jayapatāka: I was in Māyāpur. I told them, "Don't accept bad." They called up, said, "These are no good. We won't accept." Then from Calcutta someone said, "You accept."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: These are the two oxen.

Prabhupāda: Whenever somebody wants to give, you don't accept immediately. Tell them first of all, "Let us see."

Jayapatāka: (break) ...room for cutting the grass and for weld. Pump room and grass-cutting room.

Prabhupāda: Which way we shall go now?

Morning Walks -- January 22-23, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Which one?

Indian man (4): Your Bhagavad-gītā. All the Indians, in meeting they all come. Two or three times I have met. Some of them say, "You have got more? You have got more Bhagavad-gītā?"

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) Why they look inquisitive? No commentary. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) Cent percent cheater beginning from the top. They have lost their own culture, Vedic civilization, and they are not competent to earn properly. They must be cheater. Beg, borrow, steal. They have lost their own culture; therefore they have no one honest. Formerly Indians were so honest that after one man's death, his son comes... Even we have seen it in childhood. "Sir, my father took from you the five thousand rupees. So now he is dead, so I have come to pay you." So he says, "I never seen my account that your father has taken five thousand rupees from me. I cannot take it." This is India. One man is offering him five thousand, that "We are debtor to you. Please take it." And he says, "No, I don't find in my account that your father took five thousand. I cannot take it." And now they are cheating. This is India's position. Even in our childhood I have see that Mr. C. R. Das, his father died insolvent some lakhs of rupees. So when he became a big barrister he called every one of them that "My father died insolvent. Now I have got money. You take it." This was India. And now they have become cheaters. This is svarāj, independence. Even in British times there was C. R. Das who liquidated the debts of his insolvent father. "My father died insolvent. He could not pay, so he declared insolvency in the court. Now I have got money. You take it." This was India.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That is the need of a son.

Prabhupāda: Huh? Yes. Therefore ṛṇa-kartā pitā śatruḥ. A father dies insolvent, debtor; he is enemy because the son has to pay according to Manu-saṁhitā law. Because he inherits father's money, why he shall not pay if the father is debtor?

Jayapatākā: He also inherits the debt.

Conversation with News Reporters -- March 25, 1976, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is cultural movement, educational movement. It is not so-called religious movement. Religious movement is sentiment. Generally religion is taken as a kind of faith, but it is not a kind of faith. In.... I think, in South America that Indian man was asking that "It is the Hindu faith?"

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Oh, in South Africa. He was asking, "Is this Hindu faith?" "This cult or that cult."

Prabhupāda: So just see. He was Hindu gentleman, belonging to the Arya-samaj. So three times he said, "Is it Hindu faith?" And what do you mean by Hindu faith? When Kṛṣṇa said, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), is it meant for the Hindus that a child becomes..., a baby becomes a child, a child becomes a boy, a boy becomes a young man, a young man becomes an old man, and the old man dies, changes this body? Is it meant for the Hindus? The Mohammedans do not become old men or young men?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The Christians don't become old men?

Prabhupāda: So such fools there are that Bhagavad-gītā is speaking, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13)—"It is meant for the Hindus." Just see. Such fools there are. And Kṛṣṇa said, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) "If you have got enough food grains, then all the living entities are satisfied." Is it meant for the Hindus? So this is going on. "This is Hindu scripture." What do you mean by Hindu scripture? So they are interpreting in their own way. So Kṛṣṇa is not for the Hindus or the Musselmans or Christians. He is God. He is everyone. He is for everyone. And it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-yonīṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ: (BG 14.4) "In all species of life, as many forms of life are there, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ, I am the seed-giving father of all of them." So where is the question of Hindus? This is going on.

Morning Walk -- April 16, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes. And Kṛṣṇa says, dehino 'smin. In this hodgepodge combination of matter there is the soul. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanam... (BG 2.13). On account of this, this body is changing. Kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara prāptiḥ. Very simple thing, but they're so rascal, they will not understand. The whole world is like that. (break) He is speaking Himself. Let us accept it. Every knowledge is there. I am not scientist, but all the scientists come. Our Svarūpa Dāmodara, Doctor, Ph.D., he was defeated three times, four times daily, and then he is now writing book, Scientific Basis of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. You see? And I was not a scientist. He was Ph.D., but I talked on the basis of Kṛṣṇa's assets. That's all. That is my knowledge. (break) ...this knowledge, very practical knowledge, and if we don't accept it, then what is? It is simply rascaldom. No, yes. Yes.

Dr. Patel: (laughs) No, but you see, they...

Prabhupāda: It is not for you. Kṛṣṇa says that "This is material; this is spiritual. This is superior; this is inferior." He is analyzing. There is no question of.... We have forgotten, therefore He is reminding, but still, we'll not take. That is rascaldom.

Dr. Patel: No, but still, we know that.... I mean, we know that this body is not we. We are jīvas. Still, every moment we know; still, we forget to act accordingly. That is what I mean to say, sir. We don't act accordingly.

Prabhupāda: No, no. That means the knowledge is not perfect. Yes.

Dr. Patel: Sthita prajñā.

Room Conversation -- April 22, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Cleanliness unknown to the Western people.

Hari-śauri: That's a fact.

Prabhupāda: Śaucam. Satya-śaucābhyām. Śaucam means cleanliness. The Western people, they do not know what is cleanliness. And therefore brāhmaṇa's another name is śuci, always clean. Three times' bathing, three times' changing cloth. It doesn't matter, loin cloth, but cloth must be changed.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Outer cloth?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Dhoti, like that?

Prabhupāda: No, you take bath. You have to change your cloth. It becomes wet. This is cleanliness. Satya-śaucābhyām. Śamena damena ca brahmacarya, tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). Tapasya, the first beginning of tapasya, is brahmacārī. Yamena niyamena vā tyāgena satya-śaucābhyāṁ yamena niyamena vā. This is human life, tapasā, brahmacaryeṇa, śamena, damena vā (SB 6.1.13), then truthfulness, cleanliness, controlling the senses. So these things are required. Otherwise what is the difference between dog's life?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: People don't see what the gain will be. If one.... People don't see, in Western countries, or appreciate what the gain will be by exerting much effort in these ways.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: So when.... At least in America or any civilized country, there is ample food for human being. Why they should kill? If you can live without killing cows, if you can utilize cows in a different way.... Just like we are maintaining a farm—not one, many. They are maintaining cows and we are getting enough milk. And from milk we can prepare varieties of palatable, vitaminous, nutritious food. And that is very, very enjoyable. So let the animal live and take the milk, and just like we.... None of us, we take meat, but we are not dying. We are having so many nice preparation from milk, from grains, from fruit. Besides that, our another principle is that we offer to God. So God said that "Give Me vegetables, milk," like that. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). So we offer these things, and we take the leftover. That is our principle. We are not after killing or not killing. We are simply after obeying the orders of Kṛṣṇa. That is our. So Kṛṣṇa says, "Give Me food from the vegetables." So we offer Him very nice, palatable dishes and eat. This is our principle. So even while eating, we remember God: "Kṛṣṇa has so nicely eaten this. Let me take the remnants." So while eating, we are remembering God. So if God said that "You remember Me always," we can do it. He has explained how to remember Him. He said, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: (BG 7.8) "I am the taste of the water." So when you drink.... Who is not drinking water? At least three times, four times we drink water, everyone. So when you drink, and the water quenches your thirst, and you feel some taste nice, Kṛṣṇa says, God says, "I am that taste." So where is my difficulty to remember God? If you simply remember this formula, that "The taste of the water is Kṛṣṇa," immediately you remember Kṛṣṇa. Prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. "I am the shining of the sun, shining of the moon." So who does not see the shining of the sun and the moon? At night you see the shining of moon, and day you see.... So where is the chance of forgetting God? There is no chance at all. As soon as you see the sunshine even, "Oh, here is Kṛṣṇa." As soon as see the moonshine, "Oh, here is Kṛṣṇa." As soon as you taste water, "Oh, here is Kṛṣṇa." So in this way there is list that you cannot avoid the chance of remembering Kṛṣṇa.

Room Conversation -- June 24, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda read the last issue in Hawaii. I remember you read through the last issue with a brown cover in Hawaii.

Prabhupāda: So how you make this double color. Twice printed?

Kulaśekhara: Three times. Red, black and yellow.

Prabhupāda: Vṛndāvana-candra? No.

Kīrtanānanda: Vṛndāvana-natha.

Prabhupāda: Where?

Kīrtanānanda: He is at the original farm where you stayed. This is the pūjārī. Very, very nice boy. He also makes that nice sandesh. Rādhānatha.

Prabhupāda: And who makes the singara?

Kīrtanānanda: Kuladri.

Hari-śauri: Kuladri makes those, he's doing some special thing to them.

Prabhupāda: They are not giving me. (laughter)

Kīrtanānanda: He's doing it right now. You'll have it tonight.

Room Conversation and Reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 and 12 -- June 25, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: This year's?

Devotee (1): Yes. People would drive by the temple, Prabhupāda, and just look. They would drive by and look once, drive a little further and look twice and three times.

Prabhupāda: But San Francisco we haven't got our temple. We haven't got any temple?

Devotee (1): No. We used the photograph. We made a publicity notice, a news release, and they printed it directly. It was easier for them. The picture is of San Francisco, but the festival was in Cleveland.

Prabhupāda: There is no date? Hmm?

Devotee (1): Maybe not in that one article. Other articles, there are dates.

Prabhupāda: Is this Cleveland?

Devotee (1): Yes. There are many skyscrapers, tall buildings, there are many tall buildings, and people were looking out at the Ratha-yātrā cart and at Lord Jagannātha.

Prabhupāda: Here, the daytime is...

Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan's Journal -- June 28, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So he has said already that "I do not find any other means to pacify me, and You are the only..." The purport is that Arjuna is accepting Kṛṣṇa as guru to instruct him how to get relief from the perplexed position. So in this sense the real guru is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is guru. Not only for Arjuna, for everyone. So if we take instruction from Kṛṣṇa and abide by that order, instruction, then our life is successful. That is our mission. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means accept Kṛṣṇa as guru. We don't say... Don't divert your attention. We don't say that "I am Kṛṣṇa." We never say that. We simply ask people that "You abide by the order of Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), and we say that "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Give up all other ideas of so-called dharma or religiosity." The same thing. But we don't say that you or me, "I am the authority." No, we don't say that. We say, "Kṛṣṇa is the authority, and you try to understand Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Therefore the question is guru. So here, from the behavior of Arjuna, we see that guru is necessary. Arjuna was talking with Kṛṣṇa as friend, but Arjuna saw that "This is, there is no good talking like this. We can continue talking.... Because we are equal status. Kṛṣṇa is my friend. I am also His friend. So He's answering, I am giving something. If this talking will go on, there will be no fruit." Therefore he said, "Now, Kṛṣṇa, I am becoming Your disciple." Disciple means there is no argument. Whatever the guru will say, you have to accept. That is disciple. That is final. There is no argument. So Arjuna put him into that position that "I cease to talk with You on equal level of friends. Now I accept You as guru." Therefore the guru is necessary, undoubtedly, because every one of us in perplexed position. But who is guru? Guru means Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative. And all others are bogus. If one does not say on the standard of Kṛṣṇa, then he's not guru. He's a bogus. In that way everyone can become guru. I have got some opinion, I can say. But unless.... Just like a lawyer is he who follows the standard law. If a lawyer says that "I have manufactured my own laws," so who will hear him? And what will be the use of becoming lawyer? No. You have to follow the standard law. Then you are a lawyer. And a big lawyer means who knows the standard laws very well. Similarly, guru is Kṛṣṇa and guru is necessary. But one must surrender to Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative. Then he will be successful. So so far.... Now, one can say that Kṛṣṇa is not present. But Kṛṣṇa is not present, how you can say? Kṛṣṇa's instruction is there, Bhagavad-gītā. How you can say that.... Kṛṣṇa, absolute, means the Supreme Lord is not different from His words also. The words of Kṛṣṇa and the Kṛṣṇa, they are the same. That is Absolute Truth. In the relative world the words "water" and the substance water are different. If I am thirsty, if I simply chant "water, water, water," my thirst will not be satisfied. I require the real water. That is relative world. But in the spiritual world.... Just like we are chanting Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. If Kṛṣṇa is different from Hare Kṛṣṇa, then how we are satisfied chanting whole day and night? This is the proof. The ordinary thing, if you chant, "Mr. John, Mr. John," after chanting three times you'll cease.

Room Conversation -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: No, you are in Washington?

Dr. Sharma: Yes, I am in Washington.

Prabhupāda: So organize here. Talk with the scientists and everyone here.

Dr. Sharma: I come two or three times a week for the temple, and I will be coming more.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Sharma: Your idea of the Institute is possibly the most magnificent idea, because that will bring all the scientists...

Prabhupāda: Yes, actually it is. At least those who are Indians, let them join. It is Indian culture.

Dr. Sharma: Yes, it is such a wonderful thing. I was a hard-core Vedāntist before I came, and I was not satisfied. I think that by chanting one really changes. Yes.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Dr. Sharma: I bring all the Indian people I can, because I know, I am a scientist, I still believe in God.

Prabhupāda: What is your subject matter?

Dr. Sharma: I have four doctorates in four different areas.

Prabhupāda: Oh?

Morning Walk -- July 17, 1976, New York:

Rāmeśvara: Daily.

Prabhupāda: Not daily.

Kīrtanānanda: Three times a week.

Prabhupāda: Three times. (break) ...used to come sometimes.

Rāmeśvara: Prabhupāda said he sold his books then; they ordered his books.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they purchased my books. In Butler also, many churches would purchase.

Rāmeśvara: This month the first volume of the Eighth Canto is going to the printers.

Prabhupāda: Seventh Canto, last volume you saw.

Kīrtanānanda: Jaya.

Rāmeśvara: That reporter yesterday, he was surprised you had written so many books.

Kīrtanānanda: Any intelligent man would be surprised. It is unbelievable, so many books.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Where is there an author who has written so many books?

Kīrtanānanda: In so short time.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They don't know how to control their senses. This is inspirational...

Room Conversation -- July 18, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Yes, Guṇḍicā.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think we should have a restaurant there, because a restaurant brings in a lot of people. No Deities. We won't install any Deities, just a preaching center, book distribution...

Prabhupāda: Yes, book distribution, restaurant, pictures...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, lectures three times a week.

Prabhupāda: Records, pictures, yes, like that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Whew! I wish that you could stay here all the time, Prabhupāda, because you could give us so many ideas, and we would simply act on them. If somehow we could convince you to stay here... I wish there was a way. There is no way to keep you here.

Prabhupāda: No, I have no objection, but the others... (laughter)

Bali-mardana: Just like the Marwaris say, "Oh, I have no objection, but my brother, he may have objection."

Prabhupāda: They... Nobody has objection. Simply I am thinking that if I stay in one place and do not see the others...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But this is a very central location.

Prabhupāda: That I shall consider.

Bali-mardana: They may come here. We will make... We have guest rooms.

Conversation at House of Ksirodakasayi dasa -- July 25, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: Karelās, yes.

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: (Hindi) (break)

Harikeśa: How much is left?

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: No, no, we just starting it. Prabhupāda approved that, starting, starting with two chapters three times.

Prabhupāda: No, you can do one thing. Part by part, you publish in the Bhāgavata-darśana so that he can, everyone can see how it is. Then it will be good.(?)

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: Oh, yes. No, I showed to Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Prabhu when he came here. He also came here. He came one day here, so I showed all these and I read little bit.

Prabhupāda: Gopāla Kṛṣṇa himself is not very expert.

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: No. So I said that "Śrīla Prabhupāda is coming now," so if you get a chance...

Prabhupāda: No, I mean to say that whatever you have written, let it be published in the... So that everyone can see. Then we can understand.

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: So I will send to India chapter by chapter, and they can publish...

Prabhupāda: With a letter that "Prabhupāda says like this, that you print in the Hindi edition of Bhāgavata-darśana so that everyone will see, and will judge how it is done nicely."

Conversation with George Harrison -- July 26, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

George Harrison: It took me a while to find it. They're always building new roads everywhere and change the whole countryside. So I got a little lost.

Prabhupāda: You came here twice, right?

George Harrison: Yes, I've been here three times. Where will you be in India when you go back to India?

Prabhupāda: Most probably in Bombay. You have been in my Bombay?

George Harrison: I was going to go to Bombay. Yes, Bombay and Vṛndāvana when they were just building.

Prabhupāda: Oh, Vṛndāvana, if you come there, stay for some time.

George Harrison: Yes, well, ah, this December...

Prabhupāda: We have got very nice houses, both in Bombay and Vṛndāvana. And Māyāpur also. Wherever you like. You will not be very uncomfortable.

George Harrison: I was going to go to Bombay for a wedding. Some friends are getting married.

Prabhupāda: When?

George Harrison: December the fifth, I think.

Prabhupāda: Very nice season in Bombay. Best time.

Evening Darsana -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: But why the Indians, they are not like the Americans? You find in India still millions of people will go to the Kumbhamelā with torn cloth. They are not like Americans, riches. Why they take? Indian is well-known poverty-stricken. So why almost ninety-nine percent people, they are after Kṛṣṇa consciousness naturally? Still they'll go, when there is Kumbhamelā, so many saintly persons are coming. They will come by lakhs. Have you seen it? You have seen Kumbhamelā? You have seen? That is the proof. Not only Kumbhamelā. In Vṛndāvana, just like in our temple, recently it was jam-packed. Why they are coming to Vṛndāvana? Mostly they are coming from villages. Especially during this time at least twenty thousand, fifty thousand men are coming, daily. Still. We held Hare Kṛṣṇa festivals in Calcutta, Bombay, Madras. As soon as it is advertised, you'll find fifteen thousand, twenty thousand men come. And if you hold for weeks, for weeks they will come. You have seen? They are not like Americans, rich. They are all poverty-stricken. To the general eyes they are poverty-stricken. Kumbhamelā you'll see, Hardwar, in Vṛndāvana. Or even in big, big cities like Calcutta, Bombay, such festivals are held, people will come by thousands. It is training, culture. And this boy is taking three times bath, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is training and culture. And if he is kept in this culture, in future he'll be great saintly person. Then he'll do everything automatically. He will deliver others. It is training.

Hari-śauri: They got one of those movie projectors—the ones in the small suitcase? With all the films. We were just testing it. They were just testing it downstairs.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: We were planning to have..., to show one movie tonight for the guests, that new movie that is made about New Vrindaban. When our other guests arrive we will show it at about eight o'clock. Would you like also to see it again, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Room Conversation -- August 21, 1976, Hyderabad:

Jayapatākā: West Bengal. That's in Nadia district. Just before Pulasi, south of Pulasi. And when we came there and I saw the police in the afternoon, we told them we were going to have a function. So they said that they would send a few policemen. They said that "We will send some policemen for keeping the order." But that night so many people came the space could only hold four thousand. But another two, three thousand people came, and they were turned away because of insufficient space. So they were standing on the wall and on the rooftops all around, and all you could see were people's heads, just like an ocean. The policemen, after it was over... When I chanted, I chanted, "Everyone please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." And I chanted the full mantra three times. They chanted so loud that even two, three blocks away people thought that the heavens were shouting. It was like a thunder...

Prabhupāda: Thunderbolt.

Jayapatākā: Thunderbolt. And the policemen said that never—even the chief minister came here once—not even half so many people came, and that was announced for one week. This was announced for one day and more people came than ever before. He said, "This really shows me that the people are hungry for spiritual answer. They have no one to lead them."

Gargamuni: And these leaders are simply envious, that's all. The only reason why they're not helping us is because they're envious. Because so many people are interested and no one is interested in them.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, our Gītār Gān is selling.

Jayapatākā: Yes. When we stopped at Burdwan, in one place, one boy sold 198 Bhagavad-gītās, Gītār Gān, without moving. So many Gītās... People were just crowding around taking Gītās so much that the local... There were some bookstores. They also came and they said that "We cannot get wholesale? We have never seen such a book sell so well."

Room Conversation -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Indian man: That would be wonderful.

Prabhupāda: Yes, we are trying for that.

Gurukṛpā: Already this Bhāgavatam, First Volume has been printed in Delhi for about three times less cost.

Prabhupāda: So you are not getting that book?

Gurukṛpā: No, in Hyderabad we haven't gotten that.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Gurukṛpā: I don't know. I'm not in a management position. Mahāṁsa Mahārāja is ordering.

Prabhupāda: Get this cheap edition. You can order cheap edition. (break. Paṇḍita chants Śrī Īśopaniṣad and Gāyatrī. Prabhupāda speaks in Hindi, quoting Sanskrit ślokas.) (break)

Mahāṁsa: They will not part with even one thousand rupees. They're exactly what you described. And also these were the people who are with Śaṅkarācārya who came the first time when you had come here. They were with Śaṅkarācārya. And Hariprasad and some Marwaris were with our movement and these people were on the other side. So there was some conflict at that time. And Śaṅkarācārya came and you...

Prabhupāda: Śaṅkarācārya, he says that you are bhagavān.

Mahāṁsa: Yes. Also nirākāra. All these things they have been influenced. But practically now they are slowly coming to accept us. There is one Mr. Badanman who was the host of Śaṅkarācārya and for two and a half years he never came here, he never entertained the devotees.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. That would be poison.

Meeting With Member of Parliament, Mr. Krishna Modi -- August 31, 1976, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Yes. First-class prisoners. Not first-class, third-class. (laughter)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But I was told, because a lot of people in Russia who are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa also. It's very... There's a lot of corruption. Even the taxi drivers are corrupt. They'll park their taxi a bit away then come and approach you when you are standing in a line and say, "Okay, I'll take you there," but he'll tell you three times the price because everyone's waiting in such a long line for a taxi.

Prabhupāda: Black market.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. And one friend of ours told us what they do because all the cars belong to the state, a lot of taxis, the people...

Krishna Modi: The taxis are not independent.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, they all belong to the state. But the driver, if he makes extra money, that goes in his pocket and they have tipping also.

Prabhupāda: And they are always anxious to get extra. Buses are not very good. Third-class buses.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And a lot of people want foreign exchange there. Like they'll ask...

Krishna Modi: I'm going.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: You're going to Russia? When?

Krishna Modi: Yes, on 4th of October.

Garden Conversation -- September 7, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Now things are deteriorating. And fire is always... (Siren bell sound:) dungdung dungdungdungdungdung-gawaawaawaa. Saṁsāra-dāvānala. Still they think that they are advanced. In one hour three times fire, still he is advanced. Therefore he is mūḍha. At least, in small city such disturbances are not... It is always gawaagawaagawaa.

Hari-śauri: Police, ambulance, fires.

Prabhupāda: How the city life is attractive we cannot understand.

Hari-śauri: (laughs) Ask him. He's always telling us how New York is the best place in the world.

Prabhupāda: You were born in New York?

Devotee: No.

Prabhupāda: That is mother and... (laughter) Jananī jana. (Sanskrit) Any rotten place, but birthplace has got some attraction.

Harikeśa: I feel perfectly at home there.

Prabhupāda: That is natural. Just like when I go to Calcutta. Therefore a sannyāsī is forbidden to live in his native place. There will be attraction. Caitanya Mahāprabhu never returned to Navadvīpa. (break) ...no striking six o'clock. Did you mark it?

Hari-śauri: I never hear him ring it. At least the one in the daytime. I think evenings he rings it.

Harikeśa: I heard the four o'clock.

Prabhupāda: He is not regular. That means he's another lazy fellow. All lazy fellows.

Room Conversation -- September 11, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Besides that, He says in another place that as they pass through our existence... (break) ...in future we shall continue, then when he becomes avyakta?

Pradyumna: Yes. Past existence he was, future existence he will be when he becomes...

Prabhupāda: Past, present, future, there are three times. So if every time he is person, when he becomes imperson?

Hari-śauri: And this thing about God is an Indian.

Prabhupāda: And God is an Indian, that is also rascaldom. He says, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). So how He's Indian? Throughout the whole universe, as many forms of body are there, He is the father. So how he is Indian? If the father is Indian, then the son is also Indian. So father is not Indian, so how the God can be Indian?

Pradyumna: Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11).

Prabhupāda: Tanum āśritam. This concept of Indian, European is there because you are a mūḍha. Just directly charge him. Directly. That "You are a mūḍha, you are a rascal," immediately. Let him speak. And send it to the newspaper that this letter we have sent challenging this rascal, let him reply. If he does not reply, silent, that means he's accepts he's a rascal.

Hari-śauri: Yes, because Blitz has taken up to advertise that he's God, so now they should accept challenge.

Pradyumna: He said self-realization is God-realization.

Room Conversation -- September 11, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Anyway, we should not take risk at any rate.

Harikeśa: Rādhā-Rāsabihārī, also, when They came from Akash-Ganga there was a disturbance with Them also. Rādhā has a tendency to crack on the arm. Her left arm cracks.

Prabhupāda: Where?

Harikeśa: Slightly. There was a very weak, it was very weak. Very weak. I remember 'cause they had to move three times. I was there all the times when They were moved.

Prabhupāda: In Bombay.

Harikeśa: In Bombay. And every time they were very upset because of this left arm.

Prabhupāda: This risk should not be taken at any gain. Never mind Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, this-vilāsa—no risk. You must always know. No risk. That is the first point. Then we consult Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. Nobody can give reference to Hari-bhakti-vilāsa at risk. No. Not at all. Do? Anything more?

Dhanañjaya: Can I ask one question? You were mentioning that you wanted to start local industries, casting Deities.

Prabhupāda: Yes, we can purchase... We can...

Dhanañjaya: Purchase raw materials?

Prabhupāda: So, everything is all right now?

Dhanañjaya: So I was wondering...

Prabhupāda: Can you come, there... (break) There are, what is called, Deity makers here?

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Discussion on Deprogrammers -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Finished all... No account. So they admitted, both of them, "Yes, sir, that is... That can be done."

Trivikrama: You're a genius.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) And our Gopāla, he is going three times and to—"How to do it?" Do it like that. Everything spend for promotion. Bas. No money. And actually, that is the fact. Where is the profit, and who is going to take the profit? Nobody is there.

Hari-śauri: We're not opening our temples for a comfortable place to live.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Trivikrama: Sleep on the floor.

Jagadīśa: There's no sense gratification.

Prabhupāda: That I was explaining, that what is Vṛndāvana life. In Vṛndāvana life there is everything—the cowherds boy, the calves, the cows, the elderly person like Nanda Mahārāja, Yaśodāmayī, friend. What is their aim? The aim is Kṛṣṇa. The demons... (laughter) Everything is Kṛṣṇa. The demon is coming there. That is also... Center is Kṛṣṇa. And gopīs are dancing. That is also... Center is Kṛṣṇa. And Brahmā is stealing the friends and cows. That is also center Kṛṣṇa.

Trivikrama: Now we are also getting the demons.

Conversation on Train to Allahabad -- January 11, 1977, India:

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Rāmeśvara: That there is no record of any Christian...

Hari-śauri: We were all Christians, and we changed.

Jagadīśa: There's a record of a Christian deprogrammed, Peter himself. Christ prophesied that "Before the cock crows you'll deny me three times," and he did. He was deprogrammed just by his association.

Rāmeśvara: That was Peter?

Jagadīśa: Yes. (train going again)

Hari-śauri: His own... One of his twelve apostles put him on the cross, Judas Iscariat. He was one of the original twelve. He betrayed Jesus for some money and put him on the cross, killed him. He killed him.

Prabhupāda: That's right. This is the history of your religion. You kill Jesus Christ; you deprive him.

Hari-śauri: There's still that point that when a person comes, he's coming voluntarily. We have no chance to deprive him of sleep or food, because he's living outside. He's not living inside.

Rāmeśvara: They say that when a man comes to join us, immediately we take away all his money and all his possessions, so in this way we are depriving him of his property.

Prabhupāda: That is individual surrender. We have not rendered that way. He surrendered individually.

Room Conversation -- January 28, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Also Caitanya Mahāprabhu has decide..., that decidedly given His version, asat-saṅga-tyāga ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra: (CC Madhya 22.87) "A Vaiṣṇava, his first business is to give up the company of undesirable elements, asat." So who is undesirable element? Now, asat eka strī-saṅgī, who is attached with woman, and kṛṣṇa-abhakta. So as soon as you mix with these so-called bābājīs, bhajana, bhajanānandīs and mixes with three dozen women, you are fallen. Immediately. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's order. Asat eka strī-saṅgī. And regularly they are parakīyā-rasa. Their theory is that you have to select one woman who is not your bona fide wife, parakīyā. She must be other's wife or outsider. And with her you may do... You become Kṛṣṇa, and she becomes Rādhārāṇī. Then you become happy. This is going on. Do you know that? These rascals are guiding. And Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, asat-saṅga-tyāga ei vaiṣṇava. "First of all you have to give up the undesirable company of these rascals." They will show like that in a very advanced and vairāgya and taking three times bath and everything, but they have got connection with at least three, four woman. This is their bhajana. Regularly they will lie down with woman. That's a daily program. I know all these things. That is their bhajana. So be careful of these rascals.

Pṛthu-putra: Oh, we haven't come in contact with any of these rascals.

Prabhupāda: No, this Nitāi and others, they have...

Satsvarūpa: You're not associated with Rādhā-kuṇḍa and that...

Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Oh. The nonsense. (laughter) Nāstika vana eka sab duniyā(?). (break)

Svarūpa Dāmodara: ...cover, with this Māyāpur background. The idea is that at the bottom is the molecules, and...

Prabhupāda: This will be a revolution, science and Bhagavad-gītā.

Gargamuni: He's our member. (break) ...three times to our temple in Calcutta.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Gargamuni: And through another member, Mr. Mahesvari, he became one of our members. (break)

Prabhupāda: Rich man, poor man, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, American, Ind..., sab combined. (Hindi) This is really United Nation, our organization. (Hindi) So? What other pictures?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, I have many pictures. I gave a lecture, seminar, just before I came here at the university, about the nature of the Absolute Truth in terms of science and in terms of Bhagavad-gītā, a comparative study of the concept of the Absolute Truth. And there were many professors from physics, chemistry, mathematics, from philosophy, from biology, and from sociology. It was... Balavanta Prabhu was also there, and a few other devotees. It was quite interesting. And there was a slide show.

Prabhupāda: Balavanta was in Manipur?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: No. This is in the United States.

Prabhupāda: United States.

Room Conversation -- March 1, 1977, Mayapura:

Gargamuni: In the Book Fair there's other... Ramakrishna is there, Aurobindo. They have their books, but no one is going. (Prabhupāda chuckles) They have booths, Ramakrishna Mission, Aurobindo, Yogananda.

Prabhupāda: I don't think they have so many books also.

Gargamuni: No, very few books. The stalls are also very small. Our stall is three times as big as theirs. And their books are these cheap paperbacks.

Prabhupāda: Their days are finished.

Gargamuni: Oh, yeah, they're all...

Yaśomatī-nandana: It seems...

Prabhupāda: There is no substance, simply vocabulary jugglery.

Gargamuni: In fact, there are so many people around our stall, the management had to make announcements that people should visit the other stalls also. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Canvassing.

Gargamuni: Yes. There were thousands watching the movies and coming in, streaming out. And all the other stalls, they were half empty.

Prabhupāda: That's good. They will understand what is their position. Now, what is the signboard, our?

Second Meeting with Mr. Dwivedi -- April 24, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Stone?

Mr. Dwivedi: One big, one were stolen. Three... I asked government. I asked them three times. Government has not yet taken them away from there. Otherwise we had collected it at our own headquarters and institute.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Deity of Kṛṣṇa?

Mr. Dwivedi: Pardon?

Prabhupāda: No, Buddha.

Mr. Dwivedi: Buddha. And Viṣṇu.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Viṣṇu?

Mr. Dwivedi: You'll find in India, most of the statues, ancient ones, are of Viṣṇu because, perhaps, Viṣṇu is a more ancient Vedic God than Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is the origin...

Mr. Dwivedi: I do not know much about it, but that's what I hear. And therefore you find more statues of Viṣṇu than Kṛṣṇa. But nobody might be stealing statues of Kṛṣṇa, and He might be still there with His cakra-sudarśana.

Prabhupāda: Tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam. Ṛg Veda. Viṣṇu... Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. Viṣṇu is the Vedic Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Morning Talk -- April 25, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes. So they are... We say, phuṅ. So this phuṅ or this phuṅ or this phuṅ. (laughs) Keep account how much you are taking.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. (long pause)

Prabhupāda: I think he wanted 150 rupees two ways.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Huh? Yes. So I say sixty, sixty-five rupees one way times three, because first class is three times the cost. So I'm giving him two hundred rupees per person, and he'll give me the receipt and change.

Prabhupāda: No, in the ticket there is price written. In the ticket.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In the ticket, yes. And he's also honest man. But I will check. (long pause)

Prabhupāda: The reservations should be four. Three opposite. Throughout the car also(?).

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, no, no, no. We're going to get two full compartments, four and four. No, we're not... Because I want both compartments full, because we have so much expensive luggage and machines, we could not let anybody else into our compartments, and they must be locked at every... That's understood. Rāmeśvara called you the other night, and we gave him the answers to our call. He said that Gurukṛpā Mahārāja was requesting that I write him a letter saying that they actually require the second $100,000 for construction.

Prabhupāda: No mail?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There's no mail today because yesterday was Sunday. (long pause) (end)

Room Conversation -- May 2, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Whale or some fish skeleton. As big as this room, it was hanging. I think it is there.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, in the Museum of Natural History in New York they have a whale that is at least twice the length of this room.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And the height is at least three times the height of this room.

Prabhupāda: So they can swallow, big, big fish. There is immense space in the sea.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually the one in the Museum of Natural History in New York, they didn't even leave the skeleton. They recreated the body so it looks just real. We went with Bharadvāja and Rāmeśvara and myself for studying for the doll project. We were looking at how they made everything very authentic. It's amazing. They even have underwater scenes. Of course, there's no water, but it appears to be underwater by the way they make the diorama. So this evening in the... They'll be coming in to see you, the managers.

Prabhupāda: So let them begin the foundation.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Gurukula.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Let it go on slowly, but it must begin.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. What is the idea there?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I mean, what is the idea in "Even if it goes slowly, it must begin"?

Room Conversation with Alice Coltrane -- July 1, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Well, we have no opportunity, but we'll have to find out opportunity. And that is intelligence. Even those who have opportunity, who is taking care of? Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. We have to reduce these things, nidrāhāra. It is for this, only writing. That's all. We have written so many books only for selling?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, we have to read them still.

Prabhupāda: No, that, you do not take care. I said three times, "yaḥ." Now you simply saw "y-a." Why did you not see "y-a-ḥ"?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I didn't realize it was spelled that way. It's my lack of learning.

Prabhupāda: Spelling... But yaḥ, you do not know, "So let me see how to this 'yaḥ.' Which yaḥ is there."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That I didn't know. I didn't know that. I mean, I know it's my fault. I was looking for y-a-s, and I should have seen y-a-ḥ. I was looking for ya śāstra, y-a-s, instead of y-a-ḥ.

Prabhupāda: So you know how to read phonetical.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Phonetical.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yaḥ. What is that mark? Diacritic.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: You must know thoroughly that, that how yaḥ is spelled. This is standard. Practice. Everything practice. (break) Y-a-ḥ... This is determined by the diacritic mark. But this, everything is there. So this was beginning... (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They know...

Room Conversation with Alice Coltrane -- July 1, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Then she'll be qualified if she reads Bhagavad-gītā nicely.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And she's only reading... You know, she... All of her students, they only read your Bhagavad-gītā.

Prabhupāda: Very good.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think it's a question of time only. She says that... She's been to India three times, and she said that she's never found any place like Vṛndāvana. And this is to her... Now she feels this is her home, that she only wants...

Prabhupāda: She may stop here whenever she likes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think it was a very ba... She was in India this time for three weeks, and she never left Vṛndāvana. She only wanted to stay here.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But she said she had no real desire to go other places in Vṛndāvana. She was very satisfied in this temple grounds.

Prabhupāda: So she has got so many qualifications.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think so. (end)

Room Conversation-Recent Mail -- July 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Very, very nice. They're superexcellent. Not only excellent but superexcellent.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Here is a picture of the same Guru-Gaurāṅga in night dress.

Prabhupāda: You can say, "It is superexcellent."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I have written it three times. (laughter) Here is your Guru Mahārāja. He looks like a young man, Śrīla Prabhupāda. (chuckles) Very young. Here he is with full dress and garlanded. Here is Your Divine Grace, mūrti, fully dressed and garlanded.

Prabhupāda: Everything superexcellent.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Here is the Deity of Lord Nityānanda dressed and undressed, so you can see. They've done very nicely with the two photographs. You can get the full idea. I think the proportions are first class. Just accurate.

Prabhupāda: Gaurāṅga.

Upendra: What are they made of?

Devotee: Plasticene.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Fiji.

Upendra: Plasticene?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Here comes the nāgapatnīs.

Prabhupāda: Fishlike.

Room Conversation -- October 12, 1977, Vrndavana:

Jayapatākā: It's wheat that's chipped. It's called bulgar wheat. It's wheat that's chipped into small pieces so that's it's... It's like oversized suji, about three times the size of suji, and that's just boiled and cooked with oil and some gur and spices. Or it can also be cooked with vegetables and spices. It's supposed to be nutritious, healthy, strength-giving food. Māyāpur Muslims tried to get the other Muslims in other villages not to take it because it was being given by us, but they said, "Why we shouldn't take? Just because you're giving them trouble doesn't mean we shouldn't take." So now they've all rebelled, and they're all taking now prasādam. He gave us address where we can get powdered milk possibly also.

Prabhupāda: It is mixed with powder milk?

Jayapatākā: What we have right now isn't mixed with powdered milk. We want to mix powdered milk with it, but this department ran out of powdered milk, so another department has it. This is... They give oil to cook it in, like halavā type, vegetable oil. It's like a cereal that they have in the West, in America and some places. Like dalya, they call in Western India.

Prabhupāda: They take it relishably?

Jayapatākā: Yes.

Prabhupāda: How much they can take?

Jayapatākā: Well, the government calculates that each person gets 80 grams of dalya and 7 grams of oil, and when that's cooked that comes to nearly about four, five hundred grams cooked per head. It's about three, four clay cups.

Kīrtanānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda, if we could prop you up for a few minutes you could clear all that mucus out. It would come out much easier. Can we do that?

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break)

Room Conversation -- October 17, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bhavānanda: And he gave one tablet... He said that you should only take one half tablet in the morning in place of the Lassix. It's a very, very mild dialysis for the swelling. He said it's not... He doesn't want to give any sort of... Very, very mild. He also said that your feet should be raised on two pillows or the bed, at the foot of the bed, should be raised on one brick on each side. That will reduce the swelling a great deal, he said. Most important though, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is that we increase the liquid intake for flushing the kidneys, and it will give you some strength. Now your condition is so weak.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, Prabhupāda, your condition has become much weaker since you stopped eating more and more. In Bombay, when you had more strength, you were eating..., at least drinking three times what you are drinking now. So if you gradually increase your drinking, your strength will come back. As long as you're passing urine, it means it's being digested all right.

Bhavānanda: Everyone... All the doctors agree that your liver and digestion, spleen, is all in good working order.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And also the blood pressure is normal. It's 130. It's very reduced, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It's normal blood pressure now.

Bhavānanda: But he said that your pulse is so weak that every 18 beats it skips a beat, misses, because you're in such weakened state.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But he was hopeful in general.

Prabhupāda: Dr. Gopal.

Room Conversation -- October 25, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: I'll lick it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. That way every bit will be on your... Okay. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...round the temple.

Hari-śauri: Round our temple. Do you feel strong enough to be able to sit in that...

Prabhupāda: Strong or weak, it doesn't matter. You carry me at least three times.

Hari-śauri: Yes. And darśana?

Prabhupāda: Hm? And darśana also.

Hari-śauri: At 9:30 or 10:00.

Prabhupāda: Any time.

Hari-śauri: Just as before.

Prabhupāda: Any time. If by parikrama, even I die, that is good luck. Do you follow?

Hari-śauri: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Instead of dying on the road, jerking of train, aeroplane, why not here?

Hari-śauri: Vṛndāvana is the best place.

Prabhupāda: So arrange like that. It doesn't matter. Which leaves his time with kīrtana, even I may die or live, it does not matter.

Room Conversation -- October 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Let us introduce in Hindi.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Our Hindi books. And actually that man I spoke to on the phone, he spoke such fluent Hindi I had to ask him three times if he's Chinese or Indian. He was Chinese.

Prabhupāda: No, in Calcutta we have got many Chinese. They speak fluently.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This Chinese was from Peking, not Indian-born. And also I was thinking we can say that Bhaktivedanta Book Trust is one of the biggest printers in the world, and we are seriously thinking of buying Chinese paper for printing. And we can buy Chinese paper if it's good, because I found out that Chinese paper is as good as Japanese paper and it is cheaper.

Prabhupāda: No, we can print there also in China.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That will be great, (laughing) if we print our books in China.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they have got paper.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So it's okay to try for a visa. (break)

Prabhupāda: Sleeping means weakness.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sleeping means what?

Devotee: Weakness.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Weakness.

Prabhupāda: No, too much sleeping means weakness.

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Hm. (break)

Bhavānanda: ...over there. We drink fresh gaṅgā-jala every day. Sweetest. When I was on the boat preaching, I never drank anything but gaṅgā-jala. I took my bath in the Gaṅgā three times a day. So spiritually enlivening.

Prabhupāda: Three times you were taking?

Bhavānanda: My bath.

Prabhupāda: Oh. When is your date for appearing in the court?

Bhavānanda: Twenty-ninth of December, which is the appearance day of your Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. We have to appear that day.

Prabhupāda: Twenty-ninth December.

Bhavānanda: Twenty-ninth December.

Bhakti-caru: It's a long way to go, actually.

Bhavānanda: Long way.

Bhakti-caru: About two months.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Two months. That's in Navadvīpa?

Bhavānanda: In Krishnanagar. The magistrate who is hearing the case is a real gentleman, very kind, understanding. He had been to Māyāpur about three or four months before this incident. He came with his wife and children. We gave him very nice prasādam and showed him the movie "Hare Kṛṣṇa People." And on the 25th of November, that's Rāsa-pūrṇimā festival, and that is big day at Māyāpur. In three days probably over half million people will come to the temple. We sell so many books, magazines. It never used to be like that, Śrīla Prabhupāda, until you built this center. Now the Rāsa-pūrṇimā festival has turned into a big, big event in Bengal. Everyone comes to Māyāpur on pilgrimage, just like Dol-pūrṇimā. Thousands and thousands of people, they come.

Room Conversation -- November 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Parikrama must be there.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All right.

Kavirāja: (Hindi)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Four times? That's all right. Three times around, into the temple, and one more time. That will be nice. Four times. Is that all right? Will that be all right, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: We have given four times.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We're doing a lot more than four now. We do about ten. Smara-hari knows because he carries you. (laughs) So then we'll make this program, Śrīla Prabhupāda? And you should keep making the effort, Śrīla Prabhupāda, to get better. Kṛṣṇa may desire for you to get better, Śrīla Prabhupāda. At least it is our duty to pray like that.

Kavirāja: (Hindi) Telephone... (Hindi) ...any time.

Prabhupāda: Tamāla Kṛṣṇa?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: So... In Bengali there is such thing, "When you hesitate, don't do it."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, we also sometimes feel that when there's a hesitation, it seems like the Supersoul is giving indication.

Prabhupāda: But he has not also come? Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhagatji?

Page Title:Three times (Conversations)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:17 of Nov, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=63, Let=0
No. of Quotes:63