Bhūgarbha: Many scholars are appreciating more and more. And on the University of Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada, Dr. Radhakrishna, he was a linguist, professor of linguistics, he's a very pious man, and he is writing a book with some other professor in the Religion department on the comparative study of bhakti in the Indian tradition and the Hebrew tradition. And he's using your books as his only source for the Indian tradition. So he ordered not only one set of all the books, but two sets of all your books. Three sets actually. He ordered one set of Bhāgavatams for his own personal library, then he ordered two sets for the University library, one for the reference section and one for the general section. So he ordered three sets. And when his book comes out, in the back they have a bibliography section, references, he will give reference to all your books. He's writing..., he was writing this book about bhakti, and he said "What is a good definition of bhakti for the Indian tradition?" So I showed him Nectar of Devotion, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). He said that is very good, and he wrote it down and put it in his book.
Prabhupāda: Till now, they took bhakti as a matter of sentiment. Religious science they did not know, all over the world.
Bhūgarbha: He said he's trying to show that by studying bhakti in Indian tradition and also in Hebrew tradition, he's...
Prabhupāda: Bhakti is not achieved by studying. Bhakti stage is achieved by practice. That is the special significance of our institution, that we are engaging our men in practicing. Therefore they are getting knowledge—not by reading.
Bhūgarbha: He was saying there are certain social and economic conditions that need to be present before bhakti can come about.
Prabhupāda: Bhakti can solve everything, social, economical, cultural, religious, everything. So Dr. Joseph saw all my books?
Bhūgarbha: Every one he saw. We showed him some... He was very happy to see the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
Prabhupāda: Yes, I offered him the post of editing.
Bhūgarbha: Now he's sorry. Now he's simply sitting in debt(?).
Prabhupāda: But he did not say no. He wanted to do conveniently. Then I thought, it will not be... (coughs). "When he will return, he'll do it." That is not possible.
Bhūgarbha: He gave me some of his books that he wrote, he gave me some to read. And actually the English in your books is much better than his books, so better he's not editing. It's coming out better.
Prabhupāda: No, he's not a good English scholar.
Bhūgarbha: Actually, he speaks perfect French also. And he got his Ph.D. from the University of Paris.
Prabhupāda: Paris or Dutch as well.
Bhūgarbha: He's been every place. He went to, in Paris he got in the Sorbonne and also in Pondicherry they have one French Institute, and there he got his Ph.D. And also in Holland there is one very important... So by his letters we can, many people will take our books.
Prabhupāda: No, he's undoubtedly very great Sanskrit scholar. He had written some book how to make the sacred thread, like that. How many knots should be there, how many... (laughter) Smārta brāhmaṇa.
Bhūgarbha: Now he's written another book to show how his line is changing. His latest book was about the five chapters of the Dasama-skanda, which is the rasa-līlā. That is his book now.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Bhūgarbha: So he's changing smārta, now he's turned different.
Prabhupāda: No, he has no training in bhakti.
Bhūgarbha: He said one nice thing. He said that without Jīva Gosvāmī's Ṣaṭ-sandarbhas there's no question of understanding Bhāgavatam.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Bhūgarbha: He made that statement.
Prabhupāda: I met him when he was in Delhi once.
Bhūgarbha: We were very inspired in Delhi, that almost every college we went to, they already had your three books, and the librarians, they would remember. We would ask them "When did you get these books?" They'd think, "Well, about ten, twelve years ago, some sannyāsī came. We purchased."
Prabhupāda: So they remembered.
Bhūgarbha: They were (indistinct).
Prabhupāda: So now they took others?
Bhūgarbha: Now... We said that "You've begun; this is only the beginning. You cannot have incomplete set." They said "Yes, we cannot have incomplete," so they took the rest. And also that man, that Sastri, the Ministry of Education? That man Mr. Sastri, in the Ministry of Education, the Rātrī of Sanskrit-samsad, he bought fifty copies?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.
Bhūgarbha: He's also taken fifty standing orders now to complete wherever he is.
Prabhupāda: He is still there?
Bhūgarbha: No, he has shifted now, he's in Darbhanga.(?) But his successor, he's taken, we just made copy, it is printed in your Bhāgavatam. So he made true copy on some paper, and he has two copies of the last order, and this is the balance of his subscription, so he should take.
Prabhupāda: That is Education Ministry.
Bhūgarbha: They're only giving the Sanskrit.
Prabhupāda: They can take at least fifty copies of each.
Bhūgarbha: So he's doing that now.
Prabhupāda: They gave me order, I dispatched by post, and if the acknowledgement received, I submitted my bill, they paid.
Bhūgarbha: We're going to find the list of which universities you sent to, because we only found..., not that many.
Prabhupāda: That will be a waste.(?) (laughter) So many things I did not keep record.
Bhūgarbha: Even in Poona, they had, the Deccan College in Poona. They also had, we sent to them also. They also ordered balance.
Prabhupāda: In Bombay also I supplied to so many colleges. And the Public Library.
Bhūgarbha: That Royal Asiatic Society.
Prabhupāda: Āccha.
Bhūgarbha: In Bombay they purchase all the books. We had to do a little negotiation with them, but they purchased everything. Then the Calcutta Asiatic Society, they wrote us a letter, they said that "These books are the best," the letter came like that, "but that we have no funds to purchase, so can you please send us free of charge."
Prabhupāda: They have no funds? Asiatic?
Bhūgarbha: They say like that.
Prabhupāda: Maybe. Nowadays people are not interested in cultural societies. They are simply for belly. How to earn money, that's all. Śūdra mentality. The brāhmaṇa mentality is gone. In America also. People are not joining cultural classes of philosophy. Hayagrīva said that he has no job because nobody's taking English as literary study. Nobody's interested. They are taking to technology.
Bhūgarbha: Science.
Prabhupāda: Science means how to make the motorcar wheel, that's all. This is their science.
Bhūgarbha: In America, the professors complain to us. When we try to sell them personal books, they should take books themselves, they say that the salary of a college professor in America is the same as the salary of a waiter in some hotel. That is the respect they are given.
Prabhupāda: Sometimes they are called churchmouse. Churchmouse. A mouse in the church, what he'll eat? He's in a householder's place, a mouse is there, he can eat something. But church, nobody's eating there. Simply dust, that's all. (laughter) Churchmouse. Any new mail?
Harikeśa: Stacks of it. Quite a lot.
Prabhupāda: Oh. Where from?
Harikeśa: Want to go over it now? Shall we go over everything now?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bhagavān: Jyotirmāyī is outside, and Yogeśvara. We can have them come in?
Prabhupāda: Just fix on the light.
Bhagavān: Is now the right time to ask? She has some questions on Gurukula. Is now okay?
Prabhupāda: (indistinct)
Harikeśa: They haven't come as yet.
Bhagavān: Yogeśvara has just come back from Italy.
Prabhupāda: What is the news, Italy?
Yogeśvara: They've finished the preparation for the printing of the French edition of Kṛṣṇa book and Śrī Upadeśāmṛta and the Italian Bhagavad-gītā, and they should be ready within the next ten days.
Prabhupāda: French language.
Bhagavān: And Italian Bhagavad-gītā is done.
Prabhupāda: What is the political position of the Fascists and Communists?
Yogeśvara: Very mixed up.
Bhagavān: They are called Christian Democrats.