Ātreya Ṛṣi: Śrīla Prabhupāda, what are your instructions to the parent..., to the teachers as to how they treat parents? I have heard several parents sometimes complain that..., that they don't get enough news about their children from the teachers. Should teacher let the parents know about the children?
Prabhupāda: So our, the small children teaching...
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes.
Prabhupāda: ...means they should learn alphabet.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes.
Prabhupāda: How to read and write. That is the first thing.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes.
Prabhupāda: And balance they should learn how to become Vaiṣṇava.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Jaya!
Prabhupāda: That's all.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: And we let the parents know how the children is progressing? Do we have responsibility to parents, to let them know, inform them about the progress of children?
Prabhupāda: No, we have no time for such talk. If he, he or she can come and see. We have no such. That is ordinary school.
Devotee: Jaya.
Prabhupāda: Our progress is how the student is becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Devotee: Jaya.
Prabhupāda: That is our point. And because he has to read nicely, he has to speak nicely, he must be literate, not illiterate.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: To read your books?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Jaya.
Prabhupāda: So that by reading the books they will have immense knowledge.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: This generation...
Prabhupāda: This much we want.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: ...are very fortunate, Prabhupāda. They're very fortunate.
Devotee (5): They fight a lot, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Devotee (5): They fight a lot.
Prabhupāda: That children should fight, but if you give them, give them good arrangement, more engagement for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, always engage them in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Devotee (5): They should do as much japa as possible.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They should have no scope, simply chant and dance, daily engagement, and (indistinct) says that they should play Kṛṣṇa play-cowherds boy going to the forest, someone, someone has become cow, like that. If they have got good engagement, and sometimes they fight, after all, they're coming from fighting father and mother. So you have to change them.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes (laughter)
Prabhupāda: The father and mother, they're also fighting (laughter)
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes.
Prabhupāda: So what is their fault?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: We have a lot of plays that they could fight in the play.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Kṛṣṇa playing, fighting the demons.
Prabhupāda: Then they are Kṛṣṇa conscious. Somehow or other, this is the goal. In fighting also there is Kṛṣṇa. Somebody may become a demon, Kṛṣṇa is fighting, carrying Him away. These are described in the Kṛṣṇa book.
Devotee (5): I noticed that, that everything is in there, even blind man's bluff, and hide and seek. These things originated in the spiritual world.
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Devotee (5): That everything is in the Kṛṣṇa book to engage the children.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Children here play hide and seek, which is also..., the gopīs play.
Devotee (5): Cowherd boys.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Cowherd boys play the game.
Prabhupāda: Yes, also in India. That is a popular play for children. We..., we played. It gives great pleasure, that "I have hidden; my friend cannot see me." This is going on.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Śrīla Prabhupāda, if she decides to leave her child at the school, what are the instructions to her? She should not write him, or she should come... How often can she come to visit him?
Prabhupāda: As many times as she likes.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Oh.
Prabhupāda: She may come daily, or she can remain there to see.
Devotee (5): Oh. Jaya.
Devotee (6): Can I ask a question?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: He's another teacher.
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Devotee (6): Can I ask you a question?
Prabhupāda: Hm.
Devotee (6): That many, many devotees have, have since I have arrived here, have asked me questions about how, how to treat the children, how to, how to teach the children, and they have, you know, there are many children in other temples besides gurukula who are either are not, not of age yet, or who have not been sent yet...
Prabhupāda: Everyone is of age. That is all right. It is not that there is no age limit. Anyone who can remain, that is the best thing. But with very small children, I think nowadays after three years children can begin.
Devotee (6): After three? After three? Jaya. They, they've asked us many questions. Should..., is there any, is there any information? How should we, should we send information from gurukula to the other temples?
Prabhupāda: Who? Who asked questions?
Devotee (6): Devotees who have children, who have come to the temple. They said, one woman said that "They've..., my son, they're throwing him in cold shower. They say he has to take a cold shower, and that no one wants to have anything to do with him because he's so much trouble..."
Prabhupāda: No, we have got our own program. We cannot accept the different program, that "My son should be done like this..." We should see that everyone is taking bath daily, that's all. They are taking bath daily?
Devotee (6): Yes.
Prabhupāda: That's nice. Rising early in the morning?
Devotee (6): Yes.
Prabhupāda: Attending maṅgala ārati?
Devotee (6): Yes
Prabhupāda: Chanting? Dancing? These are our programs. Class, little a-b-c-d, no?
Devotee (6): But no force, yes?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Devotee (6): They, they... She was questioning me about force, that there should... I told her that, that your instruction to us was that no...
Prabhupāda: Force?
Devotee (6): ...there should not be force ever.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Hitting, hitting the children.
Devotee (6): Or forcing them to do activities. That no..., that should not be done.
Devotee (4): Forcing the children to do the activities.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: To use force. Hitting them.
Devotee (6): Or hitting them.
Prabhupāda: Not hitting. By otherwise engage.
Devotee (4): Like if he doesn't...
Prabhupāda: "Don't you see your other friends are taking bath. Why shall you not take bath? Very nice, you are so intelligent boy, you are not like that."
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Positive.
Prabhupāda: By sweet words. They are after all children. Forcing is not good. (pause) What it this?
Devotee (4): Oh, I just wrote... My brother was in the hospital, so I just wrote a little letter to him. I'm going to send him some...
Prabhupāda: This is the letterheading, latest?
Devotee (4): Yes, this is New York society. I don't have any envelopes, but...
Prabhupāda: This printing in our press?
Devotee (4): I don't know. This is the first I've seen of it, just now.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Would you like some, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: No.
Devotee (4): I'm sending over some tulasī leaves.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Devotee (4): Little tulasī leaf?
Prabhupāda: No.
Devotee (4): Eat? No, shouldn't send.
Prabhupāda: He's not a devotee. He'll "Oh, what is this?" Throw away.
Devotee (4): Hm.
Prabhupāda: Just like the tulasī plant is here, somebody will think that it is decoration. We put it here, devotion, but those who are not interested to speak them about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we offense. One of the ten offenses.
Devotee (4): Yeah. I was wondering about that. I didn't know whether to do it or not.
Prabhupāda: They should be asked ordinary question: What is the life? What is the aim of life?
Devotee (4): Hm.
Prabhupāda: What is consciousness? Philosophy, which is understandable by everyone (indistinct).
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Would you like something Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Yes, I want to (indistinct) my head.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.