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Army (Conversations)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Dr. Karan Singh, -- November 25, 1971, Delhi:

Dr. Singh: Whether Arjuna fought or not, the war would nevertheless have taken place, because both the armies were there, the conches had been sounded. So Arjuna's decision was not whether there should be war or whether there should not be war. Arjuna's decision was only whether he should fight or he should not fight.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that...

Dr. Singh: But the more difficult decision is whether there should be war, whether there should not be war. Because Arjuna only came into it, if you consider it, only at the time when everything had already been decided, the armies had been brought.

Prabhupāda: Everything was done by Kṛṣṇa.

Dr. Singh: When He went as Addhutta(?). That to my mind is even the more important aspect of this whole story, because it...

Prabhupāda: Therefore, when everything was done by Him and Arjuna declined to fight, therefore Kṛṣṇa called him foolish, it is foolishness. Therefore He taught him Bhagavad-gītā. And when he came to his Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he took up the opportunity. He said plainly that "Arjuna, you fight or don't fight, these people are not going back home. That is already settled up." Nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin. So this plan was made by Kṛṣṇa, and there was no other alternative.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Pañcadraviḍa: I had an uncle and aunt. They were in the army so when they went overseas, they could not take their dog with them. So they said, "The poor dog, he will be so heartbroken not to be with us," that they had him put to sleep. They killed.

Prabhupāda: In Gandhi's life also, he once killed one calf or some cow. It was suffering very much. So Gandhi ordered that "Instead of suffering, just kill him."

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 30, 1973, Los Angeles:

Karandhara: Draft board?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Calling young men to fight.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Drafting... The army?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Karandhara: They don't do it anymore.

Prabhupāda: Eh? They do not do it?

Prabhupāda: They stopped it.

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- July 11, 1973, London:

Guest (8): Because apparently, you know, to a layman, this killing wasn't an act which will please Kṛṣṇa, and that, what Arjuna did, kill such a big army and everything, it will... Normally you know, a layman would have thought it won't please Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa, if you cannot meet Kṛṣṇa, you can meet with Kṛṣṇa's representative. Kṛṣṇa may not be physically present, but His representative is physically present. You can talk with him. That is the system of Bhagavad-gītā.

Morning Walk -- December 30, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: This Subhash Chandra Bose. And he organized the INA, Indian National Army. So when this Indian National Army was organized and the Britishers... They were great politicians. They saw, "Now the army is going to national movement. We cannot be." Then they left. Because it was not possible. They were maintaining British Empire with Indian money, Indian men. You see? They did not conquer by their British soldiers all round the Far East, Burma and the Mesopotamia, and the Egypt. That was Indian army, the Sikh soldiers and the Gurkha soldiers, and Indian money. On the pretext that "For Indian protection, we are maintaining this army."

Morning Walk -- December 30, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: In politics in sweet words you cannot get. There must be fight, arms. That is army. "If you don't agree, then fist." That is politics. There must be violence. Otherwise you cannot control. When there is educated good men, then you can argue. But when people are ruffians, there is no question of good... Argumentum vaculum, I told you the other day... (break) ...in the beginning of creation, the fight between the demons and the demigods, devāsura-yuddha. That is always there. In the European history, without revolution, no order changes. Even the Russian Revolution was there. French revolution was there. In England, Cromwell? Cromwell? Cromwell Revolution?

Morning Walk -- December 31, 1973, Los Angeles:

South American Devotee: In South of Argentina, the soldiers, they have sex life with different animals. The army. When they are so long alone without..., and they have...

Prabhupāda: The government allow?

South American Devotee: Oh yeah.

Prabhupāda: It is legal. Just see. Where it is?

South American Devotee: South Argentina.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk Excerpts -- May 1, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, not Germany. Not Germany. Germany never tried for colonization.

Dr. Patel: Belgium, such a small thing, they have half of the Central Africa like a pyramid standing on its tip. (break)

Prabhupāda: Britishers were maintaining the British Empire at the cost of India. Soldiers, money...

Dr. Patel: Indian Army was Indian Civil totally. Even today it is so. Indian Army fought... (break)

Prabhupāda: Pathans, Sikhs, they fought so nicely.

Room Conversation with devotees about Twelfth Canto Kali-yuga, and Conversation with Guest -- June 15, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: "In the Kali-yuga, the general public, having no residence, vāsa," you see. I was surprised when I saw in the beginning that they are lying down on the street in the Bowery. They have no place. They pay one dollar, and the Lion's... What is that?

Satsvarūpa: Salvation Army.

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. The Lions...

Yogeśvara: Lion's Club?

Prabhupāda: Lion's Range, or something. They give shelter at night. They pay one dollar and lie down. And morning, they go away. There I have seen many signboards in Bowery Street.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Tripurari -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is very nice, Purañjana. His city, his gates, various manifestation.

Devotee (4): Sometimes we are very encouraged because we find people, they come back to us. They say, "I have gotten this volume, and I'd like to have the first part" or "I'd like to have the Second Canto." I found that in the army base among the soldiers... I went to distribute at an army base with the soldiers. And one man saw me, and he came up, and he says, "Can I have the Second Canto? I liked the first one so much." It's enlivening for us.

Prabhupāda: Sometimes they come and demand.

Tripurāri: More books, yes.

Prabhupāda: That is good.

Room Conversation with Canadian Ambassador to Iran -- March 13, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: So when that cooperation was withdrawn, naturally they could not... They were trying to the last point, but when the Subhas Bose's organization, INA... You have studied that Indian history. Yes. INA. Indian National Army. So this National Army was formed by Subhas Candra Bose outside India with the cooperation of Hitler and Tojo. He's formed that, what is called, Indian government outside India, the INA, the soldiers... The INA soldiers means all the soldiers that were arrested in the battlefield, they were given to Subhas Candra Bose, either by the Japanese or by the Germans. So the soldiers took this opportunity; they voluntarily surrendered to the enemy.

Morning Walk -- (World War III) -- April 4, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Naturally. They are in greater number.

Rāmeṣvara: But these modern wars are fought with missiles and bombs more than armies.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Formerly, also, there were brahmāstra, fire, firearms, brahmāstra. (break) ...problems that we are facing, they were also in the past under different name, different form.

Nalinī-kānta: (break) ...Communists win, that will not stop our preaching?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1975, Honolulu:

Guru kṛpā: A marine base, army base.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Śrutakīrti: They have missiles.

Guru kṛpā: In these mountains, and the mountain opens, the missile comes out. It's ready to be fired, atomic missiles. This whole island is nothing but army bases. The Japanese in the World War II, they first came here and bombed.

Prabhupāda: Pearl Harbor.

Morning Walk -- October 9, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: ...cannot move. "Big sea"? What is this? No, that's all right. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: This boy, Prabhupāda, he bought one of your books in a store, Bhagavad-gītā. While he was in the army he bought a book in a store, Bhagavad-gītā, and he read the book, and he came to the temple in Johannesburg and he practically joined immediately.

Prabhupāda: What was...

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He very much likes to read.

Prabhupāda: Yesterday there was sale, some books? How many?

Morning Walk -- October 12, 1975, Durban:

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.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is good. Those who are doing nothing, for them to attend the church at least for one hour, that is better than... Something is better than nothing, you see. That is good. People have completely forgotten God. They are doomed. So better to remember at least for some time. That is good.

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: Śaṅkara dāsa?

Harikeśa: Yes. He was saying... And when he got out of the Army he had so much pain in his teeth he went to a dentist, and he took out all of his teeth. That's why he has no teeth, because all of his teeth had these little things inside them. And one...

Prabhupāda: He is in Bombay now?

Harikeśa: Yes, he's the gardener, you know, the one who gives you the flower every morning.

Prabhupāda: So he was troubled.

Morning Walk -- December 19, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That also a human being does. You know in concentration camp in second war they had to eat their stool.

Dr. Patel: But the British army had a regulation that they could drink urine but not stool. They cannot eat.

Prabhupāda: You may make regulation, but necessity has no regulation.

Dr. Patel: I.... because I happen to be.... I, I was holding the honorary position of a colonel in the army...

Prabhupāda: Just see, "I am making law: you can drink urine." Just see what is the position. (laughter)

Morning Walk -- December 19, 1975, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: They are doing strategical fight. Strategically great. They should not repeat, but our army is doing strategical fight.

Prabhupāda: There is a Bengali saying-palabanata boineki(?): "Am I afraid of you, that I shall not go away?"

Dr. Patel: (laughing) I understand.

Prabhupāda: "I must go away. That is my independence!"

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 3, 1976, Nellore:

Prabhupāda: It is unknown to the rascal man. It is known to the sober man. (laughter) He should become sober instead of becoming a rascal. That is required. Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne (BG 5.18). Ācāryavān puruṣo veda: "He knows, who has accepted the ācārya." This is Theosophical Society, I think. Huh? That trademark. Or Rāmakrishna Mission.

Acyutānanda: No, Salvation Army.

Prabhupāda: Salvation Army, oh.

Mahāmṣa: This is also school.

Harikeśa: Actually we're the only Salvation Army.

Morning Walk -- January 19, 1976, Mayapur:

Harikesa: In America the army builds roads and bridges and things.

Prabhupāda: That's utilization. Why they should be paid for nothing?

Indian man: The small farmers who has a few acres of land, they are selling to a party, and they are getting a money. They knew that "After two or three years we will pose our set-up to the government that 'We are landless,' and the government will give us some money."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- March 19, 1976, Mayapura:

Rāmeśvara: Now.... The women are joining the Army in America now.

Prabhupāda: Yes, I have seen a police in London. So I told that "If I catch your hand and give you a slap, where is your police?" (laughter) "I am old man. If I catch your hand and give you a slap, what police action will be there?"

Room Conversation -- April 4, 1976, Vrndavana:

Devotee: A unique situation in South Africa, because there are many Europeans that are being drafted into the Army, but they will not allow the Indians to be drafted. They don't want them to go into the military forces because they're afraid they're too intelligent.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Some of our brahmacārīs, they've been drafted into the army. We've lost several devotees like that, because it's very hard for them to maintain their Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the army.

Prabhupāda: Conscription.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes, conscription. But the Indians are not drafted. There's no army for them. So we're hoping that in Durban, where you first preached at the City Hall, the young people there, if we can get them sufficiently enthused, that they'll also join, and then we'll be able to have a very big movement amongst Indian community as well. We won't lose any devotees like that from the draft.

Room Conversation -- June 9, 1976, Los Angeles:

Kīrtanānanda: Who did that painting?

Prabhupāda: I think that was done.... Everyone has done one picture.

Hari-śauri: That picture of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva killing all the demon armies, it's a most amazing picture. He has about twenty arms.

Jay Warner: I do have one question. How can one establish faith in the principle of reincarnation? How can one come to believe in it?

Prabhupāda: Incarnation of God?

Garden Conversation -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:

Rādhāvallabha: That's going on now in America. Previously they had to force men to join the Army because they had such a shortage. Now, because there are so few jobs, it is harder to get into the Army. Even volunteers, there are so many volunteers just to get a job that they have too many practically.

Prabhupāda: Even in Army there is no service? They don't want?

Rādhāvallabha: Now they want because they can't get a job.

Hṛdayānanda: More selective.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Hṛdayānanda: But the Army is now more selective who they will accept.

Morning Walk -- June 11, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Germany is little recouped, but England is finished. Therefore I say India got independence not due to Gandhi. It is due to Hitler. That is my opinion. I have got reason. The Hitler fighting with England made them smashed, so their political power became nil almost, and on this opportunity, Hitler helped Subash Chandra Bose, one of the leaders of India, to organize Indian National Army. This Indian National Army, when attacked, at least made a show of attack from Imphala(?), especially on Calcutta dropped bombs, and the whole Calcutta became vacant. Perhaps myself and a few others remained. I sent my sons.... Of course, daughter was married, but they sent to Navadvīpa, Śrīdhara Mahārāja's āśrama. My wife refused to go out of Calcutta. She said, "I'll be bombed maybe, but I'll not go out." (laughs) So I had to remain in Calcutta. So I've seen bombing and Calcutta all vacant. And one day I was eating in the evening, at night—immediately bombing. Kachori... I was hungry, (laughs) but the eating finished.

Morning Walk -- June 13, 1976, Detroit:

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: I've been visiting your buses, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and managing the book distribution with the buses. It's going very nicely. Ever since Māyāpura all the boys have doubled their collection and distribution. And as soon as all the debts from New York temple are paid, then more and more books can go. We'll try to do everything. (break) The men are just like the army. The van leaders, bus leaders. So everything is very efficient, clean, and very high-powered. (break) ...just two years ago, when we left India, that you wanted an army of sannyāsīs and brahmacārīs always traveling, distributing books.

Prabhupāda: (looking at plaque) Commissioners?

Room Conversation -- June 15, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. And so they went to the Department of Intelligence, (laughter) and they went to the United States Army, because this was an army project, and when the Army got hold of it they said, "Oh, you people are all nonsense. Disband this project."

Prabhupāda: That is.... Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung: golokera prema-dhana hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. Hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana is not the mundane sound. It is coming from there. Golokera prema-dhana hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. It is not material. Had it been material, then how it is so effective? That's a fact. The sound is, beam is coming from there. So this professor liked our conversation?

Lekhaśravantī: Very much.

Morning Walk -- June 6, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Advertising?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Like this. He says "I want to make one banner and poster: 'Now you can join the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. Travel all over the world preaching Bhagavad-gītā. All expenses paid. Free food, lodging, etc. No qualification necessary. Apply ISKCON.' " It's like army recruiting.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) No qualification.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: And he mentions the situation in Germany, at least the devotees are becoming a little stronger now. Saṅkīrtana is going on nicely.

Prabhupāda: That's all that we want. Saṅkīrtana must go on.

Morning Walk -- August 11, 1976, Tehran:

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Printed money?

Prabhupāda: No, artificially increased the price. So they were obliged to join.

Hari-śauri: He'd increase the price and then advertise free food in the army.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (passerby makes comment)

Hari-śauri: What does he say?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: He first said "Please pray for me." But then he's joking. He's saying also that he should take good care of us, we are guests here.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Evening Darsana -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Nava-yauvana: Śrīla Prabhupāda, this is Ali. He was living with us for about four months and chanting sixteen rounds. Then he was taken into the army.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Little bit of army, little bit of māyā.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: A little bit of army took him, plus a little bit of māyā. He's a very sincere, nice boy.

Prabhupāda: So. Let him go on chanting. Chanting cannot be checked, any position. So what is your inquiry further?

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1976, Vrndavana:

Haṁsadūta: Great victory for the enemy. Just like because a high ranking officer in the army was captured by the enemy, then they would brainwash him. They had this, some process...

Prabhupāda: In Pakistani they kill all brain, in Bangladesh. Anyone who worked in high profession like businessman, they caught shut down. It was worse to kill.

Haṁsadūta: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: Because everywhere the big men they guide the nation.

Room Conversation on New York court case -- November 2, 1976, Vrindaban:

Aksayananda: Ācāryam upasaṅgamya rājā vacanam abravīt (BG 1.2).

Prabhupāda: Yes. What is the translation?

Aksayananda: "Sañjaya said, 'Oh king after looking over the army gathered by the sons of Pāṇḍu, King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began to speak the following words.' "

Prabhupāda: Aiye. (break) Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is to preach. So you join us. Why should you be limited within Vṛndāvana? The people are taking this, and there is... Now they are feeling the strength. The whole world is now combining against this movement. That means they are feeling the strength. Certainly it is (indistinct) credit.

Room Conversation -- November 13, 1976, Vrndavana:

Pradyumna: It was Kennedy's idea, the Peace Corps. Kennedy started. They started it because many young men did not want to go in the Army, but Army was forcible. So they said, "If you go in the Peace Corps, then you don't have to go in the war corps; you don't have to go in Army." So many people took that: "Oh, we'll go in the Peace Corps. We'll go as an alternative."

Prabhupāda: Good idea.

Surabhi: It has lost its popularity now.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Morning Walk -- December 25, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: "...opposition." Therefore he went out and organized the INA, and that was successful. It is not Gandhi's noncooperation movement.

Guest (1): That's true. Now in the British official records which they are publishing their secret papers of twenty-five years, that knowledge is very clearly that it was this armed fight of Indian National Army which convinced the British that they could not rule India with the Indian soldiers.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is real noncooperation. (laughter) What this public noncooperation will do. They are simply clerks. Some of them may be high-court judges, but no responsible post was given.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Gargamuni: There was starvation immediately. There was no food in the whole city. I was living on capatis. That's all we had. Course, we were very nervous, so we couldn't eat so much anyway because there was so much going on in the city, bombings and firing.

Prabhupāda: And general public?

Gargamuni: And most of the army, they imported the army from Pakistan. These men were six feet tall. These were... They have a certain name.

Prabhupāda: Jatha? No.

Gargamuni: Jatha? No. Rathan or something.

Prabhupāda: Pathan. Pathan.

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Gargamuni: So in comparison to the Bengali, they were very small. So they were very fearful of these fighters. The whole Pakistani army was made of these Pathans.

Prabhupāda: Pathans.

Gargamuni: Very huge men, very tall.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

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

Prabhupāda: That we can go later on. This is very important. Manipur we want to make a very strong center, because it is Vaiṣṇava state.

Gargamuni: And kṣatriyas.

Prabhupāda: Kṣatriyas.

Gargamuni: We can raise an army over there.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes.

Gargamuni: To protect the temples from the demons.

Prabhupāda: So in March, if we go...

Room Conversation -- February 3, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Bhāgavata: I heard he took the dress of a Muslim?

Prabhupāda: Yes, this is called... Yes. This is called pāṭhan. So after going outside India, he organized this INA, Indian National Army. And Hitler helped him. Tojo also wanted to help him, but he had a plan.

Room Conversation -- February 3, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Bhāgavata: Different motive. So Hitler, he had no...

Prabhupāda: No Hitler actually helped him, all the soldiers. And then the Sikh soldiers and Gurkha soldiers voluntarily surrendered to join INA. And this information obliged the Britishers to go away. Then "Now the army is joining national movement, so there is no hope." The Gandhi's noncooperation, the clerks' noncooperation the, some of these teachers' noncooperation what do they care for? But when they saw that "The soldiers are now going to join this non..." Gandhi diagnosed the disease rightly, that "The Britishers are here on account of our cooperation. Without this cooperation, they'll go away." That's a fact. So his noncooperation movement was... It was a good trick, but actually he did not succeed. And this movement succeeded. That "Now he's organizing Indian soldiers for national movement. There is no chance."

Room Conversation -- February 3, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Gargamuni: That Mrs. Lalita Bose, she compared you to Nethaji, that you went outside of India and organized an army, (laughter) then came back to India. She said that. She's the grand-daughter? That Lalita Bose?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Niece.

Gargamuni: She said, "Your Gurujī is just like Nethaji. He went outside of India and organized army of Vaiṣṇavas."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Now it is in the right hand. Resourceful, you Americans. You can do this. There is scientist. So we have got the framework very nice. Now you can push on. It is a good movement for the benefit of the whole world. Kṛṣṇa will help you. Kṛṣṇa will recognize you. Go on pushing rightly. Our only mission is para-upakāra—we don't want to exploit anyone—Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission.

Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: If I require, I'll take. So Gandhi discovered, and the discovery was there Surendranath Ban... That they're exploiting us, so noncooperate. They are ruling over us by our cooperation, so let us noncooperate." But that is a foolish policy. Poverty-stricken country, how they can noncooperate? That was not successful, but this program, Subhash Bose's tit-for-tat, military, that was successful. They're keeping our men as soldiers and police, and by their strength they're ruling over India. And Subhash Bose made a plan—the soldiers and police will noncooperate. They'll join his INA. And when they began to join Indian National Army, these intelligent Britishers could understand, "Now it is no more possible. With whose cooperation, we shall kick?" Then they made a friendly settlement. Friendly means "Divide it so that they'll perpetually fight, and let us go."

Evening Darsana -- February 19, 1977, Mayapura:

Acyutānanda: Because if they have another war, nobody will go and fight that war again. They will all leave America. So they want America to be very good now, so that everyone will love America and come back. Because if there's another war nobody will join the army. They'll just leave.

Prabhupāda: So why there is war? They cannot stop war?

Acyutānanda: They start wars. (Prabhupāda chuckles) And in the chaos they make profit.

Prabhupāda: That means there are many like you.

Morning Conversation -- April 23, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, they're starting to get wise to him now.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're starting to catch on to him now, and when they do it's going to be a big scandal because he really made it into the American..., all over the world, but especially in America. He even got into the Army. They were teaching Transcendental Meditation in the Army. Even in schools... He had it in public schools. He said, "It is not at all religious. It's science, and it should be taught. Just like you teach gymnastics, you should also teach this." So if this becomes exposed, oh... It'll also hurt us indirectly, but actually it'll be good for us. But naturally they'll think that "All of these groups are now bogus." He's very much accepted in the public mind. But now the Congressional committees are investigating him.

Prabhupāda: And ours is accepted.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Our is very accepted.

Prabhupāda: That's a great achievement.

Morning Conversation -- June 23, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Right. The Rajput kings.

Prabhupāda: Yes. But they did not do. They cooperated.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That Rajput is Rajasthan?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Akbar appointed this Mansingha, who has made these temples. He was commander-in-chief. Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Of the Moslem army.

Prabhupāda: Yes. The all governmental power was in the hand of Indians. Only the Muslims were there.

Room Conversation during lunchtime -- July 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But we didn't know you were Hare Kṛṣṇa. We thought you were Santa Claus.

Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, I am asking money from everyone. It is your liking. You give or not give.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: See, for many years there were these other Santa Clauses from the Salvation Army. So now they made a complaint that now no one knows who is a real Santa Claus because we are... The difference is they stand next to a big...

Prabhupāda: But is there any law that nobody can dress like that?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. We're only...

Prabhupāda: Then?

Room Conversation during lunchtime -- July 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, that's another thing. The other Santa Claus, they don't give anything. We give books. They give nothing except they pat the guy on the head. They pat the child. That's all. What will that help the child, patting him on the head? And another thing is that all the other Salvation Army Santa Claus, they're all drunkards.

Prabhupāda: They must be drunkards.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You know the Salvation Army is very... They take all the drunkards. They give them Santa suits.

Prabhupāda: If you take money without any aim, you must be drunkard.

Room Conversation -- August 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Gandhi tried twenty years to get little equal rights. The General Smuts refused. He was failure in South Africa. And then he decided that "I shall drive these Europeans, Englishmen, from India." He came. That also he could not do. Here also, for thirty years he struggled. He was failure, nonviolent. It is Subhash Bose's INA which drove away these Englishmen. You know that? That Indian Army, what is that, INA, Indian National Army? When he organized this National Army, then the Englishmen came to sense that "Now we cannot rule over." This rascal was going on, nonviolence... (laughter) While... "We shall pat them: 'Oh, yes, you are so powerful. Oh, why you are trying to drive away?' " And he'll be... "Oh..." The Baitland(?) Colony in a loincloth, and engaged in the sun chair.(?) He had no practical knowledge. He started the movement from 1917, and actually it was... Independence was given, 1947. Thirty years he failed. Twenty years he failed there.

Prabhupada Vigil -- November 1, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: This Gītā Pratiṣṭhāna is a good proposal, transport(?) Bhagavad-gītā As It Is all over the world. (indistinct)

Brahmānanda: When I was in Jammu, we went to visit a big army base there, Indian Army, huge.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct)

Brahmānanda: Yes. And we went to visit one colonel, full colonel, in charge of supply. He's a very pious men. He tells his soldiers not to drink, not to eat meat, and he teaches them Bhagavad-gītā. So we went to go speak with him, and he was very impressed. He himself admitted that he was taking eggs and drinking tea. So I requested him to stop this, and then you'll be on the..., purely. And he could understand that. He agreed. He said, "From now on, from this day, I will stop." And we showed him the film, "Hare Kṛṣṇa People," and he was very impressed.

Page Title:Army (Conversations)
Compiler:MadhuGopaldas, Serene
Created:22 of Dec, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=48, Let=0
No. of Quotes:48