Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


Audience (Conversations)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview -- February 1, 1968, Los Angeles:

Interviewer: Do you believe that other religions have some truth to them because they all are...

Prabhupāda: I have already told that religion means searching after God, every religion. The process may be different. The audience may be different. Just like in Christianity there is conception of God, "God created this world." So this is a fact. We also say. But we say in very lucid explanation from the Vedas. We don't stop, simply saying, "God created," but how created, how things developed, these descriptions are there in the Vedic literature. That is the difference. Otherwise there is no difference of opinion. The Christians accept God created this world; the Jewish religion, they also accept God created this world; the Muslims they also accept God created this world; we also accept God created this world. So "God is the supreme; God is great," that is accepted by everyone. But the only difference is that we give details so that modern mind, who are advanced in education and scientific knowledge, they can understand, whereas others, they cannot give in detail. Therefore they are deviating gradually because the modern, advanced, educated persons they want to know how God created this world, and that description is lacking. But we can give that. That is the difference. Otherwise the primary principle, to understand God—God is great; we are small, tiny; we are subordinate; we are maintained by God—this idea is everywhere.

Radio Interview -- March 12, 1968, San Francisco:

Interviewer: What happens in your temples. Do you have services like other religions?

Prabhupāda: Yes, generally we chant this mahāmantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, and then we deliver speeches from Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and then there are questions, we answer, and in that way the audience and the disciples they become enlightened and they advance.

Interviewer: But there's no sermon as we would know in other churches?

Prabhupāda: That is, you can call sermon, because there is prayer song and there is, I mean to say, recitation from scriptures...

Morning Walk at Stow Lake -- March 27, 1968, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Just like some father rebukes a son, the son also thinks of the father as rascal, "Unnecessarily he's chastising me." There is a proverb that as the child grows... (break) ...also thinks that "This boy is a fool; he'll do wrong by..." This is stated. And the child is stated in a different way. Just like sometimes our audience also. When we speak they think, "What nonsense he's speaking. Oh, Kṛṣṇa, what is this Kṛṣṇa? Let us enjoy." They are not purified. So this Prahlada Mahārāja says that according to the body, the specific facilities of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending is already arranged. It is already arranged. So one hasn't got to learn. Just like for mating. There is no college or school where in the classroom dis..., that "This is way you have to mate." Everyone knows automatically. Everyone knows how to mate automatically. Nobody is taught how to laugh. Oh, when laughing comes, it, automatically one laughs. Nobody's taught how to cry. Everyone cries when there is some distress. So these things, what is wanted as the necessity of my body, so arrangement is there. But because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, you think that "We can do something." Therefore we take advantage of our high intelligence to defend ourselves more nicely, to have mating more nicely, or eating more nicely. And a devotee should be satisfied that whatever Kṛṣṇa arranged, that's all right. That Kṛṣṇa prasādam we will take.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation Including Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.1-34 Recitation & Explanation -- April 1, 1969, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Sound will act. Just like "Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa," is acting, similarly.

Gargamuni: What chapter is this, Swamiji?

Prabhupāda: This is second chapter, First Canto. Sūta Gosvāmī, before speaking to the audience, he is offering his respect to the spiritual master. To offer respect to anyone means to remember his qualification. Just like we sing... Just like you offer respect to your spiritual master. What is the meaning?

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmad-bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

Yes. "I offer my respectful obeisances to Swami Bhaktivedanta, who is very dear to Kṛṣṇa, and has come before us to deliver." This is the meaning. So his qualification is described. Similarly, here also Sūta Gosvāmī is offering respect to his spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. And he is repeating the history of Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Śukadeva Gosvāmī, just after taking birth from the mother's womb, immediately he started, without staying for a moment. Just see the brahmacārī.

Conversation Including Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.1-34 Recitation & Explanation -- April 1, 1969, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Naraṁ caiva narottamam devīṁ sarasvatīṁ. Sarasvatī, the goddess of learning. And Vyāsam, and then Vyāsadeva, who is the master of Vedic literature. One after another. This is... Vyāsaṁ tato jayaṁ udīrayet. Then he is... He was questioned by the audience that what is the most important religion in this age? That was their question. There are many types of religious principles. So what is the best one for this age? So he is replying that question. Munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo 'haṁ bhavadbhir loka-maṇgalam (SB 1.2.5). "You have put very nice question, because you have put the question that 'What is the best religion for the people of this age?' " Yat-kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśno yenātmā suprasīdati. "And you have, you are very much anxious to understand the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It is very nice. By this discussion everyone will become actually peaceful and satisfied." So the answer, "What is the best religious principle?" He is answering. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). "My dear brāhmaṇas..." in that meeting all the audience were great learned sages and brāhmaṇas. So he is addressing them. That is the best form of religion which performing one becomes elevated to devotional service of the Lord. Not religious formalities. One has to test by the result. Phalena paricīyate.

Conversation Before Lecture -- April 29, 1969, Brandeis University, Boston:

Candanācārya: He is worried that hippies come to the ceremonies to see us.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Candanācārya: I think that's why he's worried about hippies.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Candanācārya: Because he saw photographs that audience was hippies.

Prabhupāda: Oh. So that we cannot cancel: "These hippies are not admitted." No. We admit everyone. We cannot say that "Such and such person cannot enter into our temple." We cannot say. Everyone is welcome. Everyone is welcome. And, if they do not come, how they'll converted?

Miss Rose: I think that the confusion is...

Prabhupāda: We cannot say, just like, in some hotels, that "Such and such persons are not admitted." No. We cannot. We admit everyone. Our mission is to elevate persons from down state of life to the highest state of life. So everyone is in down state. Lord Jesus Christ also said that "You do not hate the sinners, but hate sin." Is not that, Lord Jesus Christ said? So hippies may be sinners. We raise them to the pious life. But we say, "Don't do this. Don't do this sinful act. Don't take intoxication. Don't do this. Don't do this." We hate sin, not the sinners. Actually. If we hate sinners, then where is the possibility of preaching?

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 11, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Prabhupāda: Then make it one hour speaking and one hour kīrtana. Or one half hour kīrtana, one hour speaking.

Allen Ginsberg: At least an hour of kīrtana, yes.

Hayagrīva: I don't know how long we will keep a big audience there. That is to say, after the first hour they might start milling out. But if we keep half an audience, that would be nice.

Allen Ginsberg: Yeah, well, half will stay. Then the other thing is what tune to use in the kīrtanas? I use several tunes.

Prabhupāda: That as you like.

Allen Ginsberg: I would like to begin with the one I've been using. Is that all right? Or do you want to end with that? Or whatever we want.

Hayagrīva: How can we get the people to join in? That's a big thing. We'd like to have the audience to join us.

Allen Ginsberg: It's an audience seated out there, huh? Let me see. How many devotees will be there?

Hayagrīva: Onstage?

Kīrtanānanda: Everyone here. More from Buffalo.

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 11, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Allen Ginsberg: What I think might be a good idea is, would it be possible to have the devotees start on the stage, and then if it looks like the audience is not singing vivaciously enough, have the devotees go out and sing... Walk up and down singing?

Prabhupāda: When the audience joins, that will be very nice.

Allen Ginsberg: Yes. Do you have a picture of the words written out for the audience? 'Cause if they've got that...

Hayagrīva: Yes, we have that.

Allen Ginsberg: The question I'm asking basically is, one question I'm asking is, would it be all right to use the tune I've been using at one point or another?

Hayagrīva: Well, tomorrow night, if we can practice together, we can play together some...

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 11, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Prabhupāda: Responsive chanting must be there.

Allen Ginsberg: That would be interesting, yes.

Prabhupāda: Otherwise everyone will become tired and that will be chaotic. Response. That's nice. Then the audience will respond.

Allen Ginsberg: We got into some responsive chanting last time.

Kīrtanānanda: Why don't you lead?

Prabhupāda: Huh? I can lead.

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 11, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Prabhupāda: If there is time he will also speak.

Hayagrīva: Well, if he can lead the first I think that would be... The students would be...

Allen Ginsberg: Yes. If he leads the first, will they be able to have responsive chanting too? Do you want responsive chanting when you lead?

Hayagrīva: Oh yes. You'll lead, then we'll respond.

Prabhupāda: If every one of our devotee will respond, naturally the audience also will respond.

Hayagrīva: We'll have a microphone to make it easier for the audience.

Prabhupāda: Then you also one of us.

Allen Ginsberg: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So there is nice microphone?

Lord Caitanya Play Told to Tamala Krsna -- August 4, 1969, Los Angeles:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Even maybe when Lord Caitanya says to Nityānanda Prabhu and to...

Prabhupāda: No, when singing is there, all the players and all the audience and everyone will sing. That will be very nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Even maybe Lord Caitanya says to Nityānanda Prabhu, "Go to all the people and tell them about Kṛṣṇa." So at that moment, we all, all the brahmacārīs, we go into the people and we talk. Then we come back and tell Lord Caitanya. We can preach too.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.

Lord Caitanya Play Told to Tamala Krsna -- August 4, 1969, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: No. You don't offer. Simply offering, and you'll simply play, "Where is the food?" That way.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Not real food.

Prabhupāda: No. Or... Real food is not required. Simply that explain it. Or you can do one thing. You can offer real food. And since she will be in devotion, one may take the foodstuff and distribute to the audience and keep it. That will be also nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Maybe we can distribute prasāda twice in the play.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Even just to... Maybe that plate we'll just give to a few people nearby.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break)

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 2, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Then why you are talking nonsense? (laughter) Then? People did not laugh?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. No, everybody was silent. Everybody was silent because everybody believes that life started from matter, all the, in the audience. So I said that "Your basis means life started from matter. That means..." He was saying that when the earth, before the life started, there was no living entities on earth. Then I said, "How do you know there is no living entities on earth?" Then he could not answer.

Prabhupāda: Just see. Very good. Yes. You have to go and lecture all the universities, calling these rascals fools. That will be our mission. They do not know anything and talking all nonsense. That's it. There was nobody to challenge till now. Now we are creating persons to challenge these rascals. That is our credit. Till now whatever nonsense they are talking, people thought, "Oh he is a big scientist." Now our scientist will protest against them, stop them talking all nonsense. That is what we want.

Morning Walk -- May 2, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They are just speculating that life started spontaneously. There was a time, they said, it started all spontaneously, only once.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. But life, whether begins from life or matter? That is the question. You are saying that life started from matter. We are saying life started from life. How to make solution of this question? For life starting from life, we can see practically. Birds, beasts, human beings, they are begetting children, eggs. The life from life, he's a living entity. That we have got proof. But where is the proof that life started from the matter? Where is that proof? Just give one instance that "Here is a life starting from matter." Where is that instance? Anyway, at least one audience protested. It will be recorded. And he said, "I do not know."

Morning Walk -- December 6, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: ...from your audience?

Hṛdayānanda: Well, one of the main things is that they say, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa consciousness may be very nice, but many other things are also very nice, and everyone says that 'I am right.' "

Prabhupāda: No, that's all right. Nice... Suppose if there is a nice staircase.

Hṛdayānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So that one, two, three, four, five, six, seven stairs. Still, one who has gone to the topmost nice stair, he has to be considered the topmost.

Morning Walk -- December 19, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prajāpati: The scientists are much more formidable demons.

Prabhupāda: Not formidable. They can easily conquered.

Hṛdayānanda: I have heard that Amarendra is defeating them in Gainesville. He goes to scientific meetings and he defeats them. And the devotees go in the audience, and they cheer, and he defeats them.

Prabhupāda: That's right. (break)

Prajāpati: Is it sometimes cold in the spiritual world?

Prabhupāda: No. (laughter) You don't like to go there?

Prajāpati: Oh yes, I like to go there. Actually, I would rather be here in the cold with you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, than be in the warm without you.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 25, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: "Nanda-kiśora, what I have got? I have got a restless mind and I have got my family, home, wife, children, and this body. This is my possessions. I am not the proprietor of the whole world or universe. But I am pro... I suppose, I think like that, that I have got a mind, think like nonsense and do like nonsense, and I have got this body, and I have got my family. So everything I surrender." This is surrender. Don't think anything else, what Kṛṣṇa does not like. That is first surrender. No reservation, that "So much I surrender to Kṛṣṇa, and I contemplate like this, like that, like that." That is not surrender.

Guest (1): That is not surrender.

Guest (2): And what about desires?

Prabhupāda: Desire, this is desire. This is desire, that you don't make your desire: "Kṛṣṇa, come. I'll see You." No, don't make that desire. If Kṛṣṇa likes, He will make His, I mean to say, audience before you. A devotee never says that "Kṛṣṇa, please come. I'll see You."

Room Conversation with Mr. C. Hennis of the International Labor Organization of the U.N. -- May 31, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: (laughter) But he could not defend that he has got brain, yes. So however these men may declare very, very big, we know that "You have no brain. You are as good as animal." Therefore Bhāgavata says, śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ: (SB 2.3.19) "These classes of men are no better than the dogs, hogs, camels and asses." Bhāgavata school will not approve of these rascals as human being. They are so strict. If one is not on the platform of God consciousness, he is not human being. He is animal. That's a fact. But we should not hate the animals because our mission is to bring them to the human consciousness. You cannot expect that your audience should be all highly brain. No. Preaching is required because they have no brain. Therefore your duty is to tolerate all difficulties and bring them to the sense of brain. Not that "These people are animals; we shall not mix with them." Then you have no missionary activities. Then you sit down in a place and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then don't open centers. That is also dangerous. If we imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura, "Let us all chant and do nothing," then the māyā, the women, they are very expert. They could not conquer over Haridāsa Ṭhākura, but she'll conquer upon you. And become victim. Therefore we have to be active. We cannot imitate Haridāsa. Anyone who has imitated the Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he has fallen down. He has fallen. He must fall down because imitating the highest personality, for which he is not fit. Therefore he's going to fall down. When by preaching, by chanting, we will be expert, then it is possible.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation after Press Conference -- July 9, 1975, Chicago:

Brahmānanda: And one man in the audience, he asked you, "Who is the milk and who is the curd?" And you said that "Kṛṣṇa is the milk, and Śiva is the curd." And he did not like that.

Prabhupāda: There is milk and the curd. So one must become milk, one must become curd. So if Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything, then He must be the milk. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
(Bs. 5.1)

So He is the cause of all causes. So if milk is the cause of curd, then Kṛṣṇa is the milk. Come on. (some children enter room) Cause of all causes.

Room Conversation with the Rector, Professor Olivier and Professors of the University of Durban, Westville -- October 8, 1975, Durban:

Prof. Olivier: Might I just explain. I don't know whether we will have an audience. May I first of all say thank you very much for coming to the university. We are very honored also, sir, that you have been able to come, also that your guests have come, and that you have been able to come. Thank you very much for visiting the university. I unfortunately have a committee of my council meeting this afternoon, and the chairman is coming over shortly. So I will unfortunately not be able to attend your lecture. Thank you very much for coming. Some of you have been here before. We have this week a student break for a week before they start their examinations, so I do not know whether Professor Oosthuizen will have an audience at all. Maybe a few members of staff.

Professor: I told Mr. Bhoola when he asked me about the lecture, I told him that this would be a problem.

Prof. Olivier: Thank you very much for coming.

Prabhupāda: If there is no audience, what is the use of holding class?

Prof. Olivier: Well, Professor Oosthuizen here will take charge of you, but if there isn't an audience, I agree that one must be careful not to press too far. It may be more in the nature of a seminar. There might be people sitting around like this, and then there could be discussion. So that would depend on whether there is an audience. Students are funny people. They must be very strongly motivated before they will come away from their examination books at this time.

Prabhupāda: So my time for taking bath is half past eleven. They can... You can stay. I can go.

Morning Walk -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:

Indian man: (Hindi) ...effulgence.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Prabhā. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40).

Indian man: What is meant, "halo" and "effulgence"? That word meaning, "halo"? Prabhā?

Prabhupāda: Halo is ksatta(?). Practically the same meaning. (break) ...field is green and this field is not green? If you take care every field will be green. (break) ...prasādam to the audience.

Devotee: Sumptuous.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee: Full plate.

Prabhupāda: Then accept program. (break) ...distribution of prasāda, then we can go everywhere, whole day program, kīrtana and distribution. So that is meant. And simply dry philosophy? What people will understand?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 19, 1976, Mayapura:

Acyutānanda: In Kṛṣṇa book it says that there were some color fighting in Dvārakā. They were throwing color. And some men became lusty seeing the women. So is... Will that be the first part of their falldown, to be in Vaikuṇṭha and think of personal lust with Kṛṣṇa's associates?

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) Whatever He likes, He'll do. That is God. God is not meant for satisfying you.

Acyutānanda: That man was dragged down by the people in the audience anyway.

Guru-kṛpā: They took him out of...

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Acyutānanda: He was dragged down by the people in the audience. He was an agitator. (break)

Prabhupāda: This preaching work is a great fight, struggle.

Acyutānanda: It is very struggle.

Garden Conversation -- June 27, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: These things are meant for ajitendriyānām, who could not control the senses, ajitendriyānām. And who has engaged his senses in the service of the Lord, they are not ajitendriya. If you have engaged your mind in Kṛṣṇa, the mind is the king of senses; then your senses cannot be misled. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). Then if your mind is always in Kṛṣṇa, man-mana bhava mad bhakto, then what you'll speak except Kṛṣṇa? If you speak nonsense, that means your mind is not engaged in Kṛṣṇa. The mind is the center of all sensual activities. So if your mind is always in Kṛṣṇa, how we can talk nonsense? Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. He'll be always engaged in talking about Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. So if we keep our mind always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then there is no question of mauna, because we'll have to talk about Kṛṣṇa. Why shall I remain mauna? If we talk about Kṛṣṇa, or what Kṛṣṇa has said, then I am benefited, and the audience, he is also benefited. Take Bhagavad-gītā and talk. So those who are Kṛṣṇa devotees, they'll gladly hear. Those who are inquisitive, innocent, they'll also hear. And the dviṣāt, those who are envious, they'll go away. That's good, clear. Talk about Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual. Don't talk anything else.

Evening Darsana -- July 11, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Sthito 'smi gata-sandehaḥ. "Now all my doubts are over. Now I shall kill." Why did you not say this to your European audience?

Indian man (3): Because I don't know the Gītā myself that good.

Prabhupāda: Then why do you preach? First of all know, then preach. If you did not know, you should not preach. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra (CC Adi 9.41). First of all make your life perfect, then try to make others perfect. Don't cheat others. So when Arjuna actually became intelligent, he said sthito 'smi gata-sandehaḥ kariṣye vacanaṁ tava. This is understanding. "Yes, now I am situated in my proper understanding, I shall carry out Your order."

Evening Darsana -- July 11, 1976, New York:

Guest (1): Prabhupāda, did Christ return to the spiritual planets then, when he left the earth, to be with Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: He is coming from spiritual planets. He is authorized representative of Kṛṣṇa, we accept him as śaktyāveśa-avatāra. So I was invited in some priestly meeting in Melbourne, they asked me the question, "What is your opinion of Christ?" So I said "He's our guru." (laughter) Actually, we accept him as our guru. He's preaching God's message; he's Vaiṣṇava. Anyone who accepts God, he's Vaiṣṇava. He was explaining kingdom of God, God. So according to time, circumstances, audience... Now we can just imagine what kind of people he had to deal with, that his commandment is "Thou shall not kill." Then understand how much they were accustomed to killing. So what kind of men they were? And not only that, in spite of hearing his instruction "Thou shall not kill," they killed him first. So what kind of men they were, just imagine. He said, "Thou shall not kill," and they decided, "We shall kill you first." So this class of men he had to deal with.

Morning Walk -- December 25, 1976, Bombay:

Guest (1): One of the best religious leaders. That's what people think.

Prabhupāda: No, no, that may be, falsely representation, but where he is recommending that "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa and worship Him"? Has he done that? That means misleading. He can become a very good orator, and he can get claps, but what is the benefit? He's a good orator, there is no doubt about it. But Kṛṣṇa does not say that "You become a orator and cheat others." He does not say. He says, "Surrender unto Me." So if actually one is preaching, he should teach the audience that "Surrender to Kṛṣṇa." And that is reading of Bhagavad-gītā. If I take Bhagavad-gītā and speak something of my opinion, that means I am cheating. I am taking advantage of Bhagavad-gītā, and I am impressing people with my nonsense ideas.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 1, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Simply rascals. And because we have become rascals, we accept them, "Oh, here is scientist."

Gurukṛpā: They find it convenient to accept what these scientists say.

Prabhupāda: No, accept, we accept, but we accept the real scientist, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we are triumphant. We understand.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Śrīla Prabhupāda, in an audience like that, in, let's say, one hour lecture, we cannot say that "You go to the temple and chant and do all these things."

Prabhupāda: No, that is later on. First of all you have to accept that there is original father. That is God. Now, how to realize that God, that is another detail.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So we made an attempt... I made an attempt to show this, that bhakti-yoga is science, but it is a subtle science. But it has...

Prabhupāda: To understand God.

Room Conversation First Day in Juhu Quarters -- March 30, 1977, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: So his next condition was that "You cannot play unless I say it is all right." So we practiced for more than one year. Still, he did not say that "You are all right." He did not say. By force, practically, that "Now we shall play, sir." "All right, you can play, but it is not to my perfectional ideas." So I had the part of Advaita Ācārya. So on the stage, when we saw, all the public, they are crying, the audience. Regularly crying. We could not understand how they are crying, because we are dry; we have learned how to play, that's all. But he has trained in such a way that we could appreciate everyone was crying by seeing Caitanya, everyone was hanker to play, act. So it was due to training. He trained in such a way that we could not understand how we are playing, but the audience, they appreciated so much. Every one of them was crying. And another effect was... Because sometimes there were need of proxy. Some player has not come, and the rehearsal is going on. So the result was that each and every one of us learned the play of others. There was no scarcity of duplicate. So that was the first and last of playing in dramatic drama in my life. Caitanya-līlā. We had own club, Indian, Indian, like that.
Conversation with Vedic Astronomer -- April 30, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: There was a Gosāi. He was reading Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So the description of the planetary system there is. He used to say to his audience, "Actually these things are not there. These are imaginary descriptions." He was such a fool. So the whole world has taken like that, "symbolic, imagination."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And he was lecturing on Caitanya-caritāmṛta. I think you mentioned that one of your Godbrothers once said to you, "You really believe that there is such a place, Kṛṣṇaloka, Vaikuṇṭhaloka?" He was himself...

Prabhupāda: Bon Mahārāja did not believe. No... Nobody ever thought of it.

Evening Darsana -- May 9, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Prabhupāda: Mayā te 'dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ. Now, Kṛṣṇa never said, although in Bhagavad-gītā yoga is spoken by Him, He never said that "Because now time has passed away, circumstance different, so I can say you in any way." There is no such foolishness. But these people, they speak Bhagavad-gītā in a new way—more than Kṛṣṇa. These rascals are more than Kṛṣṇa. So we are guided by them. They think of themselves as more intelligent than Kṛṣṇa. This is the difficulty in India. (Hindi) Vyāsadeva says, bhagavān uvāca. (Hindi) Unnecessarily if one is proud without any qualification, he's a rascal. (Hindi) Or this is also said there, that bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3). The system of Bhagavad-gītā, it can be understood only by the bhaktas. Otherwise why He should select Arjuna as the perfect audience? Because Arjuna was not a Vedantist. He was gṛhastha, belonging to royal family. He was dealing in politics. So the so-called Vedantists and sannyāsīs, they are supposed to be student of Bhagavad-gītā, but Kṛṣṇa selected him not because he was a Vedantist... He was not even brāhmaṇa. He was kṣatriya, politician, gṛhastha, not Vedantist, ordinary knowledge, but Kṛṣṇa selected him.

Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- June 21, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10).

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That personality of Kali... When Sudāmā Mahārāja was dramatizing, very appropriate. Kali is Sin. Wine, women, intoxication, illicit sex, gambling, LSD. Then Sin said, "Now we will eat our own children."

Prabhupāda: When he said, what the audience thinks?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, the audience, they laugh, and yet the laughing is a little... They swallow their laughing. In one sense it's funny; in the other sense they know it is very true, and they feel it. Actually it would be difficult to say such strong thing, but because it is an in a formal theater, the audience sits there respectfully, taking it all.

Prabhupāda: So we are criticizing, but...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But no one else is.

Prabhupāda: Nobody understands that these are bad things.

Page Title:Audience (Conversations)
Compiler:Rishab, Serene
Created:22 of May, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=31, Let=0
No. of Quotes:31