Available (Conversations 1977)

Expressions researched:
"availability" |"available"

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 3, 1977, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, I know many women who are very good cooks, I have tasted...

Prabhupāda: They have no time to waste time in that way. They must be inclined that "I must prepare something nice so that my husband, my children or my, all friends will be very pleased." That is their policy. I wanted that all our girls, they should be expert. And in America they are doing that. They should learn the art of cooking and prepare very nice foodstuffs, daily change of menu. And the children should be so trained up that no more birth. And that is life. They can produce hundreds of children, it doesn't matter, but must be responsible that "The children should be saved. This is the last birth, no more birth. I'll train the child in such a way that next life he's going to Kṛṣṇa, back to home, back to Godhead." That is parent's duty. Otherwise they should not become parent. That is contraceptive: "I am not fit to train my children in that way, so I shall not produce cats and dogs." This is life. Why shall I produce cats and dogs? And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was gṛhastha, he produced Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. That is one... So in this way, if there is ideal institution, ideal mode of living, it is happy; everything is all right. That is gṛhastha. Produce Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "If I can produce kṛṣṇa-bhakta as children, then I'm prepared to marry and produce hundreds of children." And if we cannot, then we shall not produce even one children. Just like Vasudeva and Devakī in their previous life. What was the name? Their determination is "If we can get a child like God, then we shall produce. Otherwise we go on, tapasya. And when Kṛṣṇa came, "What do you want?" "I want You." "Who is like Me? I shall appear. I shall appear." Anyway, we have got such huge establishment. Utilize it very properly everywhere. Another thing, that in Vṛndāvana... You remember the corner land, parikrama, last time? That is available by acquirement.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: The corner land to the left? Left of Gurukula? Or...

Prabhupāda: No Gurukula... When we go to the chuni,(?) in front of...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Ha, ha, ha. In that direction.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is agricultural land.

Room Conversation -- January 3, 1977, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Right before the gate. That is... I was under the impression that belonged to some Christian man.

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. That is first. After crossing the road, the corner.

Hari-śauri: Where the parikrama path is.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That is available for...?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually that would be good if we get that. It's right next to our temple.

Prabhupāda: So why not try for that? You can get it, I am sure.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. I'm going to Vṛndāvana in ten days.

Prabhupāda: So if we can get that land, then we can divert our sewer in the land and utilize it for nice agricultural purposes. So instead of spending lakh of rupees for municipality, why not acquire that land?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Acquire or buy? Acquire.

Prabhupāda: Acquire means you have to pay, but government...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, but acquire usually takes a long time.

Prabhupāda: Not long time. They'll give us, because it is lying vacant.

Roof Conversation -- January 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: There are so many instances. You can utilize your hankering for Kṛṣṇa and His devotees.

Trivikrama: There's one verse like that, ekalaṁ mūlyaṁ lobha...

Prabhupāda: Laulyam ekalaṁ mūlyam. Laulyam, yes, right. That is greediness. Laulyam. The verse is by Rūpa Gosvāmī. He advises, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate: "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you purchase. If it is available somewhere, immediately purchase it." So the next question is, if you want to purchase something, you must pay the price. So therefore said that "The price is laulyam, greediness. How I shall become Kṛṣṇa conscious?" That is price. "How I shall?" Oh, that I can very easily. No. Na janma-koṭi-sukṛtair labhyate. "If one has done pious activities for many, many births, he also cannot have this greediness." It is so rare. But if you have got that greediness, you get Kṛṣṇa.

Trivikrama: Intense greediness.

Prabhupāda: Intense greediness. So one may think, "Oh, I can be very greedy." So the answer is na janma-koṭi-sukṛtair labhyate.

Devotee (1): If a human being can try repeatedly, showing kāma, krodha, lobha, moha... He keeps on trying to get over it...

Prabhupāda: That is negative side.

Morning Walk -- January 6, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: The thing is that this nationalism is... We have to go beyond that. Actually they're happening, these boys, they're not thinking in terms of nationalism. Otherwise he had no business to come to me and to start this. We are in a different platform, Kṛṣṇa-ism. That is our platform. So we shall go on.

Indian man: (indistinct) (break)

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is within you. If you actually want to serve Kṛṣṇa, he'll give you intelligence. He says personally, dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam. What kind of?—yena mām upayānti te. So it is automatically available if you are sincerely desiring to serve Kṛṣṇa. Na toṣana chādiyā varṇāśrama-dharma. (break)

Girirāja: So today... Actually I was thinking of phoning his wife because she was not well or one of our ladies could call her and then if she's still not well they could go and visit her. And if she is well, they could invite her that if she wants to come then she'll bring him.

Prabhupāda: Mm. Don't bother. But as an etiquette (indistinct).

Girirāja: Mr. Mota telephoned to say that that other man who was here...

Prabhupāda: Mashari.

Room Conversation -- January 7, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Less than that. Ten seers.

Dr. Patel: That is twenty kilos.

Trivikrama: Cow ghee?

Prabhupāda: No, buffalo's... Cow ghee we were taking with rice. But it was not available in quantity.

Dr. Patel: Many was so very cheap then. After I graduated myself when I was university scholar, I was given seventy-five rupee scholarship per month and a free bungalow with servants and all these things. It was all right for me till I passed my M.D., seventy-five rupees only.

Prabhupāda: This cow's milk in Bengal, it is compulsory-before beginning your meal, little cow milk, er, ghee mixed with rice and smashed potato. It is very nice.

Dr. Patel: And then we do serve..., after that we take out a part of it for the cow back, and a little for...

Prabhupāda: Ālu bharte bharta. (?) In Bengal it is called ālu bharte bharta. If you don't have anything, just have smashed potato, little ghee and rice. That's it. It is sufficient, very nutritious. And at last, little milk. Very nutritious.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Guest (2): He is the ultimate. There's nothing more.

Prabhupāda: He is the supreme guru. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). He's the supreme person. So why don't you accept Him as guru? That means you do not want. Then you must be cheated. If gold is available in a gold shop, purchase there. Why do you go to a pan-wala to purchase gold? Will you not be cheated? You do not know where to purchase gold, and still you are..., "Where is guru?" Go there, where gold is sold. And if you do not know even there, then you must be cheated. You do not know where is gold is available. Unfortunately you go to a pan-wala: "Have you got gold?" He'll give you some gold leaf, that's all: "Here is gold." The real thing is that guru is there, Kṛṣṇa is there. And we are presenting. We are not manufacturing. I do not say that I am guru. Our business is to present what Kṛṣṇa has said. That's all. Therefore I'm guru. Guru is he who speaks Kṛṣṇa's word. That is guru. And if he manufactures, then he is a cheater.

Morning Discussion about Kumbhamela -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh, that will solve our great problem.

Gurudāsa: Yes. They said... Abhirama says he's been trying for months for that room. So C. L. yesterday said that, "Yes, I want to give that. My brothers want that room, and my office wants the room, but I want you to have it." So the meeting was last night, and Abhirama is coming to the Kumbhamela. We'll know for sure when he comes. So that might be some good news.

Prabhupāda: That is very good. There our men suffer very much. If that room is available, then it is very good.

Gurudāsa: They made a... Abhirama made a bathroom. He put four tanks on the top, and there's running water in that bathroom.

Prabhupāda: In our side?

Gurudāsa: In the one we have.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Gurudāsa: So that's somewhat of an improvement.

Prabhupāda: Yes, why not? Improvement can be done. There is space. Anyway, if we get the down room, it will solve a problem. What is the rent?

Gurudāsa: One thousand.

Morning Discussion about Kumbhamela -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Three thousand lost.

Dr. Patel: Because the prices was so down, you see, and fertilizer they are selling at a very high rate. Before it was available, a bag, for fifty rupees or fifty-one. Now it is more than eleven-ten. They don't want that a man in the city should be employed for less than five rupees a day. It's very expensive. And they don't work also. They used to work very hard in ancient times. Now they come at ten o'clock, go at five. Before they used to come early morning at six, seven o'clock and work up til five in the evening, and you used to feed them afternoon.

Gurudāsa: Use gobar instead of...

Dr. Patel: No, gobar is not that much available.

Gurudāsa: Gobar means cows. Get a cow.

Dr. Patel: We use gobar. All of us keep cows. But there is not sufficient for that.

Gurudāsa: You can eat six thousand rupees' worth of rice yourself?

Dr. Patel: No, you can't. You have in the market. No, I cannot eat even this much because I can't bring it here to Bombay. There is a barrier. You can't export from one place to another. This is the government. And our rice is just like the (indistinct) quality.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi)

Dr. Patel: (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: You go and eat there. (laughter)

Morning Walk -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: I have... I know everything.

Haṁsadūta: Prabhupāda, you gave the example that what is the use of keeping a cow if you can get milk in the marketplace.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Cow-keeping is expensive.

Dr. Patel: Why keep a cow when milk is available. (laughs)

Trivikrama: It's a fact. The young men think like that.

Prabhupāda: They make pregnant and they go away. And this poor girl, either she has to kill the child or beg from the government, "Give me welfare; otherwise..." Is that freedom? These rascal woman...

Dr. Patel: This is freedom. Actually the government recognized...

Prabhupāda: Government means a set of rascals. But practical point of view the woman wants equal right. Equal rights they enjoy, and the woman becomes pregnant, and he goes away, the boy. And she has to kill the child or beg from the government. This is her freedom. And still, equal rights. Where equal right? The boy has gone away. You also go away? No. You'll have to carry the child. To get freedom you have to kill or you have to beg. And still she thinks, "I am free."

Arrival of BBT Manager -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Rāmeśvara: "Read worldwide Hare Kṛṣṇa literatures and be happy. Books by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. 1) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Cantos 1-9, twenty-seven volumes, Rs..." (aside:) Not so many. Per volume. "Bhagavad-gītā As It Is; Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, seventeen volumes; Teachings of Lord Caitanya; The Nectar of Devotion; Śrī Īśopaniṣad; Easy Journey to Other Planets; Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, the Topmost Yoga System; Kṛṣṇa, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, three volumes; Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers; and so on. Recommended by learned scholars and professors all over the world. Available for reading from all university, college and public libraries of the world, and can be purchased."

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We can give the name of few leading bookstores in each city.

Prabhupāda: Not through bookstore. Only our...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

Prabhupāda: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, and you can give that Calcutta agent, Vrnda Book... That's all.

Rāmeśvara: And for the books you have in Hindi you should write "available in Hindi."

Prabhupāda: No, Hindi we shall advertise differently.

Arrival of BBT Manager -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, we can say "sold to date." I tell people over four million copies sold.

Prabhupāda: No, no, that is not required. We are selling all worldwide. That is there.

Rāmeśvara: And also the American universities are using these books in their courses as required.

Prabhupāda: That we have said, "Available for reading from university, public libraries all over the world."

Jagadīśa: Before you said that we should put also a line that "These books are available in all major languages of the world."

Prabhupāda: That is not very important. "All over the world" means it is understood in all other languages. Otherwise how they are reading?

Rāmeśvara: In Europe when men go to the libraries, sometimes they don't speak English. So they're already taking standing orders for the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in French and other languages.

Prabhupāda: So make this immediately.

Rāmeśvara: This is the notice of the money we just sent to Bombay from Los Angeles, seventy thousand dollars.

Prabhupāda: So now do the needful about this. And the invoice? You have sent the books?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So these books are there?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Now I have everything in stock. We have everything.

Prabhupāda: And which we have not got stock you print here. Keep for sufficient stock, in this way. So I was asking last night that at least in Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, simply whatever collection is there, fifty percent print books and fifty percent spend for temple or for pushing on the books. No money available. Bas.

Arrival of BBT Manager -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Rāmeśvara: That is always the situation. (laughing)

Prabhupāda: (laughs) As soon as there will be money, there will be headache and income tax, this tax, that tax. So keep always empty. Bas. Vigorously push, and whatever available, spend. Bas. Finished. How do you like?

Rāmeśvara: That is always our policy.

Prabhupāda: That's all. And if we have to take contribution, take ISKCON. They're free. But for Bhaktivedanta Trust there is no need of contribution. Then there will be exemption certificate required and so on. We don't want any contribution. If anyone wants to contribute, let him contribute to the ISKCON. They're tax free. And here there is no tax, no tax free. That's all. Print book and sell and spend. Follow this policy there and here also, and push these books. That is our main preaching. Somehow or other, it must go, from door to door, hand to hand. Then our preaching is successful. Anyone who will read, he'll get some benefit. That is sure, because such literatures are not available throughout the whole world. It is a new revolution to the people in general. Am I right or not?

Rāmeśvara: Definitely.

Prabhupāda: That's all. (laughs) Then do it now. And I shall spend all this money for advertisement. That's all.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: One of the biggest bookstores in Bombay, International Book House, has arranged a whole window display of your books.

Prabhupāda: That is useless.

Arrival of BBT Manager -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Rāmeśvara: Yes. This shows that if they kidnap you and they convince you to give up your belief in God, you will be very happy. You will have nice girlfriend. You will be very happy.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). This material world means this sex. That is happiness. And we are saying, "Don't enjoy this happiness like hogs." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). "This kind of happiness available in the hog's life, dog's life. Why you are anxious for this happiness?" This is our philosophy. Real happiness? Tapo divyam: just undergo some austerity for attaining Kṛṣṇa. This is our.... How they will understand it? Therefore they are thinking, "Unless there is brainwash, how this philosophy is being preached?" Just opposite. They are thinking, "This is happiness," and we are condemning, "This is happiness of the hogs." Actually that is.... Hog is also enjoying that sex without any discrimination whether it is mother or sister or daughter. That is going on. Sex must be there. It doesn't matter who is. This is the world's position, hog civilization. Why a person is condemned as hog, especially in India? He's our "suar kavaca." Why? The hog has no discrimination of sex. No animal has got, especially this hog. You'll find a study, that one side, drinking the milk, and next, plies over him. Cannot reach. Still, hog wants.... Small kiddies for sex. That sex desire is so strong from the very beginning of.... And no sense that "It is my mother."

Room Conversation -- January 10, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Don't make duplicity pricing.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Exactly. That is why I'm discussing with you right now, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Our pricing will be consistent. So I think forty-five rupees is reasonable. Above that, in India people will hesitate on buying. I'd like to get everyone to think it is available at...

Prabhupāda: Why forty-five? We can reduce more even, do you think.(?)

Jagadīśa: (indistinct)

Rāmeśvara: He's already charging the libraries forty-five rupees.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So we can't go below that...

Prabhupāda: No.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: ...because then they...

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: ...available plots.

Gargamuni: Yes, there's those two plots on that main... Now, there's many broken buildings there, many. I drove all around. But the plots are too small.

Rāmeśvara: You'd have to buy several of them together.

Gargamuni: Yes. And also they're out of the city. They're more out of reach. They're not in that... That one area is the best area. There's a two-lane road. You know, traffic going one way and traffic going another way with an island in the center.

Rāmeśvara: And all the hotels are there.

Gargamuni: And all the hotels are there, so all the top people are there.

Rāmeśvara: It sounds like Bombay.

Gargamuni: And that Purī hotel was packed up with foreigners and with local people very nicely dressed. And this plot is just near the Purī hotel. So it's a nice area, and the breeze is wonderful, very nice breeze from the ocean. So if we build a nice multi-story, that breeze will be very healthy.

Prabhupāda: So...

Gargamuni: So I have to leave here tomorrow morning at 8:30 and meet with the man at around 9:30, 10:00, and he'll give me all the names and addresses, and he'll show me some other plots. Then, perhaps, if maybe you would like to see it the following day, we can drive there and show you the plot as soon as I get more information.

Rāmeśvara: Would you like to do that, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Hari-śauri: Like in Hyderabad. There's those very big Deities there, five feet or something.

Prabhupāda: Five feet? Deity we can get it done here also. But there is no white stone. Stone is available here.

Gargamuni: Yes, stone they have, but no marble.

Prabhupāda: Anything made of iron corrodes.

Gargamuni: Iron. Yes. We have to be very careful of the type materials that we use. Also near the sea, I think on cement that has some effect. We'd have to make the temple out of stone or marble.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Rāmeśvara: So that it will last...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Rāmeśvara: ...many centuries. Hundreds of years.

Gargamuni: Yes. Because I have seen all of the cement buildings. Within five or ten years it's finished. You have to put a new plastering. So I think we have to use either stone or marble.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Not lost. It is there.

Hari-śauri: It's hidden.

Rāmeśvara: We can't practice that.

Prabhupāda: No, we can practice what is called ākāśa paṭala. This book is there in Germany. It was purchased by the Germans.

Rāmeśvara: But do you think that the Vedic sciences will be revived as our movement becomes...

Prabhupāda: No, no, our main purpose is to revive Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In favor of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever is available, beneficial, we shall adopt.

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Rāmeśvara: In other words, we want to reorganize all of society so that they develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's it. We do not hate anything. That is not our business. Just like we utilizing this. So it is modern, scientific gift. So we can utilize it for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We do not say... We are not so bigot—"No, no. It is material. We shall not touch it." We are not such fool.

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

Prabhupāda: You came directly here by plane?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: No. I came to Calcutta. (Bengali) So I was planning to go to Bombay. Then I went to the temple. Last night I came, and I called the temple, but there was nobody, so I didn't know where Prabhupāda is. So I was trying to go to Bombay today. Then I learned from the temple that Prabhupāda is here, so I was planning to go by train. Then I found out there is an airplane also available, so I came by plane.

Prabhupāda: Yes, from Calcutta to Bhuvaneśvara there is plane.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I have never been here before in Bhuvaneśvara.

Prabhupāda: Bhuvaneśvara, Jagannātha Purī. They are important places. So give him prasāda first, and then come.(?)

Svarūpa Dāmodara: We had a meeting before I came here...

Prabhupāda: Ah, ah.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: ...in Washington with Rūpānuga Prabhu and the other scientists in our group for the Institute. So I have some papers to be signed by Your Divine Grace. So you'll read in the morning? Tomorrow?

Prabhupāda: Yes. We have started one institute, Bhaktivedanta Institute?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. And I want to show several aspects of our journal, Sa-vijñānam. We have almost completed the first volume.

Prabhupāda: They are publishing one paper, Sa-vijñānam. How do you like this name? Sa-vijñānam. This is picked up from Bhagavad-gītā. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ. Sa-vijñānam (BG 7.2). Sa-vijñānam means according to science.

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Dependency, that is... We are practiced. Suppose you have given this motorcar, but it doesn't mean that if there is no motorcar my Kṛṣṇa consciousness will be checked. If there is little facility, we can take it. That is another thing. But it is not that because there is no motorcar, then there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not like that. Ahaituky apratihatā. Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be checked by any impediment. That cannot be checked. So we are not dependent. But to make the best use of a bad bargain. If we get some facility, why we should not take? We are not so fool. If I get a motorcar to go somewhere, why shall I walk? That is another foolishness. But we are not dependent on the motor... "Because there is no motorcar, therefore my Kṛṣṇa consciousness stopped." We are not such fools. The motorcar is available; all right, take advantage of it. We don't decline to accept whatever little material facilities are there. That is not foolish... That is foolishness. We can take advantage. But our main business is how to make advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not that we are suffering in this material world, and because we have got this motorcar, therefore our suffering is now ended. We are not so fool. We can take advantage of the motorcar, but we don't take that this is the solution. We are not so fool. But these rascals, they are taking, "This is the solution." That is not possible. That is called durāśaya. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They are thinking that "Material adjustment, we shall be happy." That is durāśaya. It will never be fulfilled. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know. Unless we go back home, back to Godhead, there is no solution. This is not solution. This is durāśaya. Everything is described. Durāśaya means the hope which will never be successful. So these rascals, they are trying to be happy by so-called scientific advancement. That is durāśaya. That's not possible, hopeless.

Room Conversation -- February 3, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: If he has taken sometimes fish, there was no way. What can be done? Not for his sense gratification.

Hari-śauri: Even that's not certain, that he took fish anyway.

Prabhupāda: Sometimes it is said.

Hari-śauri: Well, it mentions that they distributed foodstuffs to a lot of people, fish and bread, 'cause that's all that was available.

Prabhupāda: Yes, what can be done?

Hari-śauri: And because it wasn't always easy to get good water, there's a very cheap kind of wine. It's not actually very alcoholic. It's very, very cheap. Then they used to drink that because there's no good water.

Prabhupāda: That is not plea that we shall drink bottle after bottle.

Hari-śauri: Yes. (laughs) Catholic priests, they have a big stock in their cabinets, so much wine.

Prabhupāda: If they want to be reformed, we can reform them. On the basis of Bible, we can reform them. There is no difficulty.

Room Conversation -- February 4, 1977, Calcutta:

Satsvarūpa: But what if it's done in a culture where this is entirely different?

Prabhupāda: Therefore there are hippies. This is your culture hippies and murderer in the name of religion. This is their culture. And abortion. Because there is no such culture, therefore the result is the abortion and killing and bombing, making the whole atmosphere abominable. This is your culture. Fighting between Protestant and Catholics, and bombing... People are terrified. They cannot go out in the street. This is your culture. And begging is bad. To keep the people, whole population, in terrified condition, that is very good, and if anyone in a humble way begs, that is bad. This is your culture. Vedic way allows the brahmacārī to beg just to learn humbleness, not beggar. Coming from very big, big family all family, they practice it. This is not begging. This is to learn how to become humble and meek. And Christ said, "To the humble and meek, God is available." It is not begging. You do not know what is this culture. You have your own culture, devil's culture, to kill even one's own child. How you'll understand what is this culture? Am I right or wrong?

Satsvarūpa: You're right.

Room Conversation Varnasrama System Must Be Introduced -- February 14, 1977, Mayapura:

Hari-śauri: So in Māyāpur here now we have that situation, that so many...

Prabhupāda: Everywhere, wherever, Māyāpur or anywhere. Question is that here it is clearly said, sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ. Brāhmaṇa has his duty, kṣatriya has his duty, vaiśya has his duty, śūdra has his duty. And if he performs his duty nicely, then he also becomes perfect. So why artificially he should be called a brāhmaṇa? Let them do, according to śāstra, the work of śūdra, or vaiśya. He'll get the perfect. Perfection is not checked. But why artificially he should be made a brāhmaṇa or he should be made a sannyāsī and fall down and become a ludicrous? That is the point. Better let him live in his position and become perfect. That's good. That looks very nice. And that is possible. That is possible. Varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān viṣṇur ārādhyate (CC Madhya 8.58). Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, can be worshiped if you perfectly follow the rules and regulation of four varṇas and four āśramas. Here it is also said, sve sve karmaṇi. You work as a perfect brāhmaṇa or a perfect kṣatriya, perfect śūdra; you get perfection. The perfection is available in your natural life. Why should artificially you become unnatural and fall down and become ludicrous? Perfection is not checked.

Room Conversation Varnasrama System Must Be Introduced -- February 14, 1977, Mayapura:

Satsvarūpa: But in most of our temples, the duties are either Deity worship, brāhmaṇa...

Prabhupāda: Brāhmaṇas are available. Why you are bothering about this? Brāhmaṇas are also available, śūdras are also available. Why śūdra should be artificially become a brāhmaṇa?

Satsvarūpa: What will the śūdras do in the big city temple, in all the temples?

Prabhupāda: Why you are bringing our temples? I am talking of the principle.

Satsvarūpa: Oh.

Hari-śauri: The principle we follow. We're just thinking how it can be implemented. You were saying that it should be started in our society.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is a very broad idea. Now we are speaking of some of them, training them. That is another thing. That is small scale.

Hari-śauri: The principle we're following.

Prabhupāda: Yes. In the... For the big scale, this is the required. In big scale you cannot make all of them as brāhmaṇas or sannyāsīs. No. That is not possible. This is a small scale. How many percentage of people of the world we are controlling? Very insignificant. But if you want to make the whole human society perfect, then this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be introduced according to the Kṛṣṇa's instruction, if you want to do it in a large scale for the benefit of the whole human society. Now we are picking up some of them, best. That is another thing. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu said para-upakāra. Why a certain section should be picked up? The whole mass of people will get the benefit of it. Then it is required, systematic. Sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ. Para-upakāra means mass benefit, not there is certain section. Then we have to introduce this varṇāśrama-dharma. It must be done perfectly, and it is possible and people will be happy.

Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: They must hear kīrtana.

Bhavānanda: Always.

Prabhupāda: That must be done.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In New York, because we have the restaurant there, we always have prasāda ready and available for guests throughout the day and evening, full prasādam, because the restaurant facility is there.

Prabhupāda: That is a good facility.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And very respectable gentlemen are coming. You saw, Brahmānanda.

Prabhupāda: Who will not accept such nice prasāda? They cannot get in ordinary restaurant such nice prasāda.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And we give them as much as they can eat. There is no limitation on quantity.

Prabhupāda: They are very glad.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Some of them come for thirds and fourths, regular customers.

Brahmānanda: Then they have a cart that goes on the street and keeps it hot.

Prabhupāda: Distribution.

Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The whole profession is crooked. She told that they have a cure for cancer. There's a cure for cancer. It comes from a natural herb available in South America. But the American Medical Association has forbidden the importation of this herb, because if they import it, then all of their cancer work is finished. And they're making billions of dollars doing cancer research. So they won't allow this herb to be imported. It has no bad effect, but they will not allow its importation. So one of our devotees, Jayānanda, you know he has cancer now.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Oh, he has very severe case of cancer.

Brahmānanda: They say he will die from this.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All over his body these nodule protrusions have come, big lumps growing out, cancerous growths. After Ratha-yātrā this happened. So he went into the hospital, and they nearly killed him in the hospital. Practically they killed him. They put so many tests on him that he was nearly dead. He lost fifty, sixty pounds, he was practically dead. Then when I heard, I got him out of the hospital. There's no purpose. I could understand they didn't know what they were doing. They were just testing. So then he went... He's now in Tijuana, Mexico, and since taking this medicine all of the growths have gone away. Now, how long he will live, that is another matter. But immediately all of these symptoms, outward symptoms, they're gone simply by taking this medical...

Prabhupāda: Herbs.

Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: In Russia also, simply eating meat.

Brahmānanda: Meat and vodka.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Brahmānanda: They have no vegetables available. I read in the newspapers here in India now that Poland, they are putting up a vodka factory. Punjab.

Prabhupāda: What is that vodka?

Brahmānanda: It's a liquor made from potato. So now they're making a factory in Punjab.

Prabhupāda: Punjab?

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So government has allowed.

Brahmānanda: Oh, yes. So they will make vodka here for exporting to Poland because the Polish people like vodka very much. So now they will produce in India.

Prabhupāda: The Polish Embassy is there near our Calcutta for seeing this business going on.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Side by side, we are on the opposite business.

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) Things are deteriorating everywhere.

Room Conversation -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Hari-śauri: You want sweet water?

Prabhupāda: Where is that miśri? No, we have to fight. Devise means, ways, how to fight. That's all. But try to prove that they have no brain. Actually that is the fact. Nobody has brain, especially in this age. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). Mūḍha means one who has no brain. Mūḍha, this word, applies to the ass, because ass has no brain. He works so hard for little grass, which is available everywhere. But still, he thinks that "This washerman is giving me grass." Therefore mūḍha. He'll stand at the door of the washerman whole day, eating little grass, which he can get anywhere. So that is mūḍha. Mūḍhaḥ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam. Bas. And anyone who is a mūḍha, he does not know Kṛṣṇa. So so long we do not know Kṛṣṇa, we shall remain mūḍha-ass. That's the fact. The whole system is to understand Kṛṣṇa. But one does not know Kṛṣṇa, so he remains mūḍha, and therefore all his attempt is baffled. (Bengali) (break) ...speaking that "Everyone who is not a kṛṣṇa-bhakta, he's a gādhā." Do you believe in this or not, first of all? Unless you are firmly convinced, you cannot say strongly. (Bengali) Kṛṣṇa-bhakta naya ei sei gādhā. (Bengali) Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). (Bengali) (break)...must be intelligent. Otherwise how can I say that you are rascal if I am in the same category? So that I was explaining in the morning. Where is your brain? And mūḍha is one who has no brain. (break) Wherefrom consciousness comes? Where is consciousness? What is that consciousness? You have to explain.

Room Conversation -- February 19, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Hari-śauri: That cooking we had when we went to Bhogilal's in Hyderabad...

Prabhupāda: Very nice.

Hari-śauri: ...it was very first class.

Prabhupāda: Very first class. The cook available, but if you cannot manage, what can be done?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhogilal's in Hyderabad?

Hari-śauri: Yes, he has a house there.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He was there also?

Prabhupāda: Cooking means if you have no appetite, it will create appetite. That is cooking, not that simply some ghee and masalā and cook it. No. It is a great art.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: When you went to Hyderabad did you stay with Mr. Pithi again?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Hari-śauri: No, we were out at the farm.

Prabhupāda: No, we were staying, but he supplied his car. But he came to airport.

Arrival of Devotees -- February 24, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yes. He saw me several times.

Rāmeśvara: Franklin and Marshall. He wrote, "I am impressed by Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswami's presentation. His initial chapter is one of the best statements available on the importance of the guru in transmitting spiritual knowledge." They have already taken hundreds of orders for this book, and it will be... It's being printed right now. It's at the printer right now.

Prabhupāda: These two books are very important. (chuckles) Everything improved. (leafing pages)

Gargamuni: Keep showing more.

Rādhā-vallabha: More's coming on the truck.

Prabhupāda: Ramakrishna Mission, in the beginning they asked me, "You be in coat and pant." Otherwise nobody will hear me.

Gargamuni: Ramakrishna suggested Prabhupāda use coats and pants.

Prabhupāda: Their sannyāsīs, they dress in coat-tie.

Brahmānanda: Swami Nikhilananda.

Prabhupāda: Yes, you have seen.

Evening Darsana -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: That is not pure ghee?

Hari-śauri: No. That's dalda.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Pure ghee is...

Prabhupāda: Pure ghee is not available. So at least we can import pure ghee for our own use. If possible, we can sell also. At least for our own centers, food distribution.

Pañcadraviḍa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, when we first got to Argentina it used to be for three dollars you'd get five kilos of butter, or for a dollar you got, like, twenty-four quarts of milk.

Prabhupāda: Australia.

Bali-mardana: No, Argentina.

Prabhupāda: Argentina, oh.

Bali-mardana: There is also many cows... They produce many cows there.

Rāmeśvara: They have the reputation in Argentina of killing more cows than any country in the world.

Prabhupāda: No, because they do not know what they will do except killing.

Room Conversation With Artists and About BTG -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: That is not.

Rāmeśvara: What about the idea that "You do not have to move into a temple, give up your family and everything, but you can actually chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in your own home," that idea that "It is available to you..."

Prabhupāda: No, that chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa does not mean whimsical.

Rāmeśvara: No.

Prabhupāda: Offenseless, he must be properly initiated. It does not mean that he should not be initiated and chant. That is not the idea. You can... Must be initiated, either you are a gṛhastha or sannyāsī or brahmacārī. Not that without being initiated you'll whimsically chant and the effect will be the same. No. You must be initiated. Ādau gurvāśrayam. You must accept a guru.

Rāmeśvara: If you want to sell some product, you may make so many claims, and then the public will buy. So sometimes we quote these psychologists who have done studies that "If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, there are some good effects."

Prabhupāda: Good there is undoubtedly. If you eat something, there will be some effect of eating. But if it is properly eaten, properly made, it will be, have better effect. That is the idea.

Room Conversation -- February 28, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Then in Bombay we shall be very careful.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very careful. Only the best cooks.

Prabhupāda: Not best cook. The best cook is available. Management is not good.

Hari-śauri: We need a very expert manager for that guesthouse.

Prabhupāda: And in Bombay-before we get bad name—then it is lost.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Everything has to be set up beforehand perfectly.

Prabhupāda: If required, we shall appoint professional man and keep everything very vigilant; things are going. Otherwise, once bad reputation—finished, so much attempt.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Our Mr. Chagriya should be able to give a lot of guidance and advice. I spoke with him a few years ago.

Prabhupāda: But he did not. Theoretical.

Room Conversation with Ratan Singh Rajda (Member of Parliament) -- March 27, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Therefore they say something, we say something, he says something. That you manufacture something. But nobody know what is reality. That is the difficulty. Unless you know the reality, to suggest something, "I suggest it," that does not mean it is solution. That is going on, all over the world. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Bahir-artha. The external features, these material features, they are concerned with that. Earth, water, air, fire, mind, intelligence. But they do not know that beyond this, there is another element. Unless you come to that knowledge, there is no question of welfare activities. That knowledge is available in India. India should understand. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya janma haila yāra (CC Adi 9.41). Not only India, but he must be a human being. Not only human being, but also systematic human society. (break) Of course, we are trying to give this knowledge. These American, Europeans, they are taking it. It should be done very systematically, not alone tried.

Room Conversation First Day in Juhu Quarters -- March 30, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Hare Kṛṣṇa. So to finish the whole thing, how long it will take?

Saurabha: For the guesthouse?

Prabhupāda: All temple.

Saurabha: Well, everything that will be marble, I can't say. Marble is very difficult, because people that are available in India, they are from Makrana, Muhammadan people, and they are very difficult to work with. They don't always keep up, they don't always do what they promise. But otherwise, by July, practically, the building should be ready.

Prabhupāda: There is no way to engage them to work properly?

Saurabha: Yes. At the moment I have... It is going nicely. I have been with people in Makrana and about forty people here which is very... I don't think there are many projects in India where they have so many. But there are always things happening. Political sometimes. Sometimes they ask a lot of money. Because they are all related. They are all family members. Like one big family. So if something happens and they are not pleased with it, then they, everyone...

Prabhupāda: So make arrangement so that they are not displeased.

Room Conversation -- April 2, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So offering every day.

Guru dāsa: Yes, that is being done.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Guru dāsa: Do you want me to try and also get the rental of the room in the Nandagrāma temple, the old?

Prabhupāda: It is available?

Guru dāsa: The room is occupied now.

Prabhupāda: Then not possible. Otherwise you could have taken.

Guru dāsa: I can ask though, for the future.

Prabhupāda: Gopāla. Nowadays nobody is... I do not know what is the arrangement, but if it is available...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Probably you could get it. Somebody is probably paying fifteen rupees or twenty rupees a month for it.

Guru dāsa: He is very favorable, Gopāla. He has your old telegram receipts. He saves them. Just like a devotee would save anything you write, he has them also.

Prabhupāda: Did you talk with him?

Guru dāsa: Not about the rooms. I just know him. Because I didn't receive the instructions until yesterday.

Prabhupāda: He formerly offered me that "You deposit in the name of Deity ten thousand," he would give me the Sevā-kuñja. So at that time ten thousand was not..., dream for me. So let him remain as he is doing, but we can do something with. You can improve by repairing and everything.

Interview with Mr. Koshi (Asst. Editor of The Current Weekly) -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: It is very important.

Mr. Koshi: I think we will read out the article when it appears. Could you do that?

Gargamuni: We will bring the article to you. It is coming next week.

Mr. Koshi: Yes, within the next two, three weeks, depending on the availability of space.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So print some of this philosophy that Prabhupāda has been explaining...

Mr. Koshi: Yeah, but have to report it so simply, because our readers may not be able to understand. And I don't know Sanskrit.

Prabhupāda: I am explaining. You have recorded.

Mr. Koshi: I have accidentally stumbled into the...

Indian: That's okay. You are most welcome. You can see the film, because there is no time today. Today they have program, and they are doing every day practically. (telling him to come and he will show him around the temple, etc.)

Mr. Koshi: Okay.

Prabhupāda: Give him some prasādam.

Mr. Koshi: Thank you very much.

Prabhupāda: All right. (guests leave) (end)

Room Conversation -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: All the Veda, all the students for four Vedas.

Guest (1): No, if it is a school, I can give it here in the library for research, because this will be a useful thing. They are not easily available, because published in '64. Originally it was published in 1906. After sixty years they are brought up the cheaper copy for edition by American collaboration. America has given the money. Therefore it is only costing forty rupees.

Girirāja: Are those printed here?

Guest (1): Printed here. Banarsidass, Lucknow or Kanpur. These are the Motilal Banarsidass-Delhi, Varanasi and Patna. And money was given by America(?).

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We read in the papers today that there is talk that Sanjay Gandhi and his mother may run from the country, because the government has launched many investigations into the malpractices of Sanjay Gandhi. So the government has ordered the security on all the borders to be very tight.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All the airports now they are making special security, especially to check any politicians who might try to escape the country, due to being investigated.

Guest (1): Their passports are also taken away. That's what I have heard.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They were, in themselves, the most exalted, and now they are treated as criminals.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: In the Times of India you saw that starlight or side light or something, about Indira Gandhi. In today's paper, Indira Gandhi had gone to a ten-day function at one of the African embassies. She went with her daughter-in-law, and nobody even noticed her. Only fifteen minutes after she left the function did the host realize that Indira Gandhi had come. She went to a party, she stayed there, and she left and the host did not know that "Indira Gandhi is here." That shows how material nature changes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It also shows that actually she had no value, because one who is actually great doesn't lose his value simply by losing an election.

Prabhupāda: Vidvān sarvatra pūjyate. Vidvatāṁ ca nṛpatyāṁ ca naiva tulyaṁ kadācana.(?) She is not a learned man. She occupied the royal seat. That honor was so long there, the royal seat. And who will be honor her?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Her rule was "Might makes right."

Prabhupāda: And anyone who is vidvān, then that will be honored everywhere.

Room Conversation about Harijanas -- April 10, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Brāhmaṇa, gosāis, so-called gurus.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: When has this all begun, this fish-eating in Bengal? This was always going on?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Fish, ninety-nine percent people take fish in Bengal. Only few, they do not. When there is some, what is called, ceremony, fish must be there. (break) And fish is available. Now Bengal is divided. Otherwise, immense fish in Bengal.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: From the east side of Bengal. And rice was coming from there too.

Prabhupāda: So their staple food is rice and fish.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: East Bengal is very wealthy from that point of view. Rice.

Prabhupāda: Pakistan was rich only on account of East Bengal. The pān. Practically it supplies pān to all over India. And betel nut.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's a place that we have not...

Prabhupāda: And milk also produced in very large quantity. East Bengal is rich in vegetables, milk, fish. (end)

Morning Conversation -- April 11, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: I am confident this will go on, provided our men are following the process which I have given to them, following the rules and regulations, chanting. Books they have got sufficient already. Simply have to repeat. You haven't got to manufacture. Any fool you are. Nobody can...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Imagine if you would have had one, that one crore of rupees from that Tirupati, Tirumali, every month they have that money available.

Prabhupāda: Hm? You want to speak?

Upendra: Cannot imagine.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's one and a half million dollars nearly, per month.

Prabhupāda: Money will come. We don't care for these rascals checking. But we must be very sincere. Money is coming, it will come. Kṛṣṇa has given us avenue, these books. We shall sell all over the world huge quantity of books. But they should give us this money, this Tirumala. They are creating anartha, situation which has no utility.

Morning Conversation -- April 11, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "10) The property committee should also be consulted on leases." Up until now, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we have a property committee, consisting of Rāmeśvara Mahārāja, Jayatīrtha Prabhu, Ātreya Ṛṣi and myself. And we have always been consulted on all property purchases. But we now decided that we should also be consulted on property leases. Because leases are also very... They can be very disastrous also if they are improperly entered into. Especially any long-term leases. Of course, they also have to deal through their local GBC, but then they also deal with it practically. "11) It was noted that a total of $630,000 would be available for construction purposes between now and the end of 1977. $300,000 dollars is the minimum required for emergency US loans. This leaves $330,000 dollars for India. Of the $330,000 dollars, $240,000 is required to complete the pledge of one crore to Bombay. The balance should be available for the other projects in India, contingent on the Bombay project staying within its budget. That is $90,000." So this poses a problem which you partly solved already, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Surabhi Swami informed us that the original budget of a million dollars would be not sufficient, but it would reach more like one and a half million dollars. So this means that half a million dollars has to come from somewhere. So Gurukṛpā Mahārāja agreed to send 200,000 dollars. But still there will be a balance of about... Rāmeśvara said there is 100,000 left to send. So still there is going to be a balance of about 200 to 300,000 dollars needed. So we will have to find out where that can come from for finishing this Bombay project. "12) Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja was appointed to oversee the BBT monies sent to India. He will work in collaboration with the Indian GBC." That means when they send money from overseas to be spent here, they wanted me to see that it was properly spent, along with the GBC man of the local temple. "13) It is not the BBT's business to pay for publishing children's books."

Prabhupāda: No, not...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "14) All foreign language editions of BTG will include a section of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam."

Prabhupāda: Hm, that's nice.

Room Conversation -- April 22, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Fifty rupees, twenty-five rupees per mango—who will pay?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Nobody. Of course, here in India they won't be so costly. The most costly ones are selling for one hundred rupees a dozen, so about eight rupees apiece. But then you can get lesser quality, and once the season is more in, then it will be available. But they are becoming increasingly costly. But isn't that an unheard of price? In your childhood I don't think they were that costly.

Prabhupāda: One rupee, dozen.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Phew! Good ones?

Prabhupāda: And later on, '53 or so, we saw, one rupee, half a dozen.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very cheap.

Prabhupāda: So now they are getting fifty rupees. Time will come: even if you pay five thousand rupees, you won't get one mango. That is coming.

Meeting with Mr. Dwivedi -- April 23, 1977, Bombay:

Mr. Dwivedi: Yes, we have got deep wells. And the water of our wells, particularly of the college well, is the best in the area.

Prabhupāda: So let us arrange like that. So... So let us arrange. Let us go there. If it is cooperation available, we take immediately. There is no doubt. Because we want to organize every village. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma. (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Not only your vill...

Mr. Dwivedi: So ours has been an institution, signed and all that. We're carrying things in the majority, but really...

Prabhupāda: So now one thing...

Mr. Dwivedi: ...we are working under the direction of our guru.

Prabhupāda: ...can be said in the meantime, how this property...

Mr. Dwivedi: He started all this. He is my guru. He started this, all the activities there. And we were all working under his directions. When we had our, say, our discussion, if he liked, he said, all right. If he did not like, if...

Prabhupāda: And that should be.

Mr. Dwivedi: ...he advised, "It has to be done this way," then no further discussion in the matter. Everybody would carry out what he said.

Prabhupāda: That is wanted.

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

Prabhupāda: He's a Kanpur man?

Mr. Dwivedi: No. Originally they might be coming from Kanpur, but now from Raipur. He's younger brother of this Vidya Charan, who was Broadcasting Minister. And in fact, even I'll... If I get... One of our workers is already there. I got a letter yesterday. So the principal of the college is going to Bhopal, and if I can contact him somewhere if he is available...

Prabhupāda: Bhopal is the capital.

Mr. Dwivedi: Bhopal is the capital.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We had a big function in Bhopal, my party, for about ten days a few years ago.

Mr. Dwivedi: And then I also desire, as Your Holiness is going, that press should be briefed right from Bombay. Why should I wait from Gwalior... Because I expect some people a few hundred miles off from Gwalior will also be traveling up to meet Your Holiness. So if they know beforehand in papers of Bombay it is better. Therefore I have requested my friend, Mr. Goswami, to give me two or three blocks. If it comes out that way, for our purposes also, he'll need it, and here also I shall try to make correspondence to one or two papers there, that they should ready to send their representatives over there, that way.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Supposing that Mr. Jetthi is not available, do you have some second choice?

Mr. Dwivedi: Then my second choice will be on Mr. Nanda. Mr. Nanda also knows me.

Prabhupāda: Nanda knows me very well. Nanda...

Mr. Dwivedi: He also knows me, and he wanted to start a yogāśrama over there but for himself, and he had a mind.

Prabhupāda: I don't think... If Jetthi does not come, then don't attend from any other.

Mr. Dwivedi: And Jetthi will be best, definitely.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So how can we book our tickets? Supposing Mr. Jetthi says that "I'll come on the 12th..." We don't know. He's the President of India. Supposing his calendar is only available that he can come by the 12th?

Prabhupāda: No, you can conveniently book. We shall wait.

Kārttikeya: No, it is easily bookable, this... For this purpose you go to the Mr...., Central Manager. I know the man.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So my only point is, should we book any specific date until it from, here from Mr....?

Prabhupāda: No, you... Suppose tentatively we accept that we shall start a program on Sunday. In that way you book. So if Jetthi cannot come, then we shall wait. What is that?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: To me it's nothing, but they have to agree at the railway to change the booking.

Prabhupāda: No, no. There is no need of changing booking. We go there.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, oh, we go, and we wait there.

Prabhupāda: Hm hm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, that's all right. I have no... I mean... My point is that the longer we have to book, the better. Not that we change ten days...

Prabhupāda: No. Booking should be accepted any day is available.

Kārttikeya: We'll wait there only.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Talk -- April 25, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Good... He has some... He says they only have pure ghee there.

Prabhupāda: That's it. Very nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And I told him, "Cow's milk?" He said, "Yes, we can arrange." Everything he has. They have basmati rice. He says, "That's all we eat is basmati rice." Nice āṭā, and everything they say...

Prabhupāda: No, their climate is very nice. So you could accept it. If such things are available, now you'll get appetite and your health will increase.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually it's a fact. I remember that when I was traveling in Bhopal, and even in Bihar also—Bihar is similar climate; Bihar is similar—that I got a much bigger appetite in the summertime.

Prabhupāda: Bhopal is better than Bihar.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Better. Very dry. He is known to everyone for many hundreds of miles around. He's a very well known man because he's...

Prabhupāda: No, he is a sincere worker. Therefore he approached me. From Vṛndāvana, Gwalior is very near, within hundred miles. So Viśvambhara can transfer, come, come there to..., to see. Let us first of all settle up. My, this farming program, theoretically there is no comparison. But practically people are accustomed in different way. To bring them to the program it will take some time. Otherwise my program is assured happiness, happiness assurance, if they get... Have your own food grown. Keep cows. Have your own crops. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Evening Darsana -- May 12, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Pradyumna: One who is pramattaḥ... One who is... Pramattaḥ means mad or illu...

Prabhupāda: More than. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa mattaḥ. Mattaḥ means mad, drunkard, and pramattaḥ means more than mad. So generally people, they have become mad after sense enjoyment. Everyone is busy for sense enjoyment. This is material life. And when they are fed up, no more available, so they become tyāgī-frustration that "Grapes are sour." The jackal jumped over to get the grapes, but when he could not obtain it, then he rejects, "Ah, what is use of the grapes? It is sour." So karmīs, they are pramattaḥ, mad after enjoying, and jñānīs, being fed up, they say, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "The world is useless." So this is going on. The karmīs, they want to enjoy this material world, and the jñānīs, they are little advanced. They are... They are fed up, rather. They want to enjoy by becoming one with the Supreme. So there is want. The karmīs want to enjoy this world, and the jñānīs want also. That is demand, mukti. Mukti means to become one with the Supreme Brahman. And the yogis, they want siddhi, aṣṭa-siddhi, aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti, īśitā... They also want. Therefore our Vaiṣṇava poet, Kavirāja Gosvāmī, he says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta: "Those who are after something—either enjoyment of this material world or enjoyment of spiritually becoming one or to have some siddhis—they want something, so they cannot be happy." Because there is demand, "I want this." Maybe I want better thing than you, but I want. I am in need. So therefore those who are in need, they cannot be happy. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta, kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma (CC Madhya 19.149). Kṛṣṇa-bhakta doesn't want anything. Ataeva śānta. So he is... He is satisfied. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: (CC Madhya 22.42) "I don't want. I am fully satisfied." Dhruva Mahārāja, he went to the forest, underwent very severe austerity, and when Lord Viṣṇu appeared before him—"Take benediction, whatever you like"—he said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: "I have no more demand. I am fully satisfied." So this is the teaching. If we want to be fully satisfied, without any demand for sense gratification, then we become happy, and that is available in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye. We don't want. People want money and many followers, nice wife, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu refuses.

Evening Darsana -- May 12, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Prabhupāda: "Let me remain Your servant janmani janmani." Mukti means no more janma. So He doesn't want even mukti. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi. For a devotee, either this life or next life, the business is the same, to serve Kṛṣṇa. So this verse, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma... (SB 5.5.4). People are mad after sense gratification in different ways, so Ṛṣabhadeva says, "No, no, no, this is not good. You have already obtained a material body as a result of your past karma, and you are suffering." Body means suffering. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). "So you have already got this body, and you are suffering. You are again trying to get another body?" Na sādhu manye: "This is not good." Our whole Vedic civilization is punar janma jayāya, to conquer over punar janma. And here Kṛṣṇa gives the very simple formula, janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti (BG 4.9). If we simply understand what is Kṛṣṇa... And what is Kṛṣṇa, for that purpose, we are writing so many books. The scholars, they are appreciating. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa is available very easily. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). But if you want to understand Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ, then we have got so many books. You can read and try to understand Kṛṣṇa. And when you understand kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28), then your life is successful. And karmīs are warned, na sādhu manye: "This sense gratification is not good." Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). Mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani (BG 9.3). This karma means mṛtyu-saṁsāra, again and again. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You have to change this body. You do not know what kind of body you are going to get. Therefore eight..., 8,400,000 different forms of body. Any one of them I can get. So if I lose the opportunity of human form of life and be engaged for some years, say, ten years, twenty years, fifty years, as very big man, and by my action, if I become a dog next life, then my life is spoiled. We should not spoil our life. We should fully utilize. And how to utilize fully, they are all given, direction, in the śāstra. Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary understanding, and if we understand Bhagavad-gītā, understand Kṛṣṇa at least little bit... That is the end of instruction, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). If we have got faith that what Kṛṣṇa says is right... Sarva-dharmān parityajya. That is explained by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, that faith, śraddhā... Śraddhā he has explained.

Evening Darsana -- May 13, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Indian man (1): Mat-para people are very seldom available.

Prabhupāda: No. How do you know? If you do not know what is the meaning of mat-para, how you can say "seldom"? Do you know what is mat-para? Unless you know who is mat-para, how you can say like that? You have no knowledge. Mat-para means a simple thing, one who has fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. That's all. This is very seldom? There are so many. But you have decided, "seldom." Why seldom? Here you see so many young men, our association. They are fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. They do not know anything else than Kṛṣṇa. So why it is seldom? You won't take. That is your fault. Rather, they are coming to you. They are canvassing. But you are so stubborn, you'll not take it. That is your fault. They are canvassing door to door. Why do you say, "It is seldom"? It is very easily available. But you won't take. That is your fault. Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally came, and He canvassed door to door. He sent His men door to door. We are sending all over the world. But you do not come. Mat-para is not seldom. At least at the present moment, it has become very easily available. But you take. That is your fault. (break) Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). That is... Caitanya Mahāprabhu say. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni..., śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. Ānandāmbudhi. Ambudhi means sea. You do not find that the sea is increasing. But this transcendental sea of blissful life increases. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. Very simple thing. You take to śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam and see the result. Why you say it is seldom? It is very easy, but you won't take. Seldom we find the followers. Otherwise it is very cheap.

Evening Darsana -- May 13, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Prabhupāda: So mat-para is not seldom. (laughs) The followers are seldom. But Kṛṣṇa says, mat-para. "If you want to practice this yoga..." Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogam... This is yoga. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). This is real yoga. So nobody's interested. Then what can be done? My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "If one is selling langlam(?), and he's canvassing, 'Please come here. Take langlam. There is no price for it,' then people will not take. 'Why langlam he's distributing free?' " So that is the position. We are going to door to door: "Take Kṛṣṇa." They think, "It is very cheap thing. What is the use? Let us practice some other yoga." Kṛṣṇa says, yoginām api sarveṣām (BG 6.47). We don't take. So langlam is not seldom, but the person who take langlam is seldom. This is the difficulty. Kṛṣṇa says, "By this practice of yoga..." Aiye.

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha

yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ

asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ

yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu

(BG 7.1)

(indistinct) He says, "How you can understand Me perfectly," samagram, "and," asaṁśayam, "without any doubt." So Kṛṣṇa is speaking about Him, which is without any doubt and without any difficulty, in fullness, but who is hearing Him? That is seldom. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa has become very easily available. Namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). Even kṛṣṇa-prema. But we won't take. Is it seldom?

Evening Darsana -- May 14, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Prabhupāda: So this body is not meant for that purpose." You are thinking that you are working so hard, karmī, and big, big skyscraper building and nice motorcar, nice roads. Electricity you have discovered. You are very advanced. Ṛṣabhadeva says, "This kind of advancement..." (break)...motorcar. "Gow! Gow! Gow! Gow!" Therefore He warns, "No, no, no, no. This is not civilization." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān (SB 5.5.1). "So much hard labor for sense gratification? This is not good." Then? What it is meant for? Tapo divyam. So human life is meant for tapasya, self-realization, ātma-śuddhi. Ātmā can be purified from the contamination of the material modes of nature by tapasya. That is real civilization. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam. Your existence will be purified. Now your existence is not purified. Therefore you have to accept birth and death, old age and disease. It is not purified. So here is the chance to purify your existence. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvaṁ yasmād brahma-saukhyam anantam. Brahman means the greatest, unlimited. You are hankering after happiness, but if you purify your existence, then you get unlimited happiness of Brahman. Anantam: "There is no end." Here, whatever happiness you are getting, that is not unlimited. Limited. That limited happiness is available in the life of cats and dogs also. So the human life is meant for tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvaṁ yasmād brahma-saukhyam anantam (SB 5.5.1). So this tapasya can be practiced... Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). You have to render your service to mahat, mahat, mahātmā. And who is mahātmā? Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ (BG 9.13). This is mahātmā. Kṛṣṇa says. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ.

Conversations -- May 17, 1977, Vrndavana:

Indian man (2): Real association place. (break)

Viśvambhara: (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) (Hindi conversation)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is there any good cow's milk available?

Viśvambhara: Oh, so much brāhmaṇa has brought so many cows.

Prabhupāda: He has now kept some.

Viśvambhara: Many cows we have got now. One Dhanañjaya bought, she is giving thirteen kilos, fourteen kilos.

Indian man (3): Milk?

Viśvambhara: I bought it from Dhanañjaya. She is giving thirteen, fourteen kilos.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) (Hindi conversation) And what about that Hindi translation?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That judge is making?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That has to be sent.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) (Hindi conversation) (break) "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." So restaurant is going on in Jalni(?) building? No.

Conversation Pieces -- May 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Swami told me you know it.

Prabhupāda: So why don't you see him?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I was waiting for the Shriman Narayan meeting, but now I think we'll go back and see...

Prabhupāda: There is no... Narayan told... You can say, "This man assured us. Why cannot...? He's not available." So we can take him if he's kind enough to see. "It will be great kind to us." Just simply say.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: "And this permanent residence American give us. Not only us, there're so many other Indians. I was permanent resident. So what is the wrong there? And you can make any condition. Kindly give us this paper." Go and see.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay.

Prabhupāda: Go and see and appeal.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. I'll go tomorrow.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And find out some good confidants.

Morning Conversation -- May 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, Prabhupāda said that we could do that.

Prabhupāda: How you can get it?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: I'm going to New York in a week, and I can try to either purchase it...

Ādi-keśava: It's open.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's still available. We checked.

Ādi-keśava: The building's available now.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Should we not acquire it, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: If you can maintain it, then it is all right. That, you mean to say, that storefront or the whole building?

Gargamuni: The rear apartment or the storefront?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: The storefront as well as the building, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Both storefront and the building.

Prabhupāda: Oh. I, I know that that building was several times changed hands.

Discussions -- June 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Unlimited, we cannot give you money.

Jayapatākā: No, but if we could have fifty thousand more, then we could print the Bhagavad-gītā and a few other covers at one time, which would increase the distribution.

Prabhupāda: That you consult.

Rāmeśvara: We considered it carefully, and Jayapatākā says that if you have more books available at one time, the people will simply buy four, five, six different books. So it will increase the selling and then collection. Therefore he is requesting a loan.

Prabhupāda: Loan, that's all right. Whatever loan you have, let us see how you are paying.

Rāmeśvara: He is already paying the money back to an account that has been set up with him and Gopāla in Calcutta.

Prabhupāda: How much he has returned?

Rāmeśvara: How much have you paid back originally?

Jayapatākā: Only one payment has come through. I paid the first thing.

Rāmeśvara: No, no, no, of the seventy thousand.

Jayapatākā: No. Seventy thousand? We have no debt with BBT. We're paid up.

Rāmeśvara: How much have you paid so far?

Jayapatākā: Since April I've paid twenty-one thousand.

Rāmeśvara: He's already paid twenty-one thousand rupees of it back.

Prabhupāda: So you can take fifty thousand also. If they have returned twenty-one thousand, you can pay fifty thousand, loan more.

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

Prabhupāda: And so palatable.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very palatable. They're quite impressed. Puris, samosās, kacuris... They couldn't dream to come to New York and get these things. Therefore they eat meat. They think it's not available. There's only one other pure vegetarian restaurant in New York.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Besides ours, there's only one other Indian pure vegetarian restaurant. And it's always packed. Indian people want vegetarian. But we... On the other hand, we only get... About one third of our customers are Indian. Mostly we get Americans. The businessmen come and the secretaries, theater people, families.

Prabhupāda: They like prasādam.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, very much. Because vegetarian is becoming now a very popular thing. People are thinking that it is more healthy to eat vegetarian. They call it health food. It's called health food. In fact, they have places called "health food bar." Instead of getting a whiskey, they get carrot juice, like that. People come... They comes sometimes just for one glass of juice. They'll pay dollar and a half, any price. They'll pay anything in America. If you know how to sell it, you can ask any price. Now, this month of June, now the prasādam carts will be doing more and more, all day long, because New York...

Prabhupāda: No, I have seen. They are always busy. Always.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In our New York building we have two elevators. And that impresses people when they come there to see. If you own a building with two elevators in it, it's a big thing.

Prabhupāda: It goes up to the roof.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. And the roof is quite nice. When the viewers see...

Prabhupāda: Very nice.

Conversation: 'How to Secure Brahmacaris' -- June 24, 1977, Vrndavana:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That's it.

Prabhupāda: That is required. But it will be a failure unless they are taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That... Gandhi's failure was there. He did not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because the material civilization means pravṛtti-mārga, and spiritual civilization nivṛtti-mārga. Pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalām. So pravṛtti... Suppose he is in the village. He has to work with plow. And in the city, Goodyear Tire Company offering him twenty rupees per day. So he'll see that "What is the use of working with this plow? Let me go to Goodyear Tire." Then here the business will be finished. That is the position of India. So much land is lying vacant because there is no worker, and all the rascals have gone to New Delhi or big cities. And overpopulation? "Give them sterilization." Here there is no men to work and they're sterilization... How the leaders... And who is leader? Another debauch number one, Gandhi, Mrs.... And she has produced a Sanjay Gandhi. Very precarious si... So there will be no scarcity of simple living and eating. We shall give nice food, milk, and place. So bring student and teach them. Then gradually increase. They will preach throughout the whole world. The defect of the society, modern—the rascals are worshiped. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has given all in his moral instructions. He said, mūrkhā yatra na pūjyante: "Where rascals are not worshiped..." But at the present moment rascals are worshiped. And he says. He was experienced politician. He said, mūrkhā yatra na pūjyante dhānyaṁ yatra susañcitam. "In the society where rascals are not worshiped and food grains are properly stocked..." Mūrkhā yatra na pūjyante dhānyaṁ yatra susañcitam... Another... Dampatyo kalaho nāsti: "And where there is no quarrel between husband and wife," tatra śrīḥ svayam āgatāḥ, "all fortune will come there automatically." Svayam āgatāḥ. You haven't got to pray, "Mother Lakṣmī, please come to my house." She'll come. Three things wanted. You should not give unnecessarily honor to rascals, and you should keep your food grains very nicely, and don't quarrel, husband and wife. Then you become fortunate. Just see. Check how these instructions are there.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Nowadays none of those three are available. There is divorce, there is shortage of food, and all rascals are worshiped.

Prabhupāda: That's it. If there is no quarrel between husband and wife, you can be happy underneath a tree. You know Nala-Damayanti?

Indian man (1): Eh?

Prabhupāda: Nala-Damayanti?

Indian man (1): Yeah.

Talk About Varnasrama, S.B. 2.1.1-5 -- June 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, just like that boy, Dapni, Dapni's(?) grandson. Nice boy.

Prabhupāda: That's it. And if nice children are there in the society, they will become responsible men. Then there will be no disturbance in the society. Everything will go on smoothly. Brāhmaṇa is acting as brāhmaṇa; kṣatriya is acting as... They are both... No quarrel. No animosity. Everyone is cooperating with one another. The whole society becomes peaceful. Family becomes peaceful. The man personally becomes peaceful. Then he will be able to make progress. Kutaḥ śānti ayuktasya. If you are not peaceful, how you can attain? Or if you are not a devotee, you cannot be peaceful. Or if you are not peaceful, you cannot become devotee. But if you can become devotee, you become peaceful. So I have studied practically. Vedic way of simple life is the best. And unless you adopt the Vedic way of simple life, you'll be implicated, material desires. There is no end. The Western civilization, they are after sense gratification, but there is no limit where it will end. The psychology is that everything new. They are changing—"change, change, change." And there is no limit. Where the sense gratification will be satisfied, this much? Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma. Kāmasya na indriya-prītir lābho jīveta yāvatā (BG 18.44). Na indriya-prītiḥ. We require sense gratification—we have got senses—but not for the matter of sense. Just to live. Just like sleeping—we require bedding. And why shall I be dissatisfied if there is no good bedstead and no silk, silver and, or, and this, that, so...? Within my means, whatever comforts are available, I make satisfaction. Why shall I make competition?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's not the purpose of life. It's missing.

Conversation with Bhakti-caitanya Swami-New GBC -- June 30, 1977, Vrindaban:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So you'll take the milk of magnesia.

Prabhupāda: Yes, and little (indistinct).

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. (indistinct) Maybe you'll get immediately, I mean, if you take it before going...

Prabhupāda: No, before going, take out.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Maybe after bed, when you sit up. Nice thing about that is that it's easily available, very common.

Prabhupāda: Phillip's? Phillip's?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Phillip's, yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. (break)

Prabhupāda: I may understand from the village(?) paper, for some vigorous men there is a very good field. You have also come. You have also...

Trivikrama: Yes, I can hear. Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Combine together. What is the difficulty.

Letter from Yugoslavia--'Books!' -- June 30, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's a plant?

Prabhupāda: It is a creeper. It is spread on the hill.

Śatadhanya: Navā means birth.

Prabhupāda: No, not that. Don't go "birth" or "death." It is the name only, punar navā. It is a herb, creeper, and this is the medicine for... It is available here also.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So they should get it here, then.

Prabhupāda: Yes, I have asked him.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Ācchā. "The day ended with a visit to the Philosophy Institute. The professors were in a meeting, and they did not want to speak with me."

Prabhupāda: Just see. The first reception is they do not like to speak with him. Of his bodily feature and language... But the end is good reception.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "But finally I rather abruptly started showing them the books anyway. One chief professor became a little angered and dashed over to me. He started pulling my books out of my case, and he shouted, 'Son, you are pushing us.' But in seconds later he shouted, 'Send us all these books.' "

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Just see the fun. He rushed there and began... And...? It is a humorous.

Room Conversation with Mr. Myer -- July 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That is why we say the stool, this side and that side... After all, it is stool. Somebody says, "This side is better than that side." Stool is stool when in this side or that side. That is going on. Guer ei pitaro(?). But they are so intelligent, they say, "No, no, this side is better. It has dried up." They are rascals like that. It is stool. It is untouchable. It is... On all side it is bad, but they are thinking, "This side..." This is their intelligence. What can I do? But if they consult us, they'll be benefited. We are not going to be prime minister or this minister, that... We kick out. We want to remain eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. We have no such ambition. So read books. Do things nicely. Serve Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection of life. The direction is there, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Mr. Myer: Actually it was available in schools. That is all in first programs. But we changed.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that...

Mr. Myer: See, a lot of here, they made the school(?).

Prabhupāda: Therefore we are opening this gurukula.

Mr. Myer: No, even in the other schools, they must give something about the...

Prabhupāda: You say, "They must give," but who takes, "Yes"?

Mr. Myer: In some school...

Akṣayānanda: That is up to us.

Mr. Myer: ...if we can make some beginning of some sort...

Akṣayānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So you show by example. Bring these brahmacārīs. Teach them, and gradually... Just like our organization not all of a sudden has become so big. I was... For more than one year I was simply loitering on the street of New York like a vagabond. Who was hearing me? Still, I am going once in a month to the ship company that "When your next ship is coming to go to India?" So the manager: "Swamiji, you are coming. When you are going away?" I said, "Yes, I have no business practically here. But still, I want to stay and see if things can be pushed." Therefore I am writing.

Room Conversation about Mayapura Attack Talk with Vrindavan De -- July 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Very good.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrī Hiraṇyagarbha and Śrī Sudarśana in jeweled thrones. This is making the top of the domes. On your Palace there's... The top domes have lotus petals coming under them. So over that will go the domes. This is very big. The devotees are making the whole thing themselves. This shows devotees. See, this is a form, and into this form they'll pour concrete and other things and make shapes like these lotus petals. It's all hand done. "The Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement." This is pictures of saṅkīrtana in Pittsburgh and Wheeling, West Virginia. "Iṣṭagoṣṭhi: Questions and answers discussed between His Holiness Kīrtanānanda Swami and members and guests of New Vrindaban." "Cow-Kathā." (laughter) Like kṛṣṇa-kathā, cow-kathā. "Seeking Refuge from the Kali-yuga." This is from your old Back to Godheads. I remember in the first printings in America this appeared-Nārada-Bhakti-Sūtra. This boy writes an article every week—"Deep in the Woods." He's the woodman there, wood cutter. He tells about different... He relates it to the śāstra. "Color photographs available of Rādhā-Vṛndāvana-candra." They send it in the mail, "Non-profit organization, US Postage Paid." So it goes in the mail just like this. Very nice. I think it's time for your massage, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: I'll take.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. I thought it was good to read all these things to you.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. (break) ...underneath a tree.

Devotees: Yes.

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

Prabhupāda: They're all superexcellent.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "I hope that they meet with your approval. We are now in the process of completing a reproduction of the saṁsāra display for the twofold purpose of museum publicity, a special photograph to be taken by a famous photographer..." It's funny. You told him not to do this, but they went ahead and did it. "...and an exhibit to be displayed at the Los Angeles First Annual Ratha-yātrā festival grounds. This saṁsāra diorama has an outstanding response from the general public, and we hope to make it available to many centers for the preaching work in the near future. In connection with this I had an idea of constructing traveling trailers housing one such exhibit, complete with lights and sound, explaining the process..."

Prabhupāda: Oh, it will be very nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says he wants to make a trailer. Trailer means like a big...

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "...and sound, explaining the process of transmigration of the soul and other philosophical displays from the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā."

Prabhupāda: It will be so attractive.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says, "These trailers could be used to distribute Your Divine Grace's books in many new, inaccessible places. I would like to know if this meets with your kind approval."

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Room Conversation about Grhasthas -- July 17, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That is the system. Temple is meant for retired men. Brahmacārī, sannyāsī, vānaprastha.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So then how we can let them live together, man and woman?

Prabhupāda: But if there is no alternative, what can be done?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hm. No, but there is alternative always. There are available rooms and apartments just adjoining the temples.

Prabhupāda: Then it is all right, but he must be connected with temple.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. That's the principle. Under no circumstance should anybody be independent.

Prabhupāda: Upendra is here?

Upendra: Yes, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: So you have corrected that paste?

Upendra: Yes, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: It has become soft?

Upendra: Yes, it's very soft and moist.

Prabhupāda: That's good.

Room Conversation Gaurasundara, Dr. Kapoor -- July 26, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: And they have learned now. Now they are making better dolls than the Krishnanagar potters. They are very intelligent. The intelligence was not properly used. Now they have got chance. In Bhāgavata it is said, sarasvatī jñāna-khale yathā satī. This knowledge, why it should be locked up amongst the jñāna-khala? In India this knowledge is available, and they should be packed up amongst themselves? Now it is the time to distribute.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: These ones I'm showing now, they will be in a temple which has just been built in Fiji. It's going to be opened in August, and this will be one altar. These dolls are made by our own devotees. These are Deities, mūrtis, for installation.

Dr. Kapoor: Good doll. Very lifelike, huh? I first thought this was your photo.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Just see how they've made these mūrtis.

Prabhupāda: Oh, they have made a statue—I am writing books like this, moving.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Then there'll be... Central altar is Kṛṣṇa-Kāliya.

Dr. Kapoor: (laughing) Oh.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: These are made from a special material for making Deities. (break)

Prabhupāda: Give him.

Room Conversation -- August 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Cottage industries.

Prabhupāda: Ha.

Dhanañjaya: And so these handlooms are available, but along with the looms you must have expert weavers, handloomers.

Prabhupāda: So why you are bothering if you have no expert? You have to find out expert weaver. Why? We are not for industry. Why should we divert our attention unnecessarily?

Dhanañjaya: But you did mention previously that our ISKCON ladies, if they so desire, they can learn.

Prabhupāda: If they are idle, then you can give engagement. Otherwise don't bring engagements. If they are idle—there is no work—give them. Not that you bring engagement and then... We want to be free from engagement, but if there is idle men, doing nothing, give them engagement. Now that we have got so many work. Simply unnecessarily, paid men are there for cutting vegetables. They have got so much... Means management is a rascal. Our men are idle, and they're bringing paid men to cut vegetables and paying two hundred rupees. This is management. First of all, whatever business is already there, engage them. Then bring further engagement. Now he has understood the situation. Do it very carefully. Don't make plan for squandering money. There are so many engagements. They're not doing anything. They're bringing one paid man to do the work. And you are finding out another engagement. Apply some brain.

Room Conversations Bangladesh Preaching/Prabhavisnu Articles by Hamsaduta -- August 11, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: You can get on light.

Abhirāma: So basically he explained when the difficult times will come, according to the planets. Then he made it very clear that beyond the planetary influence, it would be very difficult for calculations for a person in your position. For an ordinary man he can say very clearly. And he can say for you which planets will disturb, but he cannot say for sure how much they will affect, because being a saintly person, there is naturally some resistance to these influences. So he made that very clear, that you should not think that these are final. So he said, according to your birth, the longevity shows very clearly. And then he gave a date. The longevity is eighty-one years, five months and twenty-nine days, which means February 28, 1978, six months from now. This is according to birth and stars arrangement. But on this point he made it very clear that this was from your birth, this was set, but it can change. Due to pious activities, due to the hand of Kṛṣṇa, this can change. So... And then he described that during the next six months, the first week of September, Saturn will pass over Ketu, and it will agitate the influence of Ketu even more. So the first week of September the resistance will go down, will become weaker. Then he mentioned that there may be some trouble from..., maybe financial or maybe from juniors, from subordinates. Then this period, if you can pass, through 1978, then there is four or five more years clear ahead, if you can pass through '78. This was what he said, that after '78 there would be four or five years which would be more or less clear of difficulties. He said that if you can pass through 1978, there after that there would be four or five years clear, without much difficulty. And he said according to birth arrangement, the fatal date is February 28, 1978, in six months. At that time there's what's called the completion of a Ketu mahā-daśā, which began at your birth. But he stressed several times that we should not take these calculations to be final on account of your position. He said these are for ordinary men. He said it is always the case that a man of spiritual advancement will have the ability to overcome his fate. He quoted the case of his father, who was in the Śrī Sampradāya, and he was apparently very pious and he lived so many years beyond his fatal date. And even so many astrologers had given the calculation, but still, he went on because of... He said he would fast on ekādaśī and so many days and so much japa, like that. So he said for a man of your position he could not even say for sure. He said that definitely the hand of Kṛṣṇa would be involved. So like this, he seemed to have a very sober idea. And he was hopeful that the blue sapphire would have some beneficial effect, at least to relieve you to some degree. He thought that by now you should have noticed a little bit at least. (break) ...besides the gem, there is a good Ayurvedic physician. He can also relieve the effects. That they know the art if you can find the proper man. I inquired if there is a proper man in this district. He said he didn't know anyone in this area. He knows of a man in Delhi. I took his address, and I tried to contact him, but I have not yet contacted him. He was not available. However, we have contacted a man... We read the report to you the other night. Tamāla Kṛṣṇa read you when we were upstairs? He was suggesting the pearl and the oxidized gold and bark of Arjuna tree. That man is the chief physician of this big Ayurvedic hospital in Delhi. He's the chief resident physician there. He lives there at the hospital and he's in charge. He has expressed a serious interest in you, and he's a very, very pious man. He wants to come to visit Vṛndāvana. His wife is an Ayurvedic physician, he is the chief physician of the hospital, and there is another professor of Āyurveda. They all want to see if they can offer some suggestion. So on Sunday...

Prabhupāda: Why not bring them?

Abhirāma: Yes. On Sunday we have arranged. They will come for a visit of Vṛndāvana, and they will come to see you, to see if they can relieve you of some difficulty. As far as we could find in Delhi, these are the most reputed men, and they are actively practicing and teaching. They are recognized.

Prabhupāda: Make that arrangement. Yes. On Sunday?

Abhirāma: Yes, on Sunday, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Room Conversation -- October 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: What is that bell?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That bell? It didn't ring four times earlier. (discusses with Upendra) Yeah, there is a bell in the front of the temple which people sometimes ring as they enter. Do you want to hear the purport to this verse? Yes? Purport. There are two sides of the transcendental manifestations of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. For the pure devotees He is the constant companion, as in the case of His becoming one of the family members of the Yadu dynasty, or His becoming the friend of Arjuna, or His becoming the associate neighbor of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, as the son of Nanda-Yaśodā, the friend of Sudāmā, Śrīdāmā and Madhumaṅgala, or the lover of the damsels of Vrajabhūmi, etc. That is part of His personal features. And by His impersonal feature He expands the rays of the brahma-jyotir, which is limitless and all-pervasive. Part of this all-pervasive brahma-jyotir, which is compared to the sun rays, is covered by the darkness of the mahat-tattva, and this insignificant part is known as the material world. In this material world there are innumerable universes like the one we can experience, and in each of them there are hundreds of thousands of planets like the one we are inhabiting. The mundaners are more or less captivated by the unlimited expansion of the rays of the Lord, but the devotees are concerned more with His personal form, from which everything is emanating (janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1)). As the sun rays are concentrated in the sun disc, the brahma-jyotir is concentrated in Goloka Vṛndāvana, the topmost spiritual planet in the spiritual sky. The immeasurable spiritual sky is full of spiritual planets, named Vaikuṇṭhas, far beyond the material sky. The mundaners have insufficient information of even the mundane sky, so what can they think of the spiritual sky? Therefore the mundaners are always far, far away from Him. Even if in the future they are able to manufacture some machine whose speed may be accelerated to the velocity of the wind or mind, the mundaners will still be unable to imagine reaching the planets in the spiritual sky. So the Lord and His residential abode will always remain a myth or a mysterious problem, but for the devotees the Lord will always be available as an associate.

In the spiritual sky His opulence is immeasurable. The Lord resides in all the spiritual planets, the innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, by expanding His plenary portions along with His liberated devotee associates, but the impersonalists who want to merge in the existence of the Lord are allowed to merge as one of the spiritual sparks of the brahma-jyotir. They have no qualifications for becoming associates of the Lord either in the Vaikuṇṭha planets or in the supreme planet, Goloka Vṛndāvana, described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mad-dhāma and here in this verse as the sva-dhāma of the Lord.

This mad-dhāma or sva-dhāma is described in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.6) as follows:

na tad bhāsayate sūryo

na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ

yad gatvā na nivartante

tad dhāma paramaṁ mama

The Lord's sva-dhāma does not require any sunlight or moonlight or electricity for illumination. That dhāma, or place, is supreme, and whoever goes there never comes back to this material world.

The Vaikuṇṭha planets and the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet are all self-illuminating, and the rays scattered by those sva-dhāma of the Lord constitute the existence of the brahma-jyotir. As further confirmed in the Vedas like the Muṇḍaka (2.2.10), Kaṭha (2.2.15) and Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣads (6.14):

na tatra sūryo bhāti na candra-tārakaṁ

nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto 'yam agniḥ

tam eva bhāntam anu bhāti sarvaṁ

tasya bhāsā sarvam idaṁ vibhāti

In the sva-dhāma of the Lord there is no need of sun, moon or stars for illumination. Nor is there need of electricity, so what to speak of ignited lamps? On the other hand, it is because those planets are self-illuminating that all effulgence has become possible, and whatever there is that is dazzling is due to the reflection of that sva-dhāma.

One who is dazzled by the effulgence of the impersonal brahma-jyotir cannot know the personal transcendence; therefore in the Īśopaniṣad (15) it is prayed that the Lord shift His dazzling effulgence so that the devotee can see the real reality. It is spoken thus:

hiraṇmayena pātreṇa

satyasyāpihitaṁ mukham

tat tvaṁ pūṣann apāvṛṇu

satya-dharmāya dṛṣṭaye

"O Lord, You are the maintainer of everything, both material and spiritual, and everything flourishes by Your mercy. Your devotional service, or bhakti-yoga, is the actual principle of religion, satya-dharma, and I am engaged in that service. So kindly protect me by showing Your real face. Please, therefore, remove the veil of Your brahma-jyotir rays so that I can see Your form of eternal bliss and knowledge." (break)

Hari-śauri: ...reminding them that the caukidāra wasn't ringing the bell until it became established.

Brahmānanda: It's been going on for years.

Prabhupāda: After my departure they stopped this? You may take. Where is Akṣayānanda? (break) (bell rings)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hari-śauri? Śrīla Prabhupāda, they just rang the bell now.

Prabhupāda: He is going...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That was the half-hour bell. Before was the four o'clock.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Oh, this is half hour?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Room Conversation -- October 10, 1977, Vrndavana:

Dr. Kapoor: What I mean to say is ask him to treat Prabhupāda or not. But there should be some qualified doctor who stays here permanently for the purpose of checking him out from time to time, because you are all laymen. If there is any complication, you don't understand it. So if there is doctor by his side always, he can check up and say, "This is so and so." You can call any other doctor afterwards and treat him. In the present condition of Prabhupāda it is necessary that you always have some good medical advice available here. So if you had one of the disciples of Prabhupāda... There was one Dr. Batnagar, I think, who retired as civil surgeon of Mathurā, who was here for some time I saw. If he can be help, you can call him, I think.

Girirāja: Dr. Batnagar?

Dr. Kapoor: I don't remember his name, but perhaps Dr. Batnagar. He's perhaps a disciple of Prabhupāda. He at least stayed here for quite some time, and he told me that once he proposed that he would stay here permanently and treat the devotees.

Prabhupāda: Sometimes they recommend hospitalization, and I don't like that.

Visit From Allopathic Doctor -- October 10, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: It will be very nice. (laughter)

Kīrtanānanda: You're just like a little boy, Prabhupāda.

Doctor: Blood pressure should be checked up. Urine should be sent to the laboratory for examination.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Do you have these facilities available?

Dr. Kapoor: He's in Agra, you see. He came here by chance for darśana. Only this morning Prabhupāda and I were talking that he should be called from Agra. Accidentally, when I went to bring the vaidya, I saw his car on the way. I stopped then.

Doctor: I had my desire in my life to see him once, and that God has fulfilled.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Now you should see him a hundred times.

Doctor: Hundred times, yes.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) Bring Deity prasādam.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We're bringing, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Doctor: Tablets... He likes syrup or tablets? Tablets will be difficult for swallowing?

Prabhupāda: Tablet I can take.

Room Conversation -- October 11, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Hm. That is good. That's all.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Many people will come to this community to see how it is done. I think it will become very, very important in many different respects—for farmers, for people who are interested in designing ideal communities, for so many people who would like to live an ideal life, for people who want to come and see a unique place to visit, because there will be a temple of Kṛṣṇa-Arjuna there, a doll exhibit. I think it can be a wonderful preaching opportunity. And most wonderful of all is if we can exhibit self-sufficiency, that simply by farming the land, we can get enough grains, and taking care of the cows, we can get enough good foods to keep the body healthy. We can produce our own clothing. This is very much needed in this age. It's a positive alternative to artificial civilization. And the center will be Kṛṣṇa. All of the different activities and varṇas will be demonstrated, and all the different āśramas will be ideally being lived by the different devotees. People will see everything that they're doing is here but in its pure form and everyone working happily and cooperatively together. Actually, Śrīla Prabhupāda, in order for it to really work you have to come there, to be very honest. I know it will never be there unless you come and stay with us there and just show us and teach us. 'Cause I've seen practically that although everything is already written, Your Divine Grace has had to come and show personally a little bit, "Do like this; do like that." As the ācārya, you have adjusted everything perfectly to suit the situation of the present day and age. No one else could do that, none of your Godbrothers. No one in India could ever do that except you. So you are required. Everything is there, but you are also..., you have to be there. Otherwise I don't know if it's actually possible. And it's very important. You have to get better, Śrīla Prabhupāda. We're prepared to stay with you—all of the devotees feel this way—to encourage you to get better. Our plans are there, we're there, but we need you. You have to be there with us to guide us. I think that this disease is simply Kṛṣṇa testing our actual..., our love for you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, so that we will learn that we fully need you, 'cause actually we do. Everything we've done in this movement you've guided us with. We're realizing that you have to continue to guide us. We're not self-realized. We simply are able to carry out your instructions. So we have nothing else to do but to be with you here until you get healthy again and then lead us. This is our business now—to be with you. It seems like there are so many opportunities now that are beginning to present themselves. When you first went to the West there was nothing at all, and you created a whole world of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And now the public is beginning to actually take a real interest in our movement and people, respectable people from all over the world, are coming forward to want to help our movement. So there's a great facility that's available now even more than ten years ago. So if we've made so much progress in ten years, in another ten years there's no way to measure how much our movement can be expanded. And we're all just ready to follow each one of your directions. You don't have to tax yourself by... You can just talk to us and tell us, and we'll act. And we're very happy. In the meantime, we will give you the medicine of hari-nāma.

Prabhupāda: Hm. That is real medicine.

Room Conversation With Svarupa Damodara -- October 15, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Try... (Bengali)

Bhāgavata: Everyone is eagerly awaiting the new issues of your books all over the world. What to speak of the devotees, the scholars, the professors, the librarians, and just the general reading public who are patronizing your books, literally millions of people all over the world are eagerly awaiting new issues of your volumes. When the news gets out that you are again translating and that the new volumes of Tenth Canto will be available, everyone will be in ecstasy.

Prabhupāda: I have got some letters from New Vrindaban appealing for the books.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Everybody appreciates, even the scientists, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Room Conversation With Bharadvaja -- October 16, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: London, it is...

Bharadvāja: That would be better than Washington?

Prabhupāda: No, Washington, it is also... London, there are many hundreds of tourists daily come.

Jayatīrtha: Right now there's a place available, a lot one block from Madame Tusseaud's in London. We thought that to be in the same area might be a good thing, because so many people are coming to that place.

Prabhupāda: Yes, in the center of the city.

Jayatīrtha: There's a big lot available just one block away. I think you lived on that corner at one time, just across from Madame Tusseaud's.

Prabhupāda: I lived there?

Jayatīrtha: When you first went to London, didn't you stay for some time there? Just in that area?

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Jayatīrtha: So just around the corner there there's one place available.

Prabhupāda: No, that is occupied.

Room Conversation -- October 17, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: News from Bombay? (break)

Girirāja: ...activities are going on. Haridāsa promised that he would, you know, maintain the collections for maintenance. So he's doing that with the help of one or two other boys. And I asked about the attendance at the morning and evening programs, and they wrote back that the attendance at the morning program is very good, maṅgala-ārati and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And it's fair attendance in the evening. And then the construction is going on. It's in the final stages. And then you probably know we had a meeting to discuss the plans for the opening and the management of the new guesthouse and restaurant and theater. So I think the plans are very good. Actually last night we were discussing that the cullis pieces which go on the top of the domes, that those are ordered in, I think, brass or copper like here. But those become black very quickly. So we decided that we would try to plate them in gold. So we had also decided that we would not try to have more men donate for rooms, because we want to make sure we have enough rooms available for outside guests that might be coming. So some of the big men who might have donated for that, I could approach them to get donations so that we could gold plate... (break) So we decided that we want to open around January so that we could take advantage of the facilities immediately, so that the building doesn't lie vacant for two months.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Subhasya(?) śīghram. As early as possible.

Room Conversation -- October 18, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They agree that the disease is the same. They understand what the disease is, and they both agree on that. But as to treatment, Dr. Gopal seems to be more aware of the more modern and up-to-date discoveries that science has made than Dr. Ghosh. Dr. Ghosh is aware, more or less, of things which were available ten or twenty years ago.

Bhavānanda: We can go and see Dr. Gopal this morning.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhagatji said Dr. Gopal is his close friend. He can bring him here once a day if necessary.

Bhavānanda: And explain to him that you've had some restless reaction to this medicine and get his opinion and new diagnosis, new medicines, if necessary. And for your liquid intake, if you can take just four glasses of Complan in one day, plus some juice now and then, it won't be so much, so many times you'll have to be bothered. They all recommended that Complan is the very best.

Prabhupāda: Hm? What?

Bhakti-caru: Complan, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It's a drink, beverage, like Horlicks. I gave it to you last night.

Bhavānanda: Is there some bad effect to it that you feel, Śrīla Prabhupāda, when you take that?

Prabhupāda: Not yet, but when it becomes mucus.

Bhakti-caru: That's not milk, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Hari-śauri: Complan is milk-mixed. At least there doesn't seem to be any mucus this morning, and this is a full day now since you took that chānā.

Prabhupāda: The chānā was nothing. So? What do you want to do now?

Bhakti-caru: Should we make you some Complan now, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and some chānā?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We've been giving him Complan for a month. Four times a day is too much.

Bhakti-caru: No. In the morning with some warm drink.

Prabhupāda: You give me Complan.

Room Conversation -- October 21, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Great amount. You have to appoint two, three more printers.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Gopāla says that the problem is not the printers, because they have offset presses, so to them, to print ten thousand, twenty thousand, fifty thousand doesn't really make much difference. The real issue is that he only had a certain amount of money up until now to work with. Now, if he gets more money available, he can easily print more books.

Prabhupāda: Money is there.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. That was his point up until now, because once you have an offset press, it's just as easy to print fifty thousand as ten thousand. It doesn't really change their situation so much.

Prabhupāda: Money, there is no scarcity.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. (pause)

Prabhupāda: Why kīrtana has stopped?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Why kīrtana stopped?

Prabhupāda: Tired?

Upendra: No. They are hanging on for every word you say, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hanging?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They were eager to hear your words.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Hm.

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: I think he can have the... I do not know.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I also do not know the procedure. (break)

Vrindavan De: The 7th November is the last date to confirm them, and I shall be going back by 3rd or 4th of... Of course, tickets available. I shall send my man to Delhi, and he'll arrange everything about books supplying and so on.

Prabhupāda: How much you have got?

Brahmānanda: How much you have got?

Vrindavan De: That money? Or that...?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Generally how much cash do you have?

Vrindavan De: Cash? At present? Only ten thousand, eight thousand or nine thousand, something like that.

Prabhupāda: So arrange to give him that 47,000.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's 43,200. But I mean...

Vrindavan De: No, you'll get the money back by 10th or 15th April.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, that's not the point. The problem is that how we can get... I don't know if this... I mean I'll do it, but I'm thinking that we're jeopardizing our position as a... I mean this money is not a privately owned money.

Prabhupāda: No, no, the Society cannot.

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Vrindavan De: If I get it on 2nd. Because tomorrow's ticket may not be available or day after.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Let us see what I can arrange. How you want to go? By Toofan?

Vrindavan De: Yes. That can be... But I was feeling most uneasy in the air-conditioned chair car, because the outside climate was very cold, and inside was very cold the whole night.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So Toofan would be better? Kalka Mail is better.

Vrindavan De: Calcutta from Delhi.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So?

Vrindavan De: Then where should I stay in the night? It leaves at eight o'clock in the morning to Calcutta.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Stay at our temple.

Vrindavan De: Toofan is better I think.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If available.

Vrindavan De: As this Mail from here, Mathurā.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So where to get the...? I don't want to get the tickets from Mathurā. I want to get the tickets from Delhi. That is my point. I will arrange to purchase a ticket from Delhi.

Vrindavan De: But where can I stay in the night?

Prabhupāda: Or you can go by plane. We shall pay.

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Vrindavan De: There was no tickets available before 10th or 11th.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: To where?

Vrindavan De: To, by Toofan.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, Toofan is hopeless.

Vrindavan De: Even by Calcutta.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, but we'll get from Delhi side. That was pūjā time.

Vrindavan De: First I got a ticket on 30th.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If I don't get the ticket by train, then I'll book a plane ticket.

Vrindavan: Train is... And I'm not a man of that position.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. Let us see. If necessary we'll... In any case we're paying for your..., always, whenever you come to see Prabhupāda. So let us first try for train, and if we see that...

Prabhupāda: That we can pay.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If we see that there's no trains available, then we'll book a plane.

Prabhupāda: Or you can book a plane, accordingly. You can return immediately.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You send your telegram. (break) Well, I consider him as a Godbrother.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Hm? Oh. Give him some fruits.

Upendra: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Either whole fruit or...

Upendra: Either...?

Prabhupāda: Whatever is available... (Bengali) (break) Tamāla Kṛṣṇa? Where is Tamāla Kṛṣṇa?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) I am asking to come to Māyāpur, and he has agreed. So today give him twenty-five.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Thirty-five.

Prabhupāda: Twenty-five.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Twenty-five. Okay. Remember that Gītā Pratiṣṭhāna conference? So it's starting tomorrow. I just happened to notice Mr. Rāma-Kṛṣṇa Bajaj is here and Śrīmān Nārāyaṇa is here. So probably tomorrow they'll want to come and see you.

Prabhupāda: Where they are beginning?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're all staying in the guesthouse.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (chuckles) (pause) Do you want to hear some of the newsletter? It says here... This newsletter is written by Rāmeśvara. It's especially meant for encouraging book distribution, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It says, "Later on in the morning, Prabhupāda sent for Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Prabhu and explained to him that he wanted to print as many books as possible. 'My point is,' Śrīla Prabhupāda said, 'that I don't wish to keep money in the bank. Invest in printing.' So in this way, although... Then Prabhupāda went on, referring to Harikeśa Swami, after he presented six new hardbound German books to His Divine Grace, 'He is very intelligent boy. My Guru Mahārāja is so pleased. He used to say whatever money is there was to be used for printing books. He was so happy to print books. So you do it all very nicely. I printed my books, and now you do it. These are first class and there is no defect. German printing is very favorable. This is all right. Thank you very much.' It says here, 'Harikeśa Swami told Prabhupāda that now he has to become more healthy to finish the Bhāgavatam. Prabhupāda replied, 'Healthy? I have nothing to do with this body. I have to do with the spiritual world.' Bhagavān prabhu mentioned to Prabhupāda how many books his zone was distributing. They are trying for twenty thousand big books in one week. Prabhupāda was very encouraged and told him, 'Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī will give them all blessings. He wanted this very much.' An hour later Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja was in the room and told Prabhupāda that they had printed 100,000 copies of Kṛṣṇa book in Portuguese. Prabhupāda said, 'Thank you very much. Printing of books is our life force.' Prabhupāda looked through the books and again he asked, 'How many published?' When he heard 100,000, 'Oh, how they are selling, and what is the price? Very good collection? Print more books. This is life. This material body—only bones. So go on and this is life. We are not concerned with bones and stones. Our concern is the living force. The living force is actually sustaining these bones. Bones are not life. Print books as I have shown the way: half again for printing and half spent for propaganda as you like. In this way go on.' Then he turned to Jayapatākā Mahārāja and asked him if he was doing that. He told him, 'Whatever propaganda is needed, you go out and spend, but print books and distribute. Whatever English books we have got, if we translate into Bengali, you have got enough stock.' Jayapatākā Swami replied 'Yes, we have got a treasure house,' and Prabhupāda said, 'In this way, in all languages, distribute. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.' " It says here, "Prabhupāda is translating the Third Volume of the Tenth Canto, and Volume Two is now just being printed and will be available for shipping to all temples on November llth along with a new book written by Śrīla Prabhupāda called the Teachings of Lord Kapiladeva. Fifty thousand copies of each volume have been published."

Prabhupāda: Fifty copies?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Fifty thousand.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śatadhanya: There's also some news from Māyāpur. Seventeen of the Muhammadans, those Muslims, they have been arrested. Now they're released on bail, but they were officially arrested in Māyāpur. And also Jayapatākā Mahārāja says that the site where they are thinking of building that big temple in Māyāpur, some land has just become available for sale, about fifteen bighās of land. And it ranges from fifteen hundred to twenty-five hundred rupees per bighā. So Jayapatākā wanted me to tell Your Divine Grace.

Bhavānanda: Fifteen bighās, that's five acres.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So why not purchase?

Bhavānanda: Right where the, where we want to put the temple. It must be a group of men that the prices vary per bighā.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Why not purchase?

Śatadhanya: Jayapatākā Mahārāja is very anxious to purchase that land. It's exactly where the site for the big temple, at that location. Fifteen bighās.

Prabhupāda: Whether he can purchase?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Whether he can purchase? If you don't go to Māyāpur, Śrīla Prabhupāda, all of Māyāpur will come here to be with you. Now, if you get a little stronger, we can go.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Running down the road? (laughter) Śrīla Prabhupāda, shall I continue with this report? Another thing that's beginning to happen is that the professors, after getting your standing orders and after teaching with your books in their courses, they are starting to become very friendly to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For example here is one example cited. He says, it says here, that "Daśaratha Prabhu went straight to the chairman of philosophy who happens to teach in that field, and that chairman also bought a copy of Monograph 2..." which is Svarūpa Dāmodara's science books; these are also becoming important, "...and promised to review it. During this time, Śeṣa was meeting with Fritz Blackwell, an Asian language specialist who has used Kṛṣṇa book in his course as a textbook and has known devotees for four years. Fritz's exchanges with Śeṣa were so intriguing that we shall simply list them one by one. The two passed in the hallway, not knowing each other, but later, when they met, Mr. Blackwell said, 'Oh, I knew you must have been with ISKCON. No one else would be so nicely dressed.' Śeṣa had corresponded with Mr. Blackwell previously and sent him copies of 'The Hare Kṛṣṇa People' and 'Spiritual Frontier' movies to review for a special national survey of audio-visual materials on new spiritual movements. Fritz related that ISKCON's response was the quickest among his many suppliers for the project, and when he told his wife the Hare Kṛṣṇas were the first to send their films, she simply replied, 'They would be.' Śeṣa acquired advance copies of Mr. Blackwell's reviews on the two films, which we'll enclose with this report if possible. Introducing Mr. Blackwell to the Readings in Vedic Literature prompted him to say, 'I will definitely use this in my course next year.' He also agreed to send a review by December. Fritz told Śeṣa, 'It's amazing that you've come today. We're just going to start our study of Kṛṣṇa tomorrow. Can you come and speak in my class?' Śeṣa immediately complied. Fritz introduced him as an authority and personal colleague, so the students listened attentively and took notes. Śeṣa used slides to supplement his academic glorification of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Interested, the students asked many questions such as 'Why is Kṛṣṇa blue? What is prasādam?' Fritz was very pleased with the whole thing and gladly helped Śeṣa make arrangements to get another Caitanya-caritāmṛta standing order in the library." They already had one order, and they got another order. "On the same campus, Śeṣa sold a preview order..." Anyway, then they sold some more books. That's just an example of the way professors are beginning to be more and more helpful, and they're actually becoming devoted to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They've been very much impressed with the Library Party. The Library Party devotees come in suits with ties. They look very proper. They're scholarly. The books are the most prestigious, scholarly presentations of the philosophy available. And these people, they first ordered the standing order. Now they're ordering course textbooks. And now they're starting to teach your books in the courses, Śrīla Prabhupāda. They're preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness right in the classrooms. So automatically, when the see the devotees, they are very much attracted and friendly with our devotees. They want to take prasādam. So the scholars, who are the most intellectual community in America, are becoming devoted now to Your Divine Grace and this movement.

Bhakti-caru: Śrīla Prabhupāda? (Bengali) (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Should I read this letter? It's from Tuṣṭa Kṛṣṇa Swami.

Prabhupāda: You have read already.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, that was Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa. This is Tuṣṭa Kṛṣṇa, from New Zealand. He says, "Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda..." (break)

Prabhupāda: When you gave me that milk?

Bhakti-caru: This morning, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: What time?

Bhakti-caru: Quarter past eight.

Room Conversation -- November 7, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Softly. (break) Kavirāja says that he has so many nice patients he will not leave. So how he's treating now?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I have not inquired about that, Śrīla Prabhupāda. His point was that they depend upon his presence for treatment. That means that even if they were to die because he was not personally available to treat them, he did not think that it was very much important in comparison to treating Your Divine Grace. Because they are materialists, so whether they live or die does not affect anything so much. But because you are a great transcendentalist, your presence means that so many thousands of people can be saved. How are you feeling, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Not so good. I am passing stool.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We'll bring that to his notice.

Room Conversation -- November 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Mm.

Jayapatāka: So then doesn't seem proper to put you by the gate.

Prabhupāda: No, not by the gate. There is ample land. Or in Māyāpur, that will be very nice. Mm.

Jayapatāka: This kavirāja assures that by taking little milk frequently during the day...

Prabhupāda: I will take milk. Milk is available everywhere. (laughter) I shall take little milk and sleep, that's all. If I live, that's all right. If I don't live, that doesn't matter.

Bhavānanda: Very nice program. We can all accompany you at different times of the month.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Not very many, but you can come and go back.

Jayapatāka: Which holy places you would like to visit, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: India is full of holy places.

Jayapatāka: Kṛṣṇa-līlā, Mahāprabhu-līlā.

Prabhupāda: And gradually you go to Māyāpur. Is someone here?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Room Conversation -- November 13, 1977, Vrndavana:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: And use for Kṛṣṇa whatever available...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think if we fix up vehicles very nicely, that will be nice. Will that be all right, Śrīla Prabhupāda? Is that all right?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Lokanātha: And most of the holy places are connected with good roads. During our preaching we also visit holy places. When they're on the way, we pass through them. And if we travel not very fast, with good drivers, it won't be much...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhakti-caitanya Swami is the fit driver for your vehicles, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Is that all right? I know he would want to come. Is that all right, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's expert, Bhakti-caitanya Swami. He knows how to arrange everything also.

Jayādvaita: These vehicles can supply electricity so that when you stop...

Prabhupāda: Purchase at least four vehicles.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Four what, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: At least four vehicles.