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Couple (Conversations)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1967 Conversations and Morning Walks

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Hayagrīva: What is His age? I just want to keep checking on this, His age now. Is He twenty, in His twenties still?

Prabhupāda: No, no. He took sannyāsa at twenty-four. Say twenty-five, twenty-six years.

Hayagrīva: Couple years later. All right. Because time is an important factor. You have to keep track of the time in the play.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He toured, after His sannyāsa, He toured all over India for six years only. That means up to 30th year He toured all over India. And from 30th year to 48th year, 18 years, He constantly remained at Jagannātha Purī. He used to chant in the temple and meet His visitors.

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview -- February 1, 1968, Los Angeles:

Interviewer: You spoke of initiation. What is that initiation?

Prabhupāda: Initiation means formally acceptance of the line of activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Before that, before initiation, we invite everyone to come and sit down with us, chant, dance, take prasādam, hear philosophy. And if he understands, "Oh, this is very nice," then he offers himself to be initiated. Then we accept. Then we impose this restriction that "If you want to be initiated..." We get hundreds of letters by everyone who has attended our classes. Daily we are getting some married couples or boys and girls, but most of them are younger. My students are within thirties. The oldest student I have got at the present moment, he is twenty-eight years. No, Kirtanananda is about thirty years old. That's all.

Room Conversation about Marriage -- September 24, 1968, Seattle:
Prabhupāda: So similarly, amongst the gopīs also. So in the spiritual life there is nothing like this sex pleasure. And the more we forget sex life, that means we are advancing in spiritual life. So this should be the attitude, that women, Godsisters, they should be nicely treated so that they may not feel any... After all, they are weaker. That should be our policy. Anyway... And if somebody agrees to marry, oh, that is welcome. There is no objection. Marriage is allowed. And so many married couples, they are very nicely living. Those who have gone to London, they were not married in the beginning, and I got them married. Similarly, here also, Harṣarāṇī and others. In New York also, Balāi dāsī, Advaita. So if the boy and girl agrees to marry, it is very nice. There is no objection. If not, they should be given all protection. Is that all right?
Room Conversation about Marriage -- September 24, 1968, Seattle:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So that's what I told her. It's very difficult to have brahmacārī and brahmacārīṇis all the time together.

Prabhupāda: No. This is not possible. Because brahmacārīs, they are young men, and they are young girls. Naturally, there is dis-turbance to the mind. Yes. It is just like putting butter pot on fire. That is stated in the Bhāgavata. Nanv agni, pramadāgni ghṛta-kumbha-pāyaḥ pumān. Just like fire. (chuckles) Fire is a woman, and man is just like butterpot. It is said. Therefore they should not keep together. (laughs) Just like there are some labels in medicine and some..., "Keep away from fire." Huh? (chuckles) "Keep away from fire." So brahmacārīnī and brahmacārī is not a very good combination. But married couple and some brahmacārīs, that is nice. So this girl is married, but she is separated.

Room Conversation about Marriage -- September 24, 1968, Seattle:

Prabhupāda: There was no force. There was no force. Only proposal. That's all. When it was proposed before me, I also said, "It depends on the choice." So anyway, go on with your work, saṅkīrtana movement you have started. It is very nice. And it is being responded. So increase it. If simply brahmacārīs can do it, that is best.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We would all like it that way. We would prefer it that way.

Prabhupāda: Or married couple. If some girls want to go, then she may marry somebody. That will be nice. Of course, in your country there is no such restriction if unmarried girls go with you. But if she is married, that is better. So you make your choice in that way. So she is going? This girl?

Press Interview -- December 30, 1968, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: In different branches. I have got about thirteen branches. Some of the disciples are working in London. Yes, they are doing very nice. They are all married couples. I got them married. Yes. I got them married. They're young boys, all within thirty. My oldest disciple he is 28. Otherwise 25, 24. At most 30. And similarly, girls, you have seen this girl. You see. So I get them, make them happy in married life. Their mentality is... They are not after so-called puffed-up life. They can live very simply with the least demand of bodily necessities, but thinking very high of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So I am very hopeful that even I die... Because I am old man, 73 years old. I may die at any moment. But I am now assured my movement will go on. These boys will carry it. That, my mission, is in that way successful. I came here with this idea, that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be started from America.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- London, August 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: They're asking us for pūjārī?

Śyāmasundara: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: So why not take charge?

Śyāmasundara: At the Hindu center, didn't they ask, a couple, "Come and live there, be pūjārī," and...? I was hearing that.

Prabhupāda: But we cannot become pūjārī...

Śyāmasundara: Under their, under their direction. That's the trouble.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1973, Los Angeles:
Prabhupāda: To live in the society of devotees and to become puppet of the predecessor ācārya. This is success. So we are trying to do that. Kṛṣṇa consciousness society and serve the predecessor. That's all. Harer nāma harer nāma... (CC Adi 17.21). (pause) People will come. People will appreciate our propaganda. It will take some time.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They are appreciating more now than a couple of years ago. Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- July 11, 1973, London:
Prabhupāda: Just like we are also living within a room, gṛha. But we are sannyāsī. What is the difference between gṛhastha and sannyāsī? He lives with his wife. Gṛhiṇī gṛham ity āhuḥ. Gṛhiṇī means "the wife is gṛha." So if the wife is favorable, devotee, then there is no use of giving up family life. That's all. We have got so many married couples. Just like this boy. He's married. His wife is there. They are favorable. Both husband and wife, they have dedicated life for Kṛṣṇa. So it is very nice. It is not that he has to become sannyāsī. No. Why? There is no necessity. Gṛhe vā vanete thāko. Either you become sannyāsī or gṛhastha, the life must be dedicated for Kṛṣṇa. That's all.
Room Conversation with Sanskrit Professor -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: That is the difficulty.

Professor: Yes. But this gentleman told me that he is married, for instance.

Prabhupāda: He is married. So we have got so many married couples.

Professor: Your wife is here?

Yogeśvara: Yes.

Professor: In the same society?

Yogeśvara: Yes.

Professor: And in the same...

Prabhupāda: She also translates.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 23, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: (break) ...competition even Kṛṣṇa. Krishnamurti's competition even Kṛṣṇa. You know that?

Dr. Patel: No, I didn't know.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Patel: Krishnamurti, I read a couple of books. He said that nothing, everything...

Prabhupāda: Does he say anything about Kṛṣṇa?

Dr. Patel: Yes, he does say.

Prabhupāda: What does he say?

Dr. Patel: He says the Kṛṣṇa's all names are all, God is also His name. Because the God, it is Kṛṣṇa.

Morning Walk -- April 10, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...the universe, Kṛṣṇa may have another devotee like them. If there is another universe, why not another couple? There is everything another. Because we are limited, we want to make Kṛṣṇa always limited. How it can be? We should always remember Kṛṣṇa's inconceivable omnipotency. (break) ...know how many thousands of couple are there because Kṛṣṇa's, that birth is going on every moment. Therefore it is called nitya-līlā, in this universe immediately born, that that birth, that pastime, is again immediately manifested in another universe. He has grown old two days; so the same form again in another universe. The same example. Just like 6:30 AM on the sun, solar calculation, immediately in another country, 6:30 AM. Is it not?

Morning Walk -- June 12, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Therefore... Yes. And not only kicked out. Who knows that he has been given a different body, maybe cats and dogs? So what is the value of this creation? Suppose I create this building, and on account of mentality, nature gives me next body a dog, and... Then what is my profit?

Yogeśvara: Yeah, there was that man who came to see you a couple of days ago. His argument was that we can't really say for sure because it's not perceivable that we will take a dog's body. But at least this is something we can understand. Here's something, a nice accomplishment.

Prabhupāda: But you understand, but you can understand also that you'll be kicked out. Don't you understand this?

Room Conversation with Professor Oliver La Combe Director of the Sorbonne University -- June 14, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Bhaumāsura, Bāṇāsura, Bāṇāsura. The picture, where is that picture, find out. Bāṇāsura. Bāṇāsura was appreciating, "Oh, very nice couple." But he had to challenge, "Why you have entered my palace and talking with my unmarried girl?"

Bhagavān: Yes. This is the Kṛṣṇa Book that Śrīla Prabhupāda has written. It is a summary of the Tenth Canto. And all these paintings, these are done by our artists in New York.

Room Conversation -- June 20, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: Sex life, married couple, that is alright, not otherwise, that is sinful.

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, just this objection was that in this statement of Bhagavad-gītā doesn't clearly say no reason you should not have sex life outside of married life, they say they state religious principles, but this is...

Prabhupāda: Religious principles means married life, otherwise cats and dogs. What is this? If everyone has without any limitation sex life, then what is the difference between cats and dogs? Religion means you are not cats and dogs because religion is in the human society, not in the cats and dogs' society.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Guest (1): No, I don't have any personal thoughts about it though. But I think if a woman thinks that she is not suited as a mother...

Prabhupāda: Then why she has sex?

Guest (1): Well, in this present world I think, you know, sex is not for procreation, it is more for fun. I think ninety-nine percent of the couples who indulge in sex do not think of children at that time.

Prabhupāda: But that is sinful.

Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Guest (1): But Swamiji, while the family norm here in the western countries is 2.3 children per couple, we still have a family norm of about six children per family. You know I think there are a lot of cultural factors that are...

Prabhupāda: No, that shastric injunction is, that is spiritual restraint. Therefore one should train himself when to have sex life or when to become father, when not to become. That education... Not to become like animal, dogs and cats, whenever there is sex desire, we must have. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā, it is said, dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi.

Room Conversation -- April 4, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: They, they're not real communists. Real communist we are. Actually see. All people from all parts of the world, professing different religions, different path of life. Still they are joined. This is natural. Kṛṣṇa community.

Devotee (1): So this war... You mentioned a couple of minutes ago that this war almost broke out once before when America aimed all of its weapons at India. So it could happen at any time. It could happen very shortly then.

Prabhupāda: That war was also Russian instigated. This war, last war between Pakistan and India, was practically between India and Pakistan, uh, yes...

Room Conversation with Alcohol and Drug Hospital People -- May 16, 1975, Perth:

Guest (2): I don't quite understand that. Did you say that illicit means sex between people who are not married?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Sex is allowed only married couple. And that is also only for begetting child.

Guest (1): Married under what law? Under what religion? Under what religious law?

Prabhupāda: There is in Bhagavad-gītā, that dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi. Find out. You can come here and read.

Morning Walk -- May 21, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Just see, foolishness. But at least somewhere there is no equal right in the lavatory. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (Greeting someone) I have received your letter, you can see me. (break) (Conversation continues in the car) This too much intermingling of woman means the path of hell. Therefore the restriction is that only the married couple can freely mix, not others. Mahat-sevāṁ dvār... That is the defect of the modern civilization. They are not interested associating with devotees. They are interested associating with man or woman, that's all. Woman is interested to associate with man, and man is interested to associate with woman. Yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam.

Morning Walk -- July 1, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: Where in Massachusetts?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Amherst area. Then another party is in Michigan, another party in Illinois, another party is in Washington, in the state of Washington. There's a couple of others.

Prabhupāda: So his parties are working more. And book selling is going on?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yeah. This past month we sold nearly five thousand big books.

Prabhupāda: Oh?

Morning Walk -- July 25, 1975, Los Angeles:

Rādhā-vallabha: Well, for example, you may see that living beings are reproducing geometrically. One couple produces two children, those children each produce two children, so in that way it appears that the animal population should be increasing geometrically. And we can see that...

Prabhupāda: Who made that geometric?

Rādhā-vallabha: This is all just going on.

Prabhupāda: Ah, accident. (laughter) That's all.

Room Conversation with Professor Olivier -- October 10, 1975, Durban:

Prof. Olivier: Perhaps I can give you one or a couple of application forms that you could post to one or two people if they’re interested to apply. But this would be...

Prabhupāda: The Hindu community, I think they will accept us. I don’t think they will deny.

Prof. Olivier: But this would be a wonderful opportunity to bring the essence of Hinduism because from what I gather here from what you have said, this is not only the essence of religion from here but it is also the essence of Hinduism.

Prabhupāda: Yes. The essence of Hinduism is Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.

Room Conversation -- October 21, 1975, Johannesburg:

Guest: ...all the potential audience, and I'm hoping we'll see the documentary. So it's just a couple of questions I'd like to ask you, if I may? And if I can record them, we can have them typed out. I hope my little tape recorder works.

Prabhupāda: You sit down. Actually ours is not in search of truth, but we are presenting the truth as it is. We are not searching out.

Morning Walk -- November 21, 1975, Bombay:

Mahāṁsa: Where? Only in Madras there is now.

Prabhupāda: No, the government is now thinking of seriously, to stop. If the government simply prohibits these four things—meat-eating, and drinking, gambling, and illicit sex—the whole country will change immediately.

Mahāṁsa: A couple of months back there was an article in the papers that the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is going to ban all gambling activities.

Prabhupāda: That is very good.

Morning Walk -- December 3, 1975, Vrndavana:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Jaipuria does not allow any foreigners at all. They don't allow any foreigners at all, even if somebody is decently dressed.

Akṣayānanda: One boy came a couple of weeks ago. He had long hair. But the next day he came back and shaved up. He's a devotee now. He's doing nicely.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 14, 1976, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: But, sir, there are some beggars here in Bombay who have got one and two lakh rupees. You have read the railway(?) story about couple of beggars. They rounded up, and they had money.

Prabhupāda: No, I am also a beggar. I am also beggar.

Dr. Patel: That is not.... You are a rich beggar.

Prabhupāda: Millions of dollars.

Morning Walk -- June 9, 1976, Los Angeles:

Hari-śauri: They put that warning there so that no one can sue the city authorities if someone is killed if the cliff falls apart.

Prabhupāda: Therefore not many people come here. (break) ...animal kingdom, by nature's arrangement, the couple, one male and one female, is fixed up, fixed up, this one female, one male. But amongst the monkeys, dogs and jackals, there is no fixed up.

Hari-śauri: Anything that comes along.

Prabhupada Visits Palace and Garden -- June 22, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Somebody's staying here?

Kīrtanānanda: Yes, Bhāgavatānanda and a couple of the other construction members stay here. (break) This is the way it will look when it's finished—the balusters and the brackets supporting the sunshade. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...When God is there, within the heart, He'll give you, "Do like this." Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ yena mām upayānti te. If one is sincere to serve the Lord, the Lord is situated in everyone's heart, He'll give him, "Do like this." Teṣām evānukampārtham aham (indistinct) (BG 10.11).

Prabhupada Visits Palace and Garden -- June 22, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Kīrtanānanda: ...can be seen in one direction at least a couple of miles away, several, no, three directions. This is the capital that will go in the courtyard here in the assembly area. On those columns, this will go at the top.

Prabhupāda: Very nice. Thank you. This is plastic?

Kīrtanānanda: This is what they make the mold from. This one is in plaster. Now they will cast more. Below that the...

Prabhupāda: They can do Deity also, they can.

'Life Comes From Life' Slideshow Discussions -- July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: That's all right, we differ in the time. You say millions, billions, and we say seven days.

Vipina: But they'll say that it's able to happen in a couple of days because it's taken billions of years.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The basis of their philosophy is that there's no intelligence behind it, therefore everything is chaotically going on, and by possibility it develops. But our philosophy is that there is intelligence, it can immediately happen.

Prabhupāda: We see practically. The egg theory, we can see practically. It doesn't require millions of years.

'Life Comes From Life' Slideshow Discussions -- July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Distribute this prasādam. (break) Janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam (SB 1.2.7). Vairāgya and jñāna, both thing will develop, Vāsudeva. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Take prasādam. Give him twice, he has worked very hard. (laughter) Double, you should give double. So Kṛṣṇa will bless you. So push this scientific movement, go to every university, every college. How they are receiving now in the college circles?

Sadāpūta: We gave a lecture a couple of days ago in Gainesville, and it was interesting. We actually gave a couple of TV interviews.

Prabhupāda: How they received it?

Sadāpūta: Well in the class, at first the professor said "That's completely fallacious." But he quieted down.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they will say like that, "fallacious," but you have to make them down. (laughter)

Interview and Conversation -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Janice Johnson: Why is it that the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement has in the last couple of years attempted to make itself a little bit more respectable in the public's eyes by having members wear street clothes and wigs and so forth, while they are soliciting?

Prabhupāda: By nature it is very important movement. Therefore those who are intelligent, they are taking serious interest. We have got so many books. Perhaps you have seen. They are being accepted by the learned circle all over the world. University, colleges, professors, they are reading our books, placing standing order, and we have got relationship, especially with educated circle. They are trying to understand the importance of this movement.

Interview with Newsday Newspaper -- July 14, 1976, New York:

Hari-śauri: In the evening Śrīla Prabhupāda goes to bed at ten o'clock and gets up at eleven-thirty to begin translating.

Interviewer: You just sleep a couple of hours, then?

Prabhupāda: No, one and a half hour.

Interviewer: That's it?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Of course in daytime I take rest two hours. So in this way altogether about three to four hours. Our philosophy is not that you sit idly and God will send everything, no, not like that. We know God will send everything, still we work. Without God's sanction nothing can come. But we must be qualified to receive the favor of God. That is our philosophy.

Room Conversation -- July 26, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: Creek water?

Bhagavān: Underground. It's very nice. Very tasty and light. It's not heavy water.

Jayatīrtha: It's a fact that on the whole, this farm is a wonderful place. I was there a couple of times. I very much liked it.

Prabhupāda: Spring water?

Bhagavān: Yes.

Prabhupāda: All right, let us go.

Evening Darsana -- August 9, 1976, Tehran:

Parivrājakācārya: We've got a couple of guests.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Nandarāṇī: Thank you.

Prabhupāda: Come on, bring. Come here, forward.

Parivrājakācārya: This is Ali. He has helped me translate one article on vegetarianism. He's very qualified in that area.

Prabhupāda: Our...He'll understand English?

Parivrājakācārya: Very well.

Prabhupāda: Our mission is not to make the nonvegetarian as vegetarian. That will automatically be done. Our mission is to teach people how to love God.

Arrival Conversation -- August 13, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Keep in the bag everything.

Hari-śauri: Yes, they're all in the bag there somewhere. A couple weren't labeled. This is here.

Prabhupāda: Everything all right?

Indian man: Very comfortable journey?

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) There was no water. All over Europe there is no cloud. No water.

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: So explain the situation to them.

Mahāṁśa: What happened a couple of times before over here was that some devotees became very passionate, mistreated a few village people here, these laborers. At that time many of the village people, from the villages, they came and they were protesting and they made a big scene about it. One of them was Caraṇāravinda, who created a very...

Prabhupāda: No, Caraṇāravinda is eccentric.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Gurudāsa: Yes. Whatever is possible. So there's a couple of other points. Number one—because you were speaking about the devotees becoming like Rāvaṇa on the roof, we're doing our own cooking. I have our own men. And one assistant cook I hired for a hundred rupees. This assistant cook is a very nice man.

Prabhupāda: Very nice.

Gurudāsa: He's so submissive.

Prabhupāda: I can cook my food in fifteen minutes, in so many varieties.

Room Conversation -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: You are not attending Kumbha Mela. You are going to Delhi from here.

Jagadīśa: I'm thinking about going to Kumbha Mela first, for a couple of days.

Prabhupāda: Anywhere, this is our main program. Print books as many as possible and distribute. This is our main program. All other programs are secondary. So with this aim in view, work all together. Our Caitanya-caritāmṛta is unique literature.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Hari-śauri: So, say like one point now that's coming up more and more is that these married couples, the women want a divorce or get another husband.

Prabhupāda: But we should not implicate.

Hari-śauri: So we cannot encourage divorce.

Prabhupāda: No. We do not meddle matters in that way very much. That is a sideline.

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Yogeśvara: No, my personal conclusion after a few weeks there is that either there should be a traveling party doing that part of the subcontinent... Otherwise, if there is a gṛhastha couple with some experience, we could have an information center in this one house. Because it's not expensive. Living there is very cheap. There is good foodstuffs and rent is not expensive.

Prabhupāda: Now, this house, we can continue to live there?

Yogeśvara: We can continue to rent. Rent is only $175 a month, including utilities. So it is not at all expensive.

Prabhupāda: And it is a very nice house.

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Hm. And the girl can speak in the local language. She may also...

Yogeśvara: She can speak in the language. She'll be all right as long as she has some good association.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Yogeśvara: That means, perhaps, a gṛhastha couple, so that there's some girl for her to be with. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...not married. Better if she would have been married. So there is no candidate for marrying her?

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Preaching work is meant for the sannyāsīs, not for the married persons. Sannyāsī and brahmacārī, they go... (microphone rattling) Married couple also go... Generally it is meant for that. So if you have got sufficient men for preaching work, so you can make one center here and traveling...

Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So we are thinking to bring one of the cooks here to learn for a couple of months.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Because the Indians will come like anything to the restaurant if it is nicely prepared foodstuffs.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They want delicious spices.

Room Conversations -- February 20, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Oh. "Unfortunately, after seven-hour stopover in Tokyo, they lost my reservations on my connecting flight. That, coupled with the fact that after arriving last night I find they've sent my belongings to Bombay, so I am waiting until the evening for the flight from Bombay when I get my trunk. I shall try to hire a taxi directly to Māyāpura. I would come now but I have absolutely no personal clothes or anything. Please tell Prabhupāda that I am due this evening. If not, then I shall ask the Calcutta devotees to care for my luggage and I'll proceed immediately."

Evening Darsana -- February 24, 1977, Mayapura:

Jayatīrtha: We need about half that size, but bigger, nicer temple and meeting hall. We can rent out for weddings. People are paying five hundred pounds a day for renting just one room, a big room, and they can't get sufficient rooms in London. So they told us that they could book for two years in advance at five hundred pounds a day every weekend, Saturday, Sunday, for a wedding hall. If we can arrange to do the wedding for them, then they'll pay us an additional couple hundred pounds. There's a lot of..., so many Indians there.

Prabhupāda: Yes, there are Indians there.

Jayatīrtha: Lot of scope. They're coming to like our movement very much there now also, respecting. There's no more complaint. Before, there were some complaints.

Room Conversation -- April 10, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Especially now, anyway, if we do this tīrtha traveling, then it will be difficult. That will be very nice. I think that I can start to make up an itinerary, that... There is a couple of devotees who have traveled a lot.

Prabhupāda: Now you try to manage the whole world organization and all GBC men. Suppose I am not there. Manage very nicely. Independently. Not to create havoc. But really to manage. I am still present; I will give you direction. Don't spoil it. We are in very good, prestigious position. That is sure. Don't spoil it. So much hard labor. I started with very humble condition. Now it has come to this, such exalted position. You don't spoil it. That is my request.

Conversations -- April 19, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Nitāi. This is an article previously published in Back to Godhead, written by Nitāi a couple years ago. "Part Two: A General Description of ISKCON's Spiritual City in Māyāpura. A Short History of ISKCON Māyāpura." It gives a description of their history. "When one of the first American devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON, heard in 1970 from the Society's Founder-Ācārya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda..."

Prabhupāda: Everywhere there is founder-ācārya's name, but not a single line...

Discussions -- May 20-22, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda will come and he'll sit in front of Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma every day for a couple of hours, and he's calling some of his, all the devotees here. They'll be here. No... Perfect medicine.

Prabhupāda: No, he's calling all the GBC, all the GBC.

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

Akṣayānanda: He's been looking at all our management and giving very good advice. The first day he was helping me on the devotee side. Then, for the last couple of days he was looking in the guesthouse side, and...

Prabhupāda: The guesthouse is filled up with these women and children?

Akṣayānanda: No.

Prabhupāda: Then? It should be...

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

Bhakti-caitanya: I will pay in two installments. I will pay...

Prabhupāda: But that...

Bhakti-caitanya: I will pay seven thousand...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bhakti-caitanya: Or couple of... What I was wanting... If we will make our Delhi office, from all the BBT payments we will make a conserving of that collection from there, and from there we can supply books all over north India, no problem. And I have a little bit brain to expand it, and I have seen, experienced, since about six months. I don't have any help from anyone except your blessings. So I was trying my best, and I am successful. I can... You can see our work.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So what is that?

Room Conversation With Son (Vrindavan De) -- July 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We are going to consult some other texts to get the full picture.

Prabhupāda: And what is from Bhāgavata? The sun movement?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's just like there's a couple of things that we want to get very clear. Like it's described that one of the axles...

Prabhupāda: Uttarāyaṇa, dakṣiṇāyana. This Sumeru Mountain... So six months, northern side; six months, southern side.

Room Conversation Mayapura attack -- July 15, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Every middle-class man could hold some festival, and society feast very occasionally. Now cannot, they cannot even receive a guest.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. In fact the government for a while had passed a law that prasādam could not be served to any more than so many people, such and such amount of people. They were prohibiting. I remember a couple of years ago we were trying to get āṭā or something, and they said, "Oh, no, you cannot have any big meetings where you feed people. We are short of things, so you cannot." "Food shortage," they said.

Prabhupāda: So they are eating. That means you want to keep people starving.

Room Conversation -- October 6, 1977, Vrndavana:

Kīrtanānanda: Everything is going very nice, Prabhupāda. Your palace is almost finished. Already many, many people are coming every day to see it. At least thirty a day are coming just to see your palace now, and it's not even finished. But it will be finished in a couple of months. People are talking... One lady the other day, she went in and she turned to one of the boys and she said, "I cannot tell you what I am feeling. It is so wonderful. I just cannot express it."

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is wonderful in that quarter. Hm. Let us see which palace I am going. (break)

Room Conversation -- October 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: And then again...?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Then there are some critical days in the following month. At the end of this month there's a couple of critical days, and then in the next month there's two or three, and in the following month there are some. The whole period is not very bright-looking.

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It is first class. There's no doubt about it. I also got him a plane ticket. I sent a man to Delhi today, and we got the reservation. So he'll be leaving Vṛndāvana tomorrow morning at about 9:30, 9:00-9:30. So I told him that he should come and see you. He'll come in the morning to see you. He was... A couple of time you were sleeping today, so he could not come. Otherwise he was wanting to come.

Prabhupāda: So you guide him with his...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes. I told him that you want me to help him in every way, and that there's no doubt we will do that in every way.

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Huh. If he agrees to stay a couple more days, we should take advantage of that to give you more time to gain strength. Not that we're overly eager to rush out of here. Our plan is that we want to go where he is, that we want you to remain under his treatment. That is our point. If he was willing...

Prabhupāda: No, no, if after all he wants to go, why not leave earlier?

Room Conversation -- November 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I met him at Bhaktivedanta Manor, Śrīla Prabhupāda, when we were there. He came a couple of times, very nice gentleman. He's working without any salary. Simply he asked for a room, and he wants to devote his life. Real gentleman. He's more British than any Britisher I've ever met.

Prabhupāda: Forty years?

Girirāja: Well, he's about, I think, sixty years old now. And when he was a young man of twenty he was the aide-de-camp of the viceroy. And I think he was also the secretary to the governor of Punjab when it was under the British.

Room Conversation -- November 6, 1977, Vrndavana:

Jayapatākā: Yeah, so then consider. (break) ...his birthday was a couple days ago, and then he invited us. So I sent two brahmacārīs to his āśrama for his birthday celebration.

Prabhupāda: His temple is completed?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: His nātha-mandira?

Jayapatākā: I didn't ask, actually. I think he's a year older than Śrīla Prabhupāda? Or two years older.

Prabhupāda: At least one year. I want to develop Gauḍa-maṇḍala. So in yoga-pīṭha they could not build even a darśana-maṇḍapa in fifty, sixty years. So we can construct a, what is called, hall.

Page Title:Couple (Conversations)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Serene
Created:08 of Dec, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=60, Let=0
No. of Quotes:60