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Curtain (Conversations)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Miss Rose: Oh, yes! I told a lot of people. You know, Swamiji, the first time when I heard about 95 Glenville Avenue, the first time, a woman told me that, she says, "You know," she says, "gypsies, we have neighbors, gypsies on the street." "Gypsies! I haven't seen any gypsies." Well, I put my shoes. I went downstairs. I went to the door and I start reading. I says, "This is spiritual. This is beautiful. This is spiritual." I forgot right away. So she came to the door, Jadurani. She came to the door and she said, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," and she said, "Come in." I came in and she started talking to me and that's... I got started. So when I seen her, I said, "That's not gypsies. That's not gypsies." And I explained it to her. "Oh," she said, "I seen the curtains in the window," she said, "and I thought they were gypsies." "Oh, well," I explained it to her. "Oh," I says. I let her have it, there was no gypsies there. So she used to see me coming down to got to the temple. So nice, yeah? Do you like that place, Swamiji?

Prabhupāda: Which place?

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 6, 1971, Calcutta:

Prabhupāda: Mosquito?

Devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: Oh. (laughter) Many, many? Without mosquito curtain you cannot sleep.

Devotee (1): No, we can sleep. At Advaita Bhavan there's a fair amount of mosquitos at night, but there's not so many that you can't sleep without a mosquito coil burning.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. (break)

Devotee (2): The rats in Hawaii are not so big as the rats here. They're only about this big, the body.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversations -- April 22, 1972, Japan:

Prabhupāda: The rule is that one and a half hours before sunrise. So that you have to make, when the sunrise, then just one and a half hour before, maṅgala-ārati.

Sudāmā: So that's when the ārati begins, when the curtains are opened and we start offering.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Sudāmā: One and a half hours before sunrise is when the ārati begins. Then you wake them up before.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Just waking, ārati begins. And you can offer something.

Bhānu: We should offer the plate after the ārati?

Morning Walk Conversation -- September 28, 1972, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Nature, they cannot even challenging nature; they cannot understand the nature. And behind nature, there is God. So what they will understand God? They cannot understand the curtain by which God is hidden, and what they will understand God? This is a curtain. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya

yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). Mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni (BG 9.4). Just like this planet, this universe, everything is resting on Him, but He cannot be found. Just like if you sit down on this chair, on this bench, I can see the bench you are sitting. But this whole universe is floating on something, but you cannot see on which it is floating. You are so limited. This universe is floating on water, just like (indistinct). Yaḥ kāraṇārṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga-nidrām anantam aśeṣa-bhūtam, viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi (Bs. 5.47). Each and every universe is coming out of the pores in the body of Viṣṇu, Mahā-Viṣṇu. Just like an infected person, he distributes infection by breathing. Is it not?

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation With David Lawrence -- July 12, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: "I am in material world."

Śyāmasundara: We get letters from all over the world addressed to George Harrison care of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Temple London. (laughter) From Poland, from behind the Iron Curtain even. Russia, China, every place, they send.

Prabhupāda: And he has mentioned my Bhagavad-gītā in my name also.

David Lawrence: Yes.

Prabhupāda: In the in...? What is that?

Śyāmasundara: In the insert, in the record insert.

David Lawrence: Yes. In fact, when they picked up my copy of the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, which was on my desk, two or three boys immediately said, "Ah, that's on the George Harrison L.P."

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- July 31, 1975, Dallas:

Brahmānanda: What about we go and have the āratik first?

Jagadīśa: Yes.

Brahmānanda: And then after the āratik, the curtains can be opened. Then Prabhupāda could speak. And after speaking, give out the beads. Because we have to... (break)

Satsvarūpa: Can we go now?

Jagadīśa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: (in car:) Why money? "No. Because I will be able to satisfy my senses more and more." This is the whole civilization. They have no other aim, no other ideas. "How to get money?"

Morning Walk -- August 25, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That we want. Jaya. (kīrtana in background)

Brahmānanda: There is still fifteen minutes, Prabhupāda, before the curtains open.

Prabhupāda: So we can begin our... Curtain opens?

Dhanañjaya: The gates open at 7:30, in forty minutes.

Prabhupāda: So we can have our other function?

Dhanañjaya: Yes, Bhāgavatam class.

Harikeśa: Guru pūjā?

Dhanañjaya: Guru pūjā. (break) (end)

Morning Walk -- October 3, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is always there, but yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ. He does not know Kṛṣṇa on account of being covered by the curtain of yogamāyā. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). But we can make them all happy by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if they follow our instruction, even in this material world. Pūrṇaṁ sukhāyate. Full happiness we can give them if they follow our principle.

Cyavana: They have so many doubts.

Prabhupāda: What is the doubt? Doubt means they cannot drink, they cannot continue slaughterhouse, they cannot continue brothels. That's all. This is their doubt, that "How these things will be maintained? This is our life." That is doubt, and that is the difficulty. As soon as we say, "No this," oh, they are in danger. Even Marquis of Zetland, "Oh, it is impossible to give up. This is our life." There is the difficulty. Otherwise, there is no difficulty. They cannot think of, especially the Westerners, that without these things one can live. So many, our disciples, left. Rāyarāma left: "Oh, Swamiji is denying the preliminary necessities of life." This is the preliminary necessities of life: illicit sex, meat-eating, drinking, gambling. They cannot think that a man can live without these things.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 24, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Sinful activities, duṣkṛtinaḥ. Vikarma. Therefore they will be punished in different forms of life. Therefore we find so many species of life, forms of life. This is punishment. But māyā's curtain, they are thinking, "We are happy." Just like this tree is a punishment, but it has no sense that this is punishment.

Guru-kṛpā: Thinks he's happy.

Prabhupāda: Standing happily for five thousand years.

Guru-kṛpā: Drinking only water.

Prabhupāda: If you are asked to stand here for five hours, you'll feel most uncomfortable. But they are standing for five thousand years, no uncomfortable. This is punishment. Punishment is there, but unaware. So everyone is like that. Anyone in the material world, they are being punished in different degree, but unaware. That is māyā's grace, that although he is punished, he cannot understand.

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

Prabhupāda: No, no. Curtain.

Rādhāvallabha: Curtain, oh. Close?

Hari-śauri: Shut it now. Shade, the shade.

Rāmeśvara: I showed Richard the "Hare Kṛṣṇa People" movie that Yadubara made, and Yamunā mātājī made some prasādam for him to taste. So he's gotten some introduction already.

Richard: OK. You came here not too many years ago. Did you ever expect that it would grow into what it has over the years?

Prabhupāda: We came in 1965.

Morning Walk -- July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So I think we got to do something next year.

Prabhupāda: Get a mosquito curtain. That's all. Get a mosquito curtain. In India everywhere there is mosquito. I think in your country also.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, yes, many mosquitoes. They are also in Florida, many mosquitoes, when it rains.

Prabhupāda: Tropical climate, there is mosquitoes. (break) That is falls?

Hari-śauri: No, it's just a ravine.

Room Conversation with Scientists -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Rūpānuga: Yes, he comes on this side of the altar and blows the conchshell. Is that all right? It should be behind the curtain or in front of the curtain?

Prabhupāda: Behind the curtain?

Rūpānuga: He should blow it behind.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: No, what he does is, the pūjārī comes out while the other devotees are there, behind the curtain, and then blows the conchshell.

Prabhupāda: To make the sound audible? But there is no harm.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Inside. But this disturbs something to the whole scene, because he has to remove the chain and cross it and then...

Prabhupāda: No, no. Why? There is no need. No need of crossing the chain.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation: Animals' Expertise -- April 28, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes, when they bite, you can kill, according to laws of nature. But on the whole, you cannot kill.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You cannot invent means...

Prabhupāda: Therefore mosquito curtain.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prevention.

Prabhupāda: Prevention is better than cure. They are meant for that purpose. God has made. So instead of killing them, you protect your... But if you are in the service of the Lord, you are not responsible.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One great Vaiṣṇava was putting the... There were maggots eating in...

Prabhupāda: And that is also story given. Do not believe.

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

Prabhupāda: I think this cooler keeps the whole block...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, it does. It does. I keep the wooden doors separating your room and my office open, and my room is quite cool. Only a curtain is there. Air blows through.

Prabhupāda: So let it go on like that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually—of course you don't want it—but if that other one is also turned on the whole bottom floor will be very cool. And the kus(?), when they put that in—all these windows will have kus—then you will not know that you are in summer season. In fact, you won't even want to go upstairs at night. It'll be so cool down here. Of course, upstairs is good because open air.

Room Conversation -- October 10, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Is it cloudy?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, Śrīla Prabhupāda, it's not. It's clear weather. The sun is shining. It's hard to tell, of course, through these curtains and through the windows.

Prabhupāda: Who is there?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's Upendra Prabhu. He's cleaning up your room for you. He's cleaning the floor nicely. He put fresh flowers. Somehow you have to be able to eat something, Śrīla Prabhupāda. That's the... At least in my mind it's perplexing question which I don't know the answer to. In all these events I have to face the reality that I'm simply a completely bewildered fool. I know you have to... If you're to get better, you have to be able to eat something. I don't know what to suggest, though.

Prabhupāda: You bring some milk. That's...

Room Conversation -- October 12, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: You replied to Mādhava Mahā...?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I'll reply it in your name, telegram from you in your name. I'll do the needful. Should I close these curtains or leave them open?

Prabhupāda: No harm open.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No harm open. Should I open the window? Get some fresh air, morning air? (break) (Bengali conversation with Niṣkiñcana Kṛṣṇa dāsa) (end)

Room Conversation -- October 13, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So the place is cleansed or not?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. Place is... They are still putting the electrical wires. But otherwise, we have decorated the inside with curtains, so everything will be nice also. We're cleaning the other hall for serving the prasādam.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And all of the guesthouse rooms, Śrīla Prabhupāda, have been vacated for the scientists. The whole guesthouse is ready to receive them, and all the rooms have been cleansed freshly. It's ready for them. Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja is here, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja?

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...arrangements have been made. First I saw where they are taking prasādam, first class, all long tables in a big room, long tables, tablecloths, and proper plates, knife, fork, spoon. Perfect for them. Nice fans, very gorgeous-looking curtains. Everything real...

Prabhupāda: So why...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...proper.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Elegant.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very elegant. All the scientists who are attending, they're dressed a little informally. But our men are very formal. They have the ties on. Everybody has a badge. All the people who are attending have a special badge mentioning the scientific conference's name and the individual person's name. That's in one place. Then in another room is the conference room. It was the room where we were going to have the bank there. Really big room with fancy backdrop. Some decorator has come and made a very fancy backdrop with a big... There's a long table and podium with microphones and very nice seats. In the dining hall all the seats have special white linen cloths over all the chairs. Very fresh looking and clean. And in the other room it's very cool. There's curtains so that the sun can't come in, and now there's a big yajña going on.

Room Conversation -- October 26, 1977, Vrndavana:

Ātreya Ṛṣi: This is very, very nice weather now.

Brahmānanda: Yes, it's beautiful weather, fantastic weather.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We will make a palanquin, special palanquin, you see, which will have a bed in it. It will be very nice. And it will have curtains. When you want, the curtains can come down or they can come up. And it will be full length, so you can recline very comfortably. And we will make a camp. We will go by foot all the way.

Prabhupāda: Very good idea. If I die then, it will be a great luck.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And if you live it will be also great luck.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Jīvo vā māro vā.

Trivikrama: For us it will be greater luck if you live.

Prabhupāda: Yes, I want also. What is that?

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Nayanābhirāma: I just cut it out.

Upendra: And we'll show it to Rajiv. They've gone to take prasādam just now.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Just make it dark. (sound of curtains closing) (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...for getting a little more clear purposes of the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust we're developing at Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. Would you like to hear what we have written?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: "First point: To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to the residents and the visitors of Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. Second point: To propagate the consciousness of Kṛṣṇa, as it is revealed in Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and to propagate that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, as is revealed in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and the Caitanya Bhāgavata. 3) To bring all the members of ā together nearer to Lord Caitanya and thus develop within humanity at large that each soul is a part and parcel of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. 4)

Room Conversation -- October 30, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Ah. Jaya. (more Bengali conversation) What is that?

Śatadhanya: Well, this is the Bhāgavata-darśana in Bengali.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali conversation, with devotees showing Godbrothers various news-clippings, books, etc.) (break) Just get the curtain and try for urine. You read.

Śatadhanya: Yes, Prabhupāda. It's set, Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)

Room Conversation -- November 7, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Immediately?

Bhakti-caru: No, whenever...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? You want to rest now? You've been talking for a long time. You want kīrtana or not now, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Soft.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Soft kīrtana. Shastriji? You can close curtain? (kīrtana) (end)

Page Title:Curtain (Conversations)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:04 of Jun, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=23, Let=0
No. of Quotes:23