Prabhupāda: Here he is. Generally you are preaching here, preaching nice?
Pṛthu-putra: Oh, yes.
Prabhupāda: You know French?
Pṛthu-putra: Yes, I am from France originally.
Prabhupāda: So what is your new publication?
Bhagavān: So I have a big surprise.
Devotees: Whew! Wow! It's fabulous! Wow!
Prabhupāda: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Hari-śauri: This will make Rāmeśvara very envious.
Bhagavān: This is special. This is on all volumes.
Prabhupāda: Oh, how many chapters?
Bhagavān: Up to chapter nine.
Prabhupāda: Oh, First Canto.
Bhagavān: Half of First Canto.
Prabhupāda: Yes, twenty. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī...
- kṛṣṇe sva-dhāmopagate
- dharma-jñānādhibhiḥ saha
- kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣa
- purāṇārko 'dhunoditaḥ
How many copies you have printed?
Bhagavān: Twenty-five thousand.
Prabhupāda: Already on sales? No.
Bhagavān: No, these are the first few.
Prabhupāda: Oh, accha.
Bhagavān: There's a preface by a very famous professor. He has spoken very, very highly.
Prabhupāda: Read. What does it say?
Pṛthu-putra: (translating) (sic:) "The classical induries(?) based on sacred scriptures from which the eighteen great Purāṇas has a central place. These vast poems, their character give theologic teaching is giving all the knowledge of the Veda, and in the substance of the Purāṇa there is the face of the Indian populations. While reciting them in the temples and the preacher are giving commentaries in the assembly of devotees, which is called sankīrtana. This teaching read to the chant and dancing on the glories of the Lord Bhagavān. Amongst all these Purāṇas, the most famous is the Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, called Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, because this literary form is achieved the most beautiful, and also because it's the poem which is expressing the best the doctrine of the faith that Sri Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person, Purusottama, the principle of everything, the absolute unique without second, advaitam-brahman. Like in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord reveals His majesty in plain. Much more than an avatara of Visnu, He appears in our eyes like the unique God. Towards Him all devotion is due. The French people are honored to have, from the beginning of the nineteenth century, to have the first edition of Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, but from long time already this work of the great Beurnuf"—that's the man who translated Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in nineteenth century in French—"is the reason why we have to thank very much the association, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, to give us that very big text, one of the master book of the humanity. This book is very benefic, and with the translation of the Sanskrit there is a commentary, the majestical commentary, which is given verse after verse by the master, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, founder of the association. As he did it with the Bhagavad-gītā, which was published in French in 1975 with the preface of a Professor Harvi Delacombe, Swami Prabhupāda explains word by word each mantra -stanza or sacred text-before to give a signification. Then the reader can judge every pieces, what is the meaning of the teaching of the master by confrontation with the text itself..."
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Pṛthu-putra: "And there is also an index and some notes which are giving the work much more easy for the reader, even the profound. This teaching took its root in the teaching of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that prophet of Kṛṣṇa's. His preaching in Bengal in Orissa in sixteenth century is again appear deeper for the devotion to Bhagavān. Srila Prabhupāda is descending in the disciplic succession, direct vamsa, from Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His first disciples, the famous Gosvāmīs. It is a considerable advantage for the French public to have these volumes where there is a vitality manifested from one of these past pantha, which are the most followed by the followers of the Hinduism. We hope that there is a large distribution of this tradition and commentary of the Bhāgavata-Purāṇa. Anyone who is interested in the life of India can find the authentic teaching, spiritual teaching authorized, and can also have access to one of the most beautiful religious poem from the Hindu tradition." This is the.... It's wonderful.
Prabhupāda: Yes, very good.
Jayatīrtha: What was his name?
Pṛthu-putra: Jean Vardin
Bhagavān: You met him several years ago, two years ago, when you were in France.
Prabhupāda: Yes, I met one...
Bhagavān: He took all your books.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So he likes our...
Bhagavān:. Oh, yes. We are very respected in the country.
Prabhupāda: That's nice. You must keep our position. Yes.
Bhagavān: Big Bhagavad-gītā, we have distributed fifty thousand.
Prabhupāda: Oh. This is Bhagavad-gītā.
Bhagavān: This is Bhāgavatam.
Prabhupāda: Bhāgavatam.
Bhagavān: And big Bhagavad-gītā, the big one, last year you saw.
Prabhupāda: I can see.
Bhagavān: We distributed fifty thousand.
Prabhupāda: Already distributed?
Bhagavān: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Bhagavān: And we printed that little Bhagavad-gītā, remember? That we've distributed twenty-five thousand. So seventy-five thousand Bhagavad-gītā one year.
Prabhupāda: Very good.
Bhagavān: And this is twenty-five thousand. Kṛṣṇa book, first half, will be ready on August 8th, twenty-five thousand also.
Prabhupāda: First half...
Bhagavān: Would you like to see the design for the cover?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bhagavān: This is...
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Bhagavān: This will be Kṛṣṇa book, 650 pages.
Jayatīrtha: This will also be coming out?
Bhagavān: Yeah. This is just the press proof. It needs improvement.
Prabhupāda: Fifty thousand?
Bhagavān: Twenty-five thousand. The translators have been working day and night for the last two weeks to get everything ready. They are now in Italy. We are printing this book in Italy.
Prabhupāda: Oh. Cheaper?
Bhagavān: Very cheap. Very cheap. Including composition, the book cost $1.75.
Prabhupāda: Oh, very cheap.
Bhagavān: Sixty-four color pictures.
Prabhupāda: It is very nice.
Bhagavān: And Upadeśāmṛta, that is coming out in one week, twenty-five thousand copies.
Prabhupāda: Which book selling now?
Bhagavān: Which book are we selling right now? Gītā, and we'll have a quantity of this in about three weeks, and then we'll begin selling Bhāgavatam, and Īśopaniṣad, Easy Journey, Back to Godhead.
Prabhupāda: French language is understood practically all over Europe, especially France, Switzerland.
Bhagavān: Switzerland, Montreal, Belgium...
Pṛthu-putra: Luxembourg and Belgium also, they are French-speaking.
Bhagavān: And Africa. Much countries in Africa are French-speaking.
Prabhupāda: Oh. You can sell in Mauritius.
Bhagavān: Yes. I send books to Mauritius.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone speaks French.
Bhagavān: Did you see the color printing inside? It's also very nice. They have done the same.... This was last year in Paris, when you received Bhagavad-gītā.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bhagavān: It's a nice picture. Everyone who sees it says how friendly Prabhupāda is.
Hari-śauri: This one is downstairs. George Harrison immediately pointed to it and said, "Oh, that's a wonderful picture."
Prabhupāda: Yes, it is Vaiṣṇava picture. Vaiṣṇava is always humble. (looking at picture) Jagannātha Purī.
Bhagavān: They are distributing these books for no less than ten dollars each.
Jayatīrtha: Ten dollars each? Fifty francs.
Bhagavān: Fifty francs, ten dollars. This is Gaura-Nitai, New Māyāpur.
Prabhupāda: Baltimore?
Bhagavān: At the farm.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Jayatīrtha: They are similar to the ones in Baltimore. I saw that picture. One boy from Baltimore just came here, Śrutadeva.
Bhagavān: We have done this like in the English, with the explanation on this side.
Jayatīrtha: C'est magnifique. (laughter)
Bhagavān: The color has come out nicely.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They like pictures?
Bhagavān: Oh, yes.
Jayatīrtha: The French are much different than the Germans.
Bhagavān: This on the back, this explains the end pages here, so people can see the whole picture, and the explanation is given here.
Hari-śauri: Will that be in every canto? Every book....
Bhagavān: Yeah.
Prabhupāda: Read what he....
Bhagavān: This is another appreciation here. This is from a doctor in the University of Neuchatel. It's in Switzerland. He's a Swiss doctor.
Pṛthu-putra: (translating) "The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is most known under the name of Bhāgavata-Purāṇa. The Sanskrit word Purāṇa means 'ancient, old work.' It is a commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra by Vyasadeva, its author, from which we also learn about the Mahabharata. From a general way, but particularly the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Purāṇa is a true encyclopedia containing all the aspects of the life of spirit. We have to see that this great work is containing all the predictions, this, of realizing in every detail. Then it is very important to point out that the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam under its poetic form is a very actual by the subject which it's treating about. The truth is one and universal, and the tradition of this work is always valuable. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is an essential development of the Bhagavad-gītā. It's talking about the questions metaphysical, philosophical, religious, psychologic, political and social. The wonderful tradition of Swami Prabhupāda is inspired from the same principles that the one who guided him in his translation of the Bhagavad-gītā. Every Sanskrit verse is written in Latin characters and then a literary version. The commentary, which is referring always from the Veda, Upaniṣad, and other texts, is allowing the reader to make spiritual progress. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is a precious work and will be revealed for a lot of people from the Western. And there is a very urgent need to spread this message throughout the world."
Jayatīrtha: Ah! It's a very good decision.
Bhagavān: Doctor of letters.
Prabhupāda: Yes.