Far away (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"far away"

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- July 20, 1971, New York:

Pratyatoṣa: Oh, yeah. You just dial over an ordinary telephone. You can use more than one time-sharing service on the same terminal just by dialing different numbers. In Washington, D.C., I was using four different computers through the same terminal, just by dialing different numbers. And they can be thousands of miles away, it doesn't matter. In Minneapolis, I'm using a computer that's located in..., near Baltimore, near Washington, D.C. And it's just like... It doesn't matter how far away it is.

Prabhupāda: You receive the phone call?

Pratyatoṣa: Yeah, just by a phone call. Just by calling a local number, too, because they have lines already set up.

Devotee (4): Like you were talking with that big (indistinct).

Pratyatoṣa: I was communicating with a karmī friend of mine in Baltimore through the computer system. He was using the same computer. So that's another thing we could do, communications. And we could do a (indistinct)...

Prabhupāda: We haven't got much communication with outside.

Room Conversation -- August 14, 1971, London:

Revatīnandana: So their residence place is not very far away, and she was curious. She came over a few days ago to find out more about Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Sister Mary: I've seen a few about the street.

Prabhupāda: Where?

Sister Mary: We live down there, you see, and we've seen them several times in the street singing, and asked them what you're doing, really.

Prabhupāda: You can keep it here. It may fall down. No. So do you know something about our movement?

Sister Mary: I've been told something about it, the other day.

Prabhupāda: We are preaching God consciousness. God is God. God is neither Christian, nor Hindu, nor Muslim. God is God. So everyone should be God conscious. That is our movement. We are preaching love of Godhead. So it doesn't matter what type of religion one is following. We simply want to see that he has love for God. Our bhāgavata-dharma defines: that is first-class religion following which one becomes a lover of God. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That is first-class religion if by following that one becomes a lover of God. It doesn't matter what religion he is following, but the test will be whether he has become a lover of God.

Room Conversation -- August 17, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: But there is diversity. Why not?

Revatīnandana: And the brahma-jyotir. They are saying...

Prabhupāda: Brahmajyoti is combination of jīva soul. And brahma-jyotir is emanation from Kṛṣṇa. Brahmajyoti is coming from Kṛṣṇa. This is a function. Heat is coming constantly, incessantly, from the fire. But still, heat is not fire. You cannot say heat is fire. Fire is far away.

Revatīnandana: That's right. So the constitutional nature of the entities that naturally form brahma-jyotir is the same as the constitutional nature of the jīvātmās that are forming the living entities?

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is comparison, a small spiritual spark. That's all. We are spark. So long it does not develop a body... That body is also the same. So it remains as spiritual spark. But because it is spirit, it cannot remain in that impersonal stage. He wants to enjoy. So, so long he has forgotten, he develops a body which is called matter.

Śyāmasundara: Or else he develops a spiritual body? One or the other?

Prabhupāda: No. He is spirit, spiritual identity already. But as we are developing material body, similarly we can develop spiritual body.

Room Conversation -- August 21, 1971, London:

Haṁsadūta: Well it reminds me of Janārdana. You know Janārdana was a big scholar and he was very intelligent, but he never produced very much. You remember Janārdana? So Maṇḍalībhadra is working full time. He never comes to the temple. Of course, he lives far away, but he never comes to the temple. And I know when a person doesn't come to the temple, it's very difficult for him to maintain, especially if he maintains a full time job. It has an imperceptible effect on your consciousness. And he also, you know, we sometimes, we don't see very much eye to eye. Like for instance, this coming Back to Godhead he wanted to produce, he wanted to put a picture of some of the... Like there's a picture in one of the old Back to Godheads of Vṛndāvana. So I said, "This picture is not good because Kṛṣṇa is not in this picture. There's no Kṛṣṇa. We must have..."

Prabhupāda: Old Vṛndāvana?

Haṁsadūta: Yes, some buildings. Like Jaya Govinda used to write those articles, you remember? He used to write articles...

Prabhupāda: Comic?

Haṁsadūta: No, no, not comics. He would take some pictures of the scenery of Vṛndāvana, like the Yamunā or some of the temples, like Madana-Mohana temple, like that. So I said, "We must have a picture of Kṛṣṇa or a devotee or Prabhupāda. It can't be without some activity, some form, because people will not understand what it is. It may be very nice for us." So I feel that he has to either associate more with the temple or he must be paid some money so that he can work full time and... Some change must be made.

Prabhupāda: No you pay and... You pay him money, and he must come. Both things should be done. He must come.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- March 17, 1973, Mayapur:

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So in this way my connection became developed with Gauḍīya Maṭha. Then, gradually the process began, hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ. (chuckles) I wanted to become very big businessman and there was good opportunity. I was very nicely associated with the chemical industry of India. Dr. Bose's laboratory, Bengal Chemical, V.K. Farr (?), and all of them, they liked my business organization. Then I started big laboratory in Lucknow. So that was golden days, but gradually everything becomes (indistinct). And at last, my Allahabad business was lost. It was not lost on account of some, my debts, I had to hand it over to Dr. Kartik Chandra Bose because I was his agent. So I had some debts, so I tell the, "All right, you take this business." In this way, that Prayāg Pharmacy was lost. So I was not going to, I was sitting at home, but this Jājābara Mahārāja, at that time Sarvesva (?) brahmacārī and Atulananda brahmacārī, they used to come to take their subscription, and they were requesting that "Why don't you come to our maṭha? Why don't you come to our maṭha? You are now free." So, I used to visit their temple. That was not far away from my house...

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: In Mahratta (?).

Room Conversation with Two Buddhist Monks -- July 12, 1973, London:

Buddhist Monk (1): That has become a little difficult because... It's difficult. We didn't know these āśramas, and we came yesterday. The Guru Nanak temple people made arrangements for our transport. We were staying with them for one week, and they looked after us dearly, and they made arrangements for our transport to come here. Some people were coming on some other business. So they brought us. So it was not much time. So we met a person in the street, and we told them that we are looking after a place to stay. And that person said, "Well, it's difficult here." Then I asked about two or three, and we had some addresses and they were far away. Then we met a friendly gentleman who was just reversing his car. He was smiling. And we smiled. We said, "Well, could you tell us a small place to pitch a tent." We carry a small tent. We said, "For a day or two..." He asked me how long. I said, "Just to find some breathing space at least." So we have pitched up a small tent in a private garden. That's somewhere in Cheswick Lane.

Prabhupāda: Where it is?

Haṁsadūta: Cheswick Lane.

Buddhist Monk (1): That's by the river, uh? It's quite far away, yes. So last night we stayed there. Is that on the western side of...?

Devotee: Yes, that's the West Fork.

Buddhist Monk (1): West Fork. West Fork.

Prabhupāda: This is northern? No, southern. I do not know. We are also (Buddhist laughs) camped for the last few days. We do not know much about...

Buddhist Monk (1): Much about it, yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with Lord Brockway -- July 23, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Śyāmasundara: He goes back frequently to India for visits.

Prabhupāda: Berampur is not very far away from our temple.

Śyāmasundara: In Māyāpur?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That road goes to Berampur. That is called Berampur National Road.

Lord Brockway: Yes, it was then a village. I understand it is now a town. When I was in India five years ago, I set aside one day to visit Berampur, and unfortunately, it was the one day when I was not well. So I never went back.

Prabhupāda: Yes, I have seen. You have so many nice books. We have got also some books. Have you shown him these books?

Śyāmasundara: Yes, I've given him some.

Lord Brockway: Oh, you... I have received many books.

Śyāmasundara: Mister... Lord Brockway has been a vegetarian his life long.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's very... That's a good advancement for spiritual understanding.

Lord Brockway: Yes, I became a vegetarian, oh, seventy years ago.

Prabhupāda: Oh, I see.

Room Conversation -- November 2, 1973, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Every sane man should appreciate. When European and American young men, who are after material sense gratification, they're taking sannyāsa, it is not joke. They should appreciate it. In an age where material sense enjoyment is very prominent, and they give up everything for Kṛṣṇa, and they're going far away from their comfortable position... Just like Brahmānanda has gone to Africa. So what for? Unless they appreciate Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how they take up this job? This is practical. There is no question of theoretical.

Brahmānanda: You said that last night when you spoke that about we are actually siddhas.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Brahmānanda: We are not...

Prabhupāda: That I wanted to prove... (laughs)

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: ...that these boys are siddhas. Others, they do not know what is siddhi.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 25, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...temple.

Dr. Patel: No, but I mean to say because the temple is open you hear the noise. When the temple is closed, you won't hear the noise. That is, that should be all right. Because there is a next-door temple also. It also makes noise. But your noise is now louder, I mean, far away because of the open space. That should be the argument: "Let us construct a regular temple. You won't..." (break)

Prabhupāda: ...so much proud of the Hindus.

Dr. Patel: I'm also proud of the Hindu. Always proud.

Prabhupāda: But why they disturb maṅgala ārati?

Dr. Patel: But they may be degenerated Hindu, people may be Hindus, real Hindus, false Hindus and fictitious Hindus and non-Hindus calling themselves as Hindus. So which type of Hindus do you mean?

Prabhupāda: No. I mean Hindu Hindu.

Dr. Patel: They may be born of Hindu family, but may not be Hindu. These are... They have made of a... (break)

Prabhupāda: ...follower of yours.

Room Conversation with Irish Poet, Desmond O'Grady -- May 23, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: Yes, the best friend is the spiritual master because he saves from the blazing fire of confusion. That is best friend.

O'Grady: The problem is to find this friend. The problem is to find this spiritual master.

Prabhupāda: No, there is no problem. The problem is if you are sincere. Yes. That is stated. Because actually you have got problems, but God is within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). God is not far away. God is within your heart. So if you are sincere, then God will give you spiritual master. If He knows that now you are sincere, then He will give you a spiritual master.

O'Grady: O.K. Thank you. That I know.

Prabhupāda: Therefore God is called caittya-guru, the spiritual master within the heart. And the physical spiritual master is God's mercy. If God sees that you are sincere, He will give you a spiritual master who can give you protection. He will help you from within and without, without in the physical form of spiritual master, and within as the spiritual master within the heart.

Room Conversation -- June 11, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Basin, basin. So one basin full rice he will keep in the middle of the shop. And there are rats. So the rats will take the rice, and not cut even a single cloth. It is practical. Yes. They are also animals. Give them food. They'll not create any disturbance. Give them food. Yes. Because cloth are very costly. And there are rats. If one cloth is cut by the rat, then it is great loss. So to save from this loss, he'll put in a basin... Rice was nothing. Rice... In our childhood, we have seen, two ānās per seer. That is with profit. You see. So one basin full rice, it doesn't cost even one ānā. So by giving one ānā worth food, he saves so many, hundreds of rupees cloth. Otherwise, if they're hungry, they'll cut it. Everyone has got obligation. Even the tiger. Even the tiger... One saintly person was in the jungle. His disciples said the tigers will never come and disturb in the āśrama because the āśrama head, they'll keep some milk little far away from the āśrama, and the tigers will come and drink and go away. He'll call, "You tiger, come and take your milk here!" Just like we call the dogs. They'll come and take the milk and go away. And they'll never attack any inmates of the āśrama. He'll say, āmāra ajni hana isko bolo naya (?): "They are my men; don't harm them." Yes. Tigers can be trained up. Just like dog. They are a dog species. More ferocious, that's all. More ferocious dog. That's all. So you can train them. I have seen in the World Fair. One man has trained... I think most of you have seen. One tiger and one lion. And he was playing with that tiger, lion, just like one plays with dog. They can be trained up. They can understand also that "This man loves me. He gives me food. He's my friend." They also appreciate. Just like this picture, you have seen, Haridāsa Ṭhākura? The big snake is going.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Canadian Ambassador to Iran -- March 13, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: How long you have come here in Iran?

Ambassador: Nice to see you again. Not that I have felt that far away.

Prabhupāda: You are looking little reduced than before, in health.

Ambassador: Oh, perhaps slightly older.

Prabhupāda: You are not as old as I am. What is your age?

Ambassador: I am fifty-six.

Prabhupāda: Oh, you are just like my child. My first child was born 1921. What is your birth date?

Ambassador: That was three years earlier. So there you are.

Prabhupāda: 1918? In that year I was married. I was student at that time. I was student, 1900 up to '20. Then I joined Gandhi's noncooperation movement and gave up my education. His points were to give up English education, English court, English-manufactured goods, in this way.

Conversation with Devotees on Theology -- April 1, 1975, Mayapur:

Acyutānanda: No one.

Prabhupāda: That is speculation. If you want to study me, so you can do so either by approaching me or through one of my confidential servant. How one can understand me from outside by speculating? Why do they come to see me? Let them remain far away and speculate. But that is not possible in ordinary common sense also. So how they speculate about God? If you cannot understand even a common man, maybe very big in the society, you cannot understand a common man by hearsay, by speculation...

Prajāpati: Practically all the theologians are aligned with one denomination or another, and they're like company men to the big churches, and they're afraid of admitting they do not know about God because they're afraid somebody will leave their camp and come to ours. We say we know about God.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We say frankly that we know God, His father's name, His address, everything. Let anyone come and challenge. He cannot say that "No, this is not God," because he has not approached God. He does not know what is God. How he can challenge us that "This is not God"? Suppose we are presenting Kṛṣṇa as God, so how anyone can challenge? Because he has not approached God. He is simply speculating.

Morning Walk -- (World War III) -- April 4, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Yes. The farm project... Even some hundreds of years, it was so nice. Even there was war, they would not attack the farmers. Rather, they would ask, "Where the other party has gone?" So they will say: "Oh, we have seen some soldiers going this way." That's all. They were not affected. That was the principle. Farmers were not attacked, just like at the present moment, the law is the civilians are not attacked. The military target is attacked. That is the law. But they do all nonsense. Even at the present moment civilians are not attacked. Just like Kurukṣetra Battle. It was taken far away from the civilian inhabitation.

Haṁsadūta: Some field.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is civilization. "Why these innocent civilians should be killed? Let us fight, military to military. That's all." That is honest fighting. We have to settle some things by fighting. So fighting may be, I mean to say, limited within the fighters, not with the civilians.

Rāmeṣvara: In modern warfare it's...

Prabhupāda: Why not? Yes. But they, they are so rascals, they throw bomb anywhere.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Especially atom bomb.

Prabhupāda: But one thing is that because civilians are also responsible for declaring war, because the parliament is the representation of the people...

Morning Walk -- April 8, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Perfection is here, how he is preaching bhakti cult. That's all.

Satsvarūpa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, there's also a question of reciprocation. You have so many disciples, thousands, and one devotee was asking me yesterday, "How does... I want to please Śrīla Prabhupāda. How does he know my progress and my service because I'm..., when I'm so far away from him and if I don't write him?"

Prabhupāda: So his representatives are there, the president, the GBC. They will see.

Mādhavānanda: The representatives.

Jayādvaita: The representative may be there, but what is my personal relationship?

Prabhupāda: Hm? To obey your spiritual master. Whatever he has said, you follow strictly. Follow the regulative principles. Chant sixteen rounds. That's all.

Devotee (1): Prabhupāda, when Śrīla Vyāsadeva was lamenting after compiling so many Vedic literatures before compiling Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, he said to his spiritual master, Nārada Muni, that "You please enter within me and find out my deficiency. You are as good as the all-pervading Supersoul."

Prabhupāda: That is always the position of spiritual master, to find out the deficiency in the character of his disciple.

Room Conversation with Carol Cameron -- May 9, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda:? Yes, so if you simply in illusion you live, then where is your education? If you remain in darkness, then where is your education? Illusion means darkness. So if you are in darkness, now what is your education? And where is your philosophy?

Carol: The only way to remove this darkness is through love. Is this what you are saying?

Prabhupāda: Love is far away. First of all you be educated.

Carol: How? In what way?

Prabhupāda: Education means right knowledge. Right knowledge. Just like, everyone wants to live. Nobody wants to die. So, the enquiry should be that "I do not wish to die. Why death is forced upon me?" What is that force? What is the nature of that force? If I submit, "Yes, the force is there," then where is my knowledge? I do not wish to die. So why death is forced upon me? Nobody wants miserable condition of life, but miserable condition of life is enforced upon me. So this should be first of all enquired, that I do not want these things, and who is enforcing upon me these things? This is the first enquiry, philosophical.

Carol: I tend to approach from the other side and ask "Who am I?" and "What is this thing that I call myself?"

Prabhupāda: It is everyone's problem. I don't want something, but something is enforced upon me. Just like you are now a young girl. You do not like to be old woman. But you will have to become old woman.

Morning Walk -- May 12, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: (in car) They have not gone to the moon planet.

Paramahaṁsa: Really?

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is far, far away. Their calculation is wrong. They are going to a wrong planet.

Paramahaṁsa: It must be the Rahu planet.

Prabhupāda: Yes, or something else. Not moon planet.

Paramahaṁsa: How many...

Prabhupāda: It is above the sun planet.

Paramahaṁsa: Moon planet is further?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Paramahaṁsa: Oh. Because they say that the moon planet is the closest planet to the earth. That is their calculation. And they say that it orbits around the earth, and then that the earth orbits the sun.

Prabhupāda: All wrong. What is the... According to them, what is the distance of sun planet?

Morning Walk -- May 14, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: Sixteen hundred thousand. And what is their calculation?

Devotee (1): 250,000.

Amogha: Miles from the earth.

Prabhupāda: 459,000?

Amogha: 250,000 miles from the earth. They say it is very near the earth and that the sun is very far away.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...circumstances, it is now doubtful whether they are going to the moon planet.

Amogha: Yes. (break)

Paramahaṁsa: Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Paramahaṁsa: In the newspaper yesterday there was an article about New York City. The city government is going bankrupt because they... They have asked the President for 1,500 million dollars in emergency aid. Because of crime and dirtiness and noise, all the rich people are leaving New York, and they can't get any taxes from the poor people. So they don't have money to pay to run the city.

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is a common sense.

Devotee (2): Did they actually land on the moon, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: No, they cannot go there. What is the question of landing? They cannot go there. It is far, far away. What you calculated? 1,600,000 miles away, up the sun planet. 1,600,000 miles above the sun. According to your calculation, the sun is away from this planet by 93,000,000 miles. And above that, 1,600,000 miles. Then you go to the moon. How it is possible?

Guru kṛpā: How is the moon behind the sun?

Prabhupāda: Not behind, above.

Guru kṛpā: It is a bigger planet?

Prabhupāda: No.

Guru kṛpā: In other words, to elevate oneself to the moon planet, that is harder than going to the sun planet.

Prabhupāda: That is God's wish. "You can go up on Me? What is this?" Their calculation is that moon is nearer, is it not?

Guru kṛpā:. Yes.

Morning Walk -- June 21, 1975, Los Angeles:

Nalini-kantha: But they do not go together. Their practice and our practice, they do not mix.

Prabhupāda: No, no. (break) ...our practice, then they are defeated. That they... (break) What they can do? But at heart they know what is their value. (break) ...and push on. You will come victorious everywhere. (break) ...sūrya-sama, māya andhakāra yāhān kṛṣṇa, tāhān nahi māyāra adhikāra. If you remain seriously in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then these people will have no, I mean to say, right to come before you. Adhikāra. They will remain far away. (break) ...how to make my watch right time?

Jayatīrtha: Oh. It's 6:32. We can change it.

Prabhupāda: You have talked with Rāmeśvara that we are not any more going to send cash money.

Bahulāśva: I will tell him.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...Jayatīrtha, another good news, that African government is understanding the importance of this movement.

Morning Walk -- June 28, 1975, Denver:

Satsvarūpa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: And very nice park. And not far away. (break) ...interested with this natural history. That means Darwin's theory. That's all. Their whole civilization is based on this Darwin's theory. How long you shall keep history? Do you know what is the history of the sun, when it was created, when it came into appearance? Can Darwin give us the history of the sun, of the moon, of the sky? Where is the history? There is history, but where is your history? You simply imagine, "There was a chunk, and it became manifested as the sun, moon, and I am also this..." What is this? How this cosmic manifestation came into existence—your explanation is: "There was a chunk." And what other nonsense? (break) walking: ...house is on the water? No. (break) ...coughing. Catch cold?

Harikeśa: Hawaii was not a very healthy place for me. Hawaii.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Room Conversation -- October 4, 1975, Mauritius:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They finish him off completely. They ruin him. (laughing)

Cyavana: But death is very far away from me. I am only thirty years old. I don't have to worry about death.

Prabhupāda: What is the guarantee that you will live thirty-one years? What is the guarantee that you will live thirty-one years? There is no guarantee.

Cyavana: But everyone else around me appears to be having fun and enjoying.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They can use this argument though, Prabhupāda. I've heard it before, that "So God has placed us in this world. Okay, there is God, and He has placed us in this world, and He has created the world also, and He has made these things very, very enjoyable, sex life, and this and that. So why not enjoy if God has created it?"

Prabhupāda: That is foolishness. That is foolishness. It is not enjoyable. That is... If a criminal says, "The prisonhouse is very enjoyable," it is like that.

Morning Walk -- October 7, 1975, Durban:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So they say now, Prabhupāda, that there's no soul and life is just a combination of elements.

Prabhupāda: Soul, your... It will take many millions of years to understand soul, but this is your position; you understand it, that you'll be kicked out at any moment. Why don't you understand this? There is no question of understanding soul. That is far away. (break)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Sometimes over pay, that they're not getting enough money, they will riot. And the white policemen, they come and shoot them.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Simply shoot them.

Prabhupāda: Shoot.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Kill them.

Prabhupāda: Hm. They are keeping them in control. That is the way they should be kept in control, śūdras.

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

Prabhupāda: I do not say which religion accepts and which religion does not, but unless one understands that he is not this body—he is different from this body—his education is imperfect.

Indian man (2): But do I mean that up till now your excellency were giving the question of transmigration, field of science, and now you are also taking that subject of God in this sphere of science?

Prabhupāda: It is not God. God is far away. First of all I must know what I am. God is long, long distant.

Indian man (2): But what should be the...

Prabhupāda: First of all you understand what you are, whether you are this body or something other than the body. That is first.

Indian man 2: Whether we are different or separate from God, or we are God. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: That also dog can say, "I am also God." That is not very difficult thing.

Indian man 2: Whether God says or not, it is the question between us, whether we are God...

Prabhupāda: So, that bodily conception of life is dogism. Dog thinks, "I am dog." Cat thinks, "I am cat." Similarly, if I think "I am Hindu," "I am Christian," so what is the difference? Because you are giving some name of religion, therefore you are better than dog?

Morning Walk -- October 9, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: Yes. And there is fire, blazing fire, just like the sun. But it is surrounded by cool atmosphere. Therefore it is pleasing. Heat coming through cool atmosphere, it is pleasing. This is the statement. What do they know? They cannot explain why it is so brilliant. We explain, "There is firelike flames; therefore it is brilliant." They say that every planet looks like that. That's not a fact. Then all the planets together, why they cannot illuminate this earth at night? Only the moon is required.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Well, they give the excuse that all the other stars are so far away that the light doesn't shine bright enough.

Prabhupāda: There are no other, nearer planets?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. There are other planets like Venus and Mars, but they say these planets are much closer than the sun.

Prabhupāda: That means... So why they do not look so bright?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Their philosophy is that the earth, Venus and Mars, these different planets, they don't give off any light.

Prabhupāda: Then why do they say that all the planets look like moon? They say like that.

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1975, Johannesburg:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So that is the rascaldom.

Prabhupāda: That is rascaldom. How you can suggest?

Harikeśa: Even he says it was just a theory.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: But now, Prabhupāda, they say that they have been to the moon, and we're saying that the moon is so far away. And they have their pictures also to prove it.

Prabhupāda: Picture you can manufacture here.

Harikeśa: And they have earth dust as if it came from the moon.

Prabhupāda: And the other scientist says this kind dust can be had here. So what is the proof they went there? It can be collected here.

Harikeśa: And their dust does not reflect. They say the moon is reflective, but the dust and the pictures, it was all dark gray. No reflection.

Prabhupāda: So therefore if I say that they did not go to the moon, how they can support?

Harikeśa: They cannot prove. They are so clever and sophisticated with their nonsense, they can even make the astronauts believe...

Prabhupāda: Therefore I asked you to ask them, "Why Sunday first and Monday next?"

Morning Walk -- October 16, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: But at the same time, you want to live and enjoy. That is not allowed. Everyone wants to live and enjoy. Hm? Otherwise why, when there is attack outside, why do you fight? The tendency is that "I shall live comfortably." Why these white Europeans have made so high plan? So that they may not be kicked out by the Africans. That is the tendency. Therefore they are making secure, Africans far away so that they may not come. You want to live securely, but that is not there. You may make political arrangement very secure, but what is the nature's arrangement? You'll be kicked out at any moment. There is no certainty. There is no guarantee even that you will be allowed to live for so many years. At any moment.

Morning Walk -- October 19, 1975, Johannesburg:

Indian man (1): Otherwise they think that they not economically progressing.

Prabhupāda: Huh? What is that economical progressing? So that means busy fool. Fool, they do not know how to satisfy the economic problem. That is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) You grow food grains. Then all economic question... But why you are not producing food grains? Why you are producing iron stools and instruments and motor and tire and collecting petrol far away from Arabia? That is... Kṛṣṇa never says that "You do all this nonsense." He said, "Grow food grains." Why don't you do that? That means fools. After all, you have to eat. So you are not busy in growing your food, but you are busy in producing tire tubes, motor cars, stools and instruments. Then how you will get your food? Where is your economic? First economic is, first necessity, you must eat.

Morning Walk -- October 28, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: And how long they'll work?

Indian man (2): They will work up to twelve, one o'clock. Then they go home. Then they come back again at four o'clock and...

Prabhupāda: That is Indian. In India also the servant like that. Then remains up to nine o'clock.

Indian man (2): But those who are far away, they go at six o'clock. (break)

Jñāna: But if the devotees, if they go and live in small groups amongst the people, for example, in the country instead of just in big city temples, then we can influence more people, get more people chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Good idea. But whether you will be able to live? Better go from the city to the interior, come back.

Cyavana: To remain there for long is difficult.

Jñāna: It's difficult.

Cyavana: Yes. We've had experience.

Prabhupāda: You go, just in Europe, America, they are going in buses in interior, and they're preaching then coming back.

Morning Walk -- November 3, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That is also external. Real unity is on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (Hindi) The Vedānta begins, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Just inquire about the soul." And where is that education? This human life, they are opening so many colleges, schools, institutions. Where is the instruction about the soul? So go-kharaḥ. (Hindi) In spite of so much improvement, they are behaving just like cats and dogs. In South Africa the Indians are given the far away from the city.

Dr. Patel: They have been very badly segregated. They can't have any business, I hear.

Prabhupāda: They are put into difficulty.

Dr. Patel: They are following Hitler's method of superiority of... They don't understand that Indians are as superior as they are, rather more, ethically.

Prabhupāda: Everyone thinks that he is superior than everyone.

Dr. Patel: No, no. The Aryan race is...

Prabhupāda: That is the disease, material disease. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has... Tṛṇād api sunīcena: "You just become..." (end)

Morning Walk -- November 19, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Therefore they make without smell. (break) ...earth is this side and moon is this side, then which is first? Both of them are both sides.

Brahmānanda: Yes. The sun is larger in the sky, so that means it is nearer to the earth?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Should be. Because you calculate about the stars, very, very far away. Is it not?

Brahmānanda: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: Then which is smaller is far away. (break)

Yaśomat-nandana: ...systems are bigger than the smaller ones?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Yaśomatī-nandana: The upper planetary systems, are they bigger than the lower ones? In other words, sun is bigger than the earth, the moon is bigger...

Prabhupāda: Yes, there is measurement.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1976, Mayapur:

Sudāmā: Now they're trying for Mars.

Prabhupāda: Just see. Hele dāntavān keuṭe.(?) A man was trying to capture snake. So there are snakes, hele. There are many snakes; they have no poison, especially the water snake, the hele. So hele dāntavān keuṭe.(?) Keuṭe means cobra. So one cannot catch up the poisonless snake, and he is attempting to capture cobra. They could not go to the moon planet, which is only 1,600,000 miles above the sun, and they are going to Venus, which is far, far away, still. How many miles the Venus is situated? They have committed some mistake.

Harikeśa: Yes. Well, they say here it's 600,000 yojanas, which makes 48,000,000 miles. No, 480,000,000 miles above the sun.

Prabhupāda: If they cannot reach sun... They are trying to go above the sun. (Someone enters) Bosen. Jaya. (Bengali) (break) It is giving quotation from Vedas. How to act on Vedic principle, that is called smṛti. Sometimes the original law is explained by one lawyer in detail. So that detailed explanation is like smṛti, and the original law is śruti. In that we have to bathe. Smṛti means which is explaining śruti to understand easily.

Morning Walk -- January 21, 1976, Mayapura:

Jayapatākā: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Harikeśa: There are a lot of restaurants in America which are very far away from the general mass of people, and because they have very high reputations, people come from miles around there.

Prabhupāda: Yes. This tongue is very, what is called? Susceptible? No?

Harikeśa: Voracious.

Prabhupāda: Not voracious. They want very palatable things, the tongue. Tā'ra madhye jihwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati, very greedy. So if you supply them kṛṣṇa-prasādam at the same time to satisfy their greediness, then you conquer. This is the secret.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: You conquered a lot of devotees by prasādam.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Yes. Automatically he becomes devotee: "No, we shall become, remain here." This is the secret. Why the woman is liked? Because the woman, if she is trained up to give satisfaction to the tongue, to the belly and the sex, straight line, she becomes favorite immediately. This is woman's business. And people are hankering. The karmīs especially, they are hankering after these three things: palatable dishes, fill up belly, and sex. That's all. If the woman can do it, she conquers over the husband immediately because these three things they want. Take things very practically. Hm? Am I wrong or right?

Jayapatākā: You are always right.

Morning Walk -- January 21, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes. Tā'ra madhye jīhwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati, tā'ke jetā kaṭhina saṁsāre, kṛṣṇa baṛo doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay, swa-prasād. So prasādam should be so nice that he'll (be) conquered. He'll not go to the restaurant; they will come to Māyāpur. I have seen in Japan. Who is? You were... Where you were staying, that place?

Sudāmā: Which place, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: No, no, far away from the city.

Sudāmā: Oh, yes, yes. Takal, outside of Tokyo, we had our temple.

Prabhupāda: So there were hotels?

Sudāmā: Yes. Yes. One bird restaurant.

Prabhupāda: Yes, bird. They are coming from fifty miles to eat there. So eating is so strong. If you prepare nice foodstuff and the flavor goes to hundred miles away, then they will automatically come. This is practical. Only for satisfaction of the tongue, there were special buses bringing them, and they were coming, full load of bus, to eat that jungle birds.

Morning Walk -- February 4, 1976, Mayapura:

Hṛdayānanda: (break) ...that the people against us were trying to prove that we're not actually a real religion. So the judge became very angry at the other lawyer and stood up on his bench. The judge stood up and said, "Are you trying to say that these people are not a bona fide religion?" And the lawyer said, "No, your honor. No." (laughter)

Hari-śauri: In Sydney they spent ten thousand dollars, the council, compiling a case against us. Every day they used to come and film us and take names. And we didn't contest the case but just carried on saṅkīrtana, and the judge threw them out of court. They spent ten thousand dollars—it was a big scandal—and lost the case. The judge said, "Why not let them go on the streets? They add a lot of color to the city."

Hṛdayānanda: (break) People are always asking about you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hm. (break) No, I shall go now. Is it direct flight? No.

Hṛdayānanda: It is very far away. Everyone is... Even the guests, everyone is always asking about Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I was wondering whether—I was speaking with Sudāmā Mahārāja—whether it would be possible for him to come and be in the boat program with Sudāmā Mahārāja. (end)

Morning Walk -- March 10, 1976, Mayapur:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Neutral.

Prabhupāda: These are all fanaticism. Real unity is in advancing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva... In Kali-yuga, you cannot strictly follow, neither I can strictly follow. If I criticize you, if you criticize me, then we go far away from our real life of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So is it correct to say that if we're not Kṛṣṇa conscious, then if it's not the gṛhastha problem, it would be some other problem?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We'll find something or another to absorb our time with besides Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: No, you should always remember that either gṛhastha or brahmacārī or sannyāsī, nobody can strictly follow all the rules and regulations of them. In the Kali-yuga it is not possible. So if I find simply fault with you, and if you find fault with me, then it will be factional, and our real business will be hampered. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended that hari-nāma, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, should be very rigidly performed, which is common for everyone: gṛhastha, vānaprastha or sannyāsī. They should always chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Then everything will be adjusted. Otherwise it is impossible to advance. We shall be complicated with the details only. This is called niyamāgrahaḥ. I think I have explained.

Morning Walk -- March 14, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: So space traveling induces a man to accept God?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I think it's a material conception, that God is in the heavens, above the clouds.

Pañca-draviḍa: According to Bhāgavatam, these...

Prabhupāda: That is a fact. Beyond this material universe, very, very far away.

Hrdayananda: But another astronaut who went, he had religious experience, and after coming back he became missionary.

Prabhupāda: That is natural.

Sudāmā: Another astronaut went insane.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Sudāmā: And another astronaut went insane, like a madman.

Prabhupāda: Hm. What was the reason?

Morning Walk -- March 18, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: That I should not exactly immediately say.

Gurudāsa: We don't accept.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No. Prabhupāda just said, "Not right now."

Prabhupāda: But moon is far away from the sun. That is from Bhāgavatam.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda, there's another question I have. I remember on a walk.... I have read in your books that the moon's glowing is due to reflecting the sun. Then I remember on a walk in Vṛndāvana you said that the moon is fiery just like the sun, but there's a cooling atmosphere around it. So is it actually fiery glow, or is it simply a reflecting glow?

Prabhupāda: That is stated in Bhāgavatam.

Gurudāsa: It says reflection in the Bhāgavata.

Prabhupāda: No, it is also a fiery place. But it is because it is far away from the sun, it is not so glowing.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So it's not a question of reflection only.

Prabhupāda: The reflection theory is the modern theory.

Morning Walk -- April 12, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: They can be repaired.

Guru dāsa: Yes. It would be very easy to add on or construct or do whatever you want. And it's, I'd say about five to seven minutes walking.

Prabhupāda: Not far away.

Guru dāsa: Not far.

Prabhupāda: You can have a garage here? So we can see?

Saurabha: Yes, you can walk on the side.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...Prahlāda Mahārāja.

Dr. Patel: Yesterday I studied Sixth Chapter of Prahlāda Mahārāja, and...

Prabhupāda: Oh. Prahlāda Mahārāja's...

Dr. Patel: From Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. This morning only I read about this thing.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) ...becomes humble. God is for the humble and meek. In Bible also it is stated. And because everyone is trying to become God, how he becomes humble?

Morning Walk -- May 25, 1976, Honolulu:

Hari-śauri: But they don't calculate the moon to be so far away.

Prabhupāda: That is their foolishness.

Hari-śauri: We did that calculation on the basis of 95,000,000 miles, which is about 2,000,000 miles from what the distance we get from the Bhāgavatam, combined with 93,000,000 miles...

Prabhupāda: But they say (sic:) ninety-three miles. Sun is (sic:) ninety-three miles away.

Hari-śauri: But we don't say that.

Prabhupāda: No, no. We say also.

Hari-śauri: What? 93,000,000?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: Oh?

Prabhupāda: Four billion is the..., what is called?

Devotee: Diameter of the universe.

Prabhupāda: Diameter of the universe. Sun is almost in the middle.

Hari-śauri: So what is that distance that is given in the Bhāgavatam, then? It says 100,000 yojanas.

Prabhupāda: I don't think that is.... Moon that is far away from the sun, 1,600,000. (indistinct) fire in the sea, varuṇāgni. (indistinct) You know there is sometimes fire in the sea?

Devotee: In what way? Volcano? Like that?

Morning Walk -- June 4, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Rādhāvallabha: The scientists have got radiotelescopes. They bounce the sound vibration off the planet, and depending on how long it takes the sound to come back, that's how far away it is.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Rādhāvallabha: They bounce sound vibration off a planet, and depending on how long it takes the vibration to come back, that's how far away the planet is. So they've calculated the sun to be further in that way.

Prabhupāda: First of all, answer why Sunday first. Then talk of all nonsense.

Candanācārya: Mars is after the moon?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Candanācārya: Mars is after the moon?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- June 4, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, all over the world, they accept Sunday first.

Mahendra: All of their successes are accidental. Just like they discovered the planet called Pluto. The way it was discovered was one man recognized that there was a fluctuation in the orbit of the planet Neptune, and so he made some calculations and figured that the fluctuations were caused by another planet that must be further away than Neptune that no one has discovered yet. So he made many calculations and figured out where the planet should be, how big it should be, how much it should weigh, how far away it was. So then he told other scientists about it, and they looked in their telescopes, and sure enough, there it was. But it wasn't as big as he said, nor was it as heavy as he said, nor was it as far away as he said, and when they rechecked the data they found that the orbit of the original planet wasn't really wrong either. So all of his calculations were wrong, but still the planet was there. So somehow or other he stumbled upon it, but all of his calculations to find it were absolutely wrong. That's the planet called Pluto.

Prabhupāda: Recently there was an propaganda. That comet?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, it would come and destroy,

Prabhupāda: There was no comet.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They said it would destroy...

Prabhupāda: Destroy...

Hṛdayānanda: They predicted a comet that never came.

Rāmeśvara: Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the Fifth Canto you wrote that the planets are being pulled in their orbits by chariots. Just like there is a description of the sun planet, and there is very elaborate...

Prabhupāda: That is movement. Now, according to their calculation, sun is fixed up, but according to our calculation it is moving. That is the difference.

Garden Conversation -- June 15, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: Just rub your finger. You'll find so many (indistinct). Nobody can get in the (indistinct), huh? (japa) (pause) (peacocks calling) (break) ...far away the peacock?

Hari-śauri: On the other side.

Prabhupāda: Within our area? No.

Hari-śauri: He said they stopped. This is Chapter Two, Bhagavad-gītā. (reads from Chapter Two, text 1 through 6) You want to go in, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Let the rain fall. (laughter)

Room Conversation -- June 15, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: They invent some big, big words (laughter). Aparkalasvena-vargolas-double-wakundali-gondolais (gibberish). (laughter)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: "One of them was Uri Geller, an ordinary street magician who succeeded in hoodwinking two scientists of the Stanford Research Institute. He claimed that he was able to perform miracles with psychic powers obtained from a computerized brain thirteen million light years away in space." Very far away in space there's a computerized brain that he's using.

Hari-śauri: This guy, Uri Geller, he had a stage show. He would get one iron bar and stare at it, and the iron bar would bend, like this. And he could bend, he could put a spoon in the open palm of his hand, and it would bend. Things like this he was doing, and he became very famous overnight.

Prabhupāda: By bending iron.

Conversation in Airport and Car -- June 21, 1976, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Viśvakarmā: Which side, Śrīla Prabhupāda? On the left-hand side or the right-hand side of the Deity, facing towards the altar?

Prabhupāda: Any side.

Viśvakarmā: Any side? How far away from the front? In the middle so that they can see from the balcony as well. (child calls out)

Prabhupāda: Yes. Prabhupāda?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Sounded like it.

Hari-śauri: Sounded like it. I don't think it could have been though. Not a devotee.

Prabhupāda: Child is...

Devotee: Could be Buffalo.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No, it's not. I see the child.

Devotee: He'll have the same benediction as Ajāmila. (child calls out "Prabhupāda")

Prabhupāda: He knows me.

Room Conversation and Reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 and 12 -- June 25, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Dūre vāry-ayanaṁ tīrtham. Tīrtham. If you go... Just like there is Vṛndāvana and here is New Vrindaban. But if you spend ten thousand dollars and go to Vṛndāvana, then it is pilgrimage. And here is Vṛndāvana-candra. So that is not very important. Dūre vāry-ayanam. You have to go far, far away, (laughter) then it will be pilgrimage. In India, there is Ganges in Calcutta. But they go to Hardwar. Then it is pilgrimage. (laughter) The same Ganges, coming from Hardwar. Then?

Pradyumna: Dūre vāry-ayanaṁ tīrthaṁ lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Lāvaṇyam, now you know very well in the Western country. Beauty increases by having long hair. (laughter) I was just trying to recite this verse only, and now see how it is current. Who expected that this foretelling is there in the Bhāgavatam? To increase beauty, have long hair. Is it not? Now just see. How five thousand years this thing was foretold? That is the proof. There was no hippie movement then. (laughs) But Vyāsadeva foretold that in the Kali-yuga if one keeps long hair he will think himself as very beautiful. There are so many things. Ultimately, with the advancement of Kali-yuga you'll have no food. Food means there will be no food grains, there will be no milk, there will be no sugar, like that. No fruits. If you get fruits, there will be no pulp, it is simply seeds. These things are there. You get a mango, but a mango means simply the big seed, that's all. So how can you check it? If nature's way, things are going to happen like that, what the scientists will do? If there is no rice, no wheat, will the scientists...? They can say replace with a pill, but they cannot produce wheat or rice or dahl or milk, sugar. That is not possible.

Evening Darsana -- July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: And actually God is there with the living entity, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He particularly pointed out, "Here is God within their core of the heart." Now the yogis, they try to find out God in his body, that is called meditation. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). This is process of the yogis, to find out God within himself. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is also stated jagatvena, tat tvena (?) Find out. So God is everywhere, there is no doubt about it. Within you, within me, within the atom, everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi (Bs. 5.35). That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā also, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam, "I am everywhere." So God is everywhere, that is God's omnipresence, omnipotency. But still God has His actual position. Na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ.

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ

jagad avyakta-mūrtinā

mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni

na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

(BG 9.4)

So this is a great science. If we understand, then we can understand what is God, what is His position, how He is great, everything. That is His greatness. Although He is in His own abode, still, He is everywhere. That is His greatness. I am here, I am not in my bedroom, but about God it is said, goloka eva nivasaty akhilātmā-bhuto (Bs. 5.37). That is God. He is far, far away from our, this planet. There is a planet, goloka eva nivasaty. He's there, but still He is everywhere. That is His greatness. That is the distinction between Him and us. We are in one place, but we are not all-pervading. In another verse it is explained, kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor (BG 13.3). Kṣetra kṣetrajñaḥ. The living entity is kṣetrajñāḥ, one who knows about his body. The body is called kṣetra, field, field of activities. I am working with this body. The cat is working with his body, dog is working with his body, mosquito is working with his body. The body is the field of activity, and the soul within the body is the owner of the body, or occupier of the body, not owner. So God is also with him. Therefore He says kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata. God is present along with the living entity, I or you, in everything. I know the pains and pleasure of my body, you know the pains and pleasure of your body, but God knows the pains and pleasure of your body, my body, his body, this body, that body. That is the difference between God and you. These things are explained.

Room Conversation -- July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: From Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And sometimes devotees go around the colleges and sometimes they say, "What you are doing is all wrong, the moon is far away." So I think this is spread all over.

Prabhupāda: But that is a fact.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: But we had one explanation saying that now, the way we percept knowledge, though we understand things, there is also a conditioning behind it. So actually this is a fact, but in Mathematics, if we change the axiom, then we have a whole new understanding, it's almost completely upside down, but still we can interpret the result. It is just like a simple jumble(?), while Nils Bohr, studying the structure of the atom. Now he had a mathematical equation to fit the phenomena of this atom, and actually you can perfectly describe this phenomena by this equation, but, now, at morning times, this quantum mechanics, it turns out whatever he did was completely wrong, but it can be described completely, perfectly well as his model, as is our present understanding. But now his theories (indistinct), he could explain things on his own, but still it's completely wrong. So similarly...

Prabhupāda: They are right. They may present the wrong thing, but still they are right.

Room Conversation -- July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Yadubara: They want to become God.

Prabhupāda: God becoming is far away. First of all, make some living entity. But even if you do it, then what is your credit? Why you want to take so much great credit?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: It's called false prestige.

Prabhupāda: Just see, how nonsense they are, misleading people, making them atheist, Godless. Great dangerous, the so-called scientists.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So that mentality has to be changed.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So if even two, three, points we can prove that they're all rascals, then they will change. Simply cheating people and take high salary. This is common sense. Suppose in the laboratory you make one living being. So what is credit to them? The living entities are coming, many millions...

Devotee: (2): You gave the story about the dog...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Arrival Comments in Car to Temple -- July 9, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Sometimes I was coming there and sitting down near the bridge.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Near the water? You were sitting near the water?

Prabhupāda: Yes, that river.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's a famous bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge. It's the biggest expansion-type bridge.

Prabhupāda: Because I was on that Bowery Street, it is not very far away. So I was coming, walking there, and sitting under the bridge. And thinking, "Whether I shall return to India?" (laughs)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You said you were always inquiring when the boat was returning.

Prabhupāda: Yes. There was one sub-railway station, beginning with F?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Fulton Street?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Fulton Street.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, yes. Sometimes I am going there. Fulton.

Morning Walk -- July 19, 1976, New York:

Bali-mardana: It was amazing that one little generator was supplying all the power. This one little gasoline generator was supplying the power for all the sound and the various electricity things.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, there was no electrical hook-up; we did that with a gas generator.

Prabhupāda: Oh. And there was no sound, cutcutcutcutcut.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, because we put it very far away. In India that would be a nuisance, the sound of the...

Prabhupāda: So where is Ambarīṣa?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He was not in the parade.

Bali-mardana: He is going back to..., I spoke to him for a little while. He's going back to Boston right after the parade, I think, with Aja? I spoke to him; he seemed to be a nice boy. I asked him, because we were meeting with reporters. So they like to ask who is giving you big donations. I wasn't sure whether he wanted his name to be used or not, but he said, "Oh, yes, you can use it without any question. I do not mind at all." (pause)

Prabhupāda: All right, go take rest, you have worked so hard.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, we didn't. (end)

Room Conversation -- July 19, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This one is not, it's not bad, but it's not so accurate. "In size it was dwarfed by 'Operation Sale.' In popular concern it was outweighed by the Democratic National Convention. But for hundreds of Hare Kṛṣṇa followers, including many Indian immigrants to New York, yesterday's Ratha-yātrā festival was by far the most important event in an eventful month. Pulling three brightly-colored chariots down Fifth Avenue from Central Park to Washington Square, the religious group's adherents were celebrating one of the oldest holy days of the Indian calendar, the feast of Jagannātha, the Lord of the Universe, according to Kṛṣṇa doctrine. Most of the participants in the parade were young Westerners, followers from as far away as Caracas and Montreal. But the crowd included hundreds of Indians who brought the basic Kṛṣṇa faith with them from Bombay and Calcutta."

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, that nice. "Like many other immigrant groups who preserved their forms of worship once they came to America, the Indians who watched or participated in the parade were pleased to see that they could keep the faith even in New York City." (laughter)

Prabhupāda: These rascals, let them come, they become baḍa sāheb.

Room Conversation -- July 31, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Oh, that is very nice.

Devotee (1): But now I'm wondering how this should be managed, who should take charge of this project.

Prabhupāda: No, we can send some men from India. Bangkok is not far away from India. If we get a living place, then we can find out. When there are rice thrown, the crows will come. If there is no rice, how the crows will come? This is the philosophy. (laughter) If there is living place, then many crows will come.

Devotee (1): So we can first go and see the situation and then contact our men in India.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Men will be supplied from India. What is his name? Send him some thanks.

Devotee (1): Yes, Mr. Bulson(?). I'll give it to you. Jaya, very nice.

Prabhupāda: He's a Hong Kong man?

Devotee (1): No, he is from Thailand.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, Bangkok.

Room Conversation -- August 8, 1976, Tehran:

Dayānanda: I don't think they know actually what they are talking about, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes, actually this is fact. It is similar planet like the sun, but it is surrounded by cold atmosphere, therefore it is so pleasing. And because it is far away from the sun, the distance between moon and earth is more than the distance between the sun and the earth. Therefore sun looks bigger and it looks smaller. We are contemplating having a planetarium with electric arrangement. You'll have to work. The whole planetary system is moving from east to west, and the sun, moon and... They are up and down. (to child): Come on, Hare Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. He can speak?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: No, just a few words.

Prabhupāda: Two years.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Almost.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. You have got any fruit tree in the garden?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Some pear trees, some apple.

Evening Conversation -- August 8, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Moon is the cooling effect. Desert will make a cooling effect. (laughter) Just see. At least I shall not believe that this is desert and rock. I'm not so fool. The desert and rock is giving so nice brilliant shining, everyone is feeling comfortable. Just see. We have to believe it.

Atreya Ṛṣi: Because Kṛṣṇa is missing. They don't accept Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: No, they should have at least common sense. But they have no common sense. Kṛṣṇa is far away from here, for these rascals, but at least they should have common sense. And that also they have not. Even they have not common sense.

Pradyumna: Children are always asking, it is a folk thing that children ask what is the moon made of? Mother, father, what is the moon made of.

Prabhupāda: They ask?

Pradyumna: Generally, when they are young, what is the moon, what is the moon made of. So they used to answer, "It's made of green cheese." (laughter)

Prabhupāda: You believe that it is desert and rock and giving so nice shining, cooling effect? In Vedic literature, there is always comparison, analogy, with moon, moon-faced, candra-mukhi. There are so many. The best thing is compared with the moon. We have named Māyāpur-candra. Māyāpur-candrodaya Mandira. Do you mean that a desert is coming out from Māyāpur? You have got rock candy?

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- August 9, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Why they're changing?

Parivrājakācārya: Because they're desert people. The sheep eat all the little green, and then they have to move on.

Pradyumna: Same thing as the Bible. When the sheep eat up all the green in that place, then they have to go to another place with their sheep. In the Bible the same thing. All that Abraham, Joseph...

Prabhupāda: Bible was produced here, in this desert. Jerusalem is not far away. Mecca, (indistinct), Arabia.

Parivrājakācārya: All they had to eat was the milk of sheep and goats and sometimes when they would camp near a farm they would have vegetables. Sometimes. And then the meat of the sheep.

Prabhupāda: And these dates. In the desert the date tree grows. Sometimes they eat camel also. Do they not?

Parivrājakācārya: Yes. But I don't think if they...

Prabhupāda: They cannot be strictly vegetarian; it is not possible.

Parivrājakācārya: It is difficult.

Prabhupāda: But even they eat meat they can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, there is no harm.

Evening Darsana (on night of arrival) -- August 16, 1976, Hyderabad:

Indian man (1): It came as a surprise that one o'clock he says Prabhupāda will be staying here. We said nothing more than that, it will be my privilege, but I was just embarrassing, whether it would be inconvenient.

Prabhupāda: Not inconvenient. But now we have comfort. For staying, it is the best place. There is no question about it. But because for the function we have come, so little too far away.

Devotee: To be near the program and see what is going on.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore even it is little inconvenient. (Hindi conversation) What is the position now about this political situation?

Indian man (1): Political situation remains the same. No elections, nothing for the time being.

Prabhupāda: Mahāṁśa was saying that the businessman is in trouble.

Indian man (1): Yes, business is not prospering since last two, three years. Business conditions are not picking up.

Prabhupāda: What is the reason?

Indian man (1): A general recession throughout the world.

Prabhupāda: Depression. Not for any political reason.

Morning Walk -- December 5, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: The point is that... You can explain in this way, that goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Kṛṣṇa is in the Goloka planet which is far, far away from our planet, but still He is everywhere. That is the difference. That you cannot imagine. In our material knowledge you cannot imagine that. But that is the fact. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, tad aham aśnāmi: (BG 9.26) "Anyone offering Me in devotion patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam, I eat." Now, Kṛṣṇa is living far, far away in the Goloka planet. How He can eat? That is your imagining. But Kṛṣṇa says, "Yes, I do." That is Kṛṣṇa. Although He is far, far away, He is within your heart. That you cannot imagine, how it is possible. That is your material knowledge. But you have to accept from the statement of śāstra that although He is far, far away, within your heart. Aṇḍāntara-stha-para... He is within the atom also. So that you cannot imagine. That requires a different knowledge, Vedic knowledge. The material knowledge will not help you, but you cannot imagine. You have to accept Vedic knowledge. What is stated in the Vedas, that you have to accept. That's all. Otherwise there is no possibility. Therefore to understand Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's activities you have to learn from Kṛṣṇa. That is Bhagavad-gītā. You cannot manufacture your knowledge. That is not... Because you are defective—your senses are imperfect—so whatever knowledge you get through your senses, that is all imperfect. You cannot get perfect knowledge by your imperfect senses. That is not possible. Therefore the Vedic injunction is tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). In order to learn that transcendental science you have to approach a guru who knows it.

Morning Walk -- December 5, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: So that you cannot imagine. That requires a different knowledge, Vedic knowledge. The material knowledge will not help you, but you cannot imagine. You have to accept Vedic knowledge. What is stated in the Vedas, that you have to accept. That's all. Otherwise there is no possibility. Therefore to understand Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's activities you have to learn from Kṛṣṇa. That is Bhagavad-gītā. You cannot manufacture your knowledge. That is not... Because you are defective—your senses are imperfect—so whatever knowledge you get through your senses, that is all imperfect. You cannot get perfect knowledge by your imperfect senses. That is not possible. Therefore the Vedic injunction is tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). In order to learn that transcendental science you have to approach a guru who knows it.

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

This is a different phase of knowledge. By your material calculation it will be difficult. The same thing, Kṛṣṇa says, aśnāmi: "I eat." So Kṛṣṇa is far, far away. How does He eat?

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1976, Hyderabad:

Mahāṁśa: No, we should get professional cooks who are really good, like this man who cooked today.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And this man is coming. He can bring.

Mahāṁśa: Yes, he himself will come. But he will have the habit of smoking and I think we can at the most regulate his smoking. "If you want to smoke, you go somewhere far away and smoke and before you start cooking you must wash yourself, have a bath, and then do the cooking."

Prabhupāda: Yes. What can be done? Ne māmā che kānā māmā (?) "If there is no uncle, one blind uncle is all right." So the matter is now clear. You do it and develop it.

Jagadīśa: There is one confusion in my mind, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Mahāṁśa said that the local villagers will not be inclined to come here and live because they are living just outside. But my impression was, from hearing you speak was, that everyone, whether they're living just outside or a long distance outside, they are suffering from material existence. They're having to struggle for existence. They're being taxed by the government. There's so many problems to maintain themself. And every living being in the material world is struggling to maintain himself. But if we offer them a house here and some work and we give them all food, clothing, and...

Prabhupāda: That is our aim.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- December 26, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Why should we spend for our camp? (laughter)

Guest (4): We are just on the bed of the river, far away from the mela, which is about three, four... We have our āśramas at various places, you know.

Prabhupāda: What is this philosophy? What is the philosophy?

Guest (4): Philosophy is bhajana of the Śaṅkarācārya.

Prabhupāda: But whether you recognize Kṛṣṇa...

Dr. Patel: Yes sir, he was our guru. We have published a book from the Calcutta University, so just take your remise. Leave the book for you.

Prabhupāda: Oh, this is for me? Bheṭiye, bheṭiye.(?) Vedānta philosophy (Hindi) Let us discuss. What is Vedānta philosophy? Let us discuss something. You belong to this camp, so what is Vedānta?

Guest (4): Ādi Śaṅkarācārya's preaching, actually defining God as what he thought.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- December 26, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Virāṭ. Bṛhatyad, brnhanatya iti brahman.(?) Not only the largest, but increasing. That is Brahman. Bṛhatya brnghanatya.(?) I'm very much thankful to you. So you arrange immediately. (Hindi)

Guest (5): I will send a message today and you will let me know the date. They will come and receive you either at the Benares airport or here at Allahabad station. Because it's not far away from Allahabad.

Prabhupāda: Yes, I know. I was in Allahabad for thirteen years.

Guest (5): I know.

Prabhupāda: Yes. This Kumbha-mela we had every year.

Guest (5): First of all, you see, we have taken just near Yamunā bridge. As soon as the pilgrims come from various parts of the country we have got a...

Prabhupāda: Yamunā bridge, there are two bridges.

Guest (5): Just near Yamunā bridge there is an institution which belongs to Bombay and that institution is reserved for us just to give a shelter first to people who come by rail.

Prabhupāda: So take all these notes. We'll save so much money.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Roof Conversation -- January 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Hmm. That's nice.

Dr. Patel: How far Naini is from Allahabad?

Mr. Gupta: Naini, railway stationwise is five miles from Allahabad, but people want to go to Sangamner just at the bridge at the bank of the river... (break)

Prabhupāda: It is not far away from the Sam... It is nearer. Rather, Allahabad main station is far away.

Mr. Gupta: You see, the way railways have organized it, Eastern Railway will...

Prabhupāda: So Naini, you are crossing the river or this side of the river?

Mr. Gupta: By special, we will not cross the river. By through-going trains, we will cross the river.

Dr. Patel: If you cross the river, then you go to Allahabad main station.

Mr. Gupta: So Varanasi Express will go to main station. That special would not have gone to main station. It would have caused you inconvenience.

Prabhupāda: So they will receive from Allahabad station our men?

Dr. Patel: You have to tell them to...

Hari-śauri: We'll have to telegram to Gurudāsa to tell when we're coming.

Dr. Patel: There will be huge, I mean, traffic blocking and all those things. No? (break)

Prabhupāda: Fifty years before, when I was in Allahabad, 1920's, there was Kumbhamela. Then forty lakhs people came, fifty years ago.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh. So you can go to our camp.

Guest (5): Camp. I am going with Mr. Munshi only. (Hindi) He's already there, and we are going to put up with them only.

Prabhupāda: That is far away. It takes, I understand, one and a half hours to come.

Guest (5): It is three miles away, in water, in the river.

Prabhupāda: Three miles means one and a half hour? So go one and a half hour and come one and a half hour-three hours.

Guest (5): No, where is our camp then?

Prabhupāda: We have got our camp underneath the bridge.

Guest (5): Railway.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Evening Darsana -- February 24, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: The crowd is the same? No. Diminished.

Jayatīrtha: Well, the crowd that's in Trafalgar Square is mostly there already. That's the thing, because there's always people in Trafalgar Square. So when the Ratha-yātrā comes they stay and they make benefit by ajñāta-sukṛti. But the number of people that are out in the parade is not very great. I've been thinking how it can be increased, because they keep us in one small lane about as wide as this room along this road, and they make you have this small cart, and the people are spread out for so long. A lot of Hindus come, but sometimes they are so far away from the cart it's hard to keep the kīrtana very nice, so they can't see the Deities. And after being in San Francisco for so many years at the Ratha-yātrā, I didn't feel so enthusiastic. That San Francisco festival is so elevated, so wonderful. Therefore I was thinking that if we could move it...

Hṛdayānanda: (indistinct)

Jayatīrtha: Not in the same way.

Pañcadraviḍa: Do we use like a marching band in the Ratha-yātrā? If we used a marching band, a lot of people come, like a parade, like they use in the parades with trumpets and drums and all these things.

Prabhupāda: I think you can introduce in Africa also. (laughter)

Room Conversation with Scientists, Svarupa Damodara, and Dr. Sharma -- March 31, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Artificial heart and this real heart the same thing—it is material. Where is the difference? There is no difference.

Dr. Sharma: Just like they are trying to produce babies in the test-tube. They are never going to be successful. But they can keep on trying. I recently went to Houston, and there I have read that they cannot keep somebody alive even more than five, six hours. So far away from such a thing.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What about this heart transplant?

Dr. Sharma: Well, the heart transplants actually have been given up everywhere except one place, that's in Stanford Medical Center. And they are doing it because they are the one who initially started it, so they are emotionally stable about it. But actually I have gone and seen there, and they do it... The people are, you know, the recipient patient is very unhappy after the heart transplant. He's very restless, and he has nightmares and he is extremely unhappy.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Has Dr. Barnard of South Africa stopped it now?

Dr. Sharma: Well, he has stopped after doing nine, but Stanford people, they have done about almost over a hundred, and they can keep somebody alive another six months or a year or at the most two years. But the man, the man's existence is very miserable. He has to take so many drugs, and he is bloated like a balloon, and he cannot even do the simple duties like taking walks or going to bathroom. He has to be very careful. If he just slips, it will develop the fracture of his ventricle, and that's all. It is very, very unnatural, and I don't think they can solve this problem at all. It is just man's struggle (for) life.(?) And I know they are saying they will do only in people with proper insurance because the hospital bill is $70,000 for a heart transplant.

Prabhupāda: All rascals, they...

Dr. Sharma: This is a perfect example of what Prabhupāda is saying, because this is not justified on any account-moral, ethical, medical...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Or financial.

Room Conversation -- April 13, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Very good. Poona is not far away.

Girirāja: Oh, no. It's two or three hours.

Prabhupāda: By train. So it is nice place, educated.

Girirāja: One... There's a very big military concentration, so this time we didn't meet any of the military leaders, but I think next time we can arrange a big program there. It's the whole headquarters for, I think, central India or...

Prabhupāda: Which... It is... Very much. One program is clear. I think our this Cross Maidan pandal has given the people study.

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Bombay people.

Room Conversation Meeting with Dr. Sharma (from Russia) -- April 17, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So you see our temple there.

Dr. Sharma: Yeah, I have been to your temple in Buffalo. I was in your temple in Winnipeg, Canada.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Those are very small.

Dr. Sharma: Yes, small ones. But Winnipeg is all... But it was all right for such a small, but very well maintained, very well maintained. In London I haven't gone, because I stayed far away from the city.

Prabhupāda: We have got two temples in London. One in the city, and one in the border of London. That is very big temple. Seventeen acres of land. George Harrison has given us that property.

Guests: (talking about George Harrison)

Dr. Sharma: No, you are mistaken. George Harrison is a different... Rex Harrison is a British actor.

Prabhupāda: George Harrison of the Beatle group.

Conversation: Bogus Gurus -- April 25, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Svarūpa-siddhi, that is bogus. Svarūpa-siddhi is not that you do all nonsense things and svarūpa-siddhi... Svarūpa-siddhi means when he is actually liberated, he understands what is his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is svarūpa-siddhi. Sākhya... So that is far away. Unless... If he's such a fool, then where is svarūpa-siddhi?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So that realization doesn't come by some initiation from some bābājī.

Prabhupāda: That automatically comes when there..., he is liberated, not before. So the bābājīs give this mantra for svarūpa-siddhi?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hm.

Prabhupāda: Yes, this is going on.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This man, he has a book now of these..., this man from Purī, Jagannātha Purī. He has a... He collects letters from each one of them, and he keeps them in a book, and he shows...

Prabhupāda: Yes, that "They have given me..."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So many disciples.

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

Prabhupāda: Your taking care of me, that is your kindness to us.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, that is our greatest pleasure. That is your mercy to us. It's for our purification. I feel like all of this service is simply the greatest mercy for our purification. That place was far away, where they had to go for the medicine.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Mahākṣa told me it was...

Prabhupāda: And how is that, he has not come back?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, I asked Mahākṣa, "How is it?" He calculated that it would take three hours, each way, to go. Far distant place. So they left about noon. So three hours, three hours. Then he may have taken some time to make it, three-four hours. So they might come back nine or ten tonight.

Prabhupāda: Find out the key.

Room Conversation -- July 27-28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So why not print?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We are.

Yaśomatīnandana: Just we have to... The titles are being printed in Bombay.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. (indistinct) And Bombay is not far away.

Yaśomatīnandana: We have Teachings of Lord Caitanya ready, Nectar of Devotion is being ready. Perfection of Yoga is ready.

Prabhupāda: Gujarati books will sell very nice all over the world. Gujarati people are all over the world.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I told England to take five thousand.

Prabhupāda: Everywhere they have made colonies. So I am getting very good news, book distribution, from Europe and America.

Meeting With Governor of Tamil Nadu -- July 31, 1977, Vrndavana:

Governor: We will do something there much better, because everything is under our control.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Governor: So I would request you to come to Madras, and we'll arrange some of your lectures also.

Prabhupāda: (to Tamāla Kṛṣṇa) If possible, take me there. Madras is not far away. It takes about two hours from Delhi.

Governor: From Delhi only one and a half hour. I came only yesterday morning. We left the plane by... Now with jet line only takes one and half hours. Otherwise takes two hours. Boeing flight. Daily.

Prabhupāda: Think over. His Excellency is inviting. It is a good opportunity.

Governor: We'll keep Mahārāja in our Raj Bhavan in very comfortable place to stay. It's like āśrama, because in our lands in my garden we have got 1,300 deers of various type. We feel as if we are in Vālmīki-āśrama. They are all coming to us, and we give them some food also, 1,300 deer in our compound.

Prabhupāda: So accept his invitation and fix up.

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 18, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That round table?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. There will be a round-table conference debate in Delhi. So all five will be there. Brahma-tīrtha, our geologist from Houston, he's going back, he told me, on 28th. So I decided to do on 27th. Also before that... Krishnamurti is the director general of television in New Delhi, and he's a good friend of our Dr. Khorana. Dr. Khorana is our life member in Delhi. So he also came to the conference on the last day. In fact, he brought the head of the All-India Medical Association also. So he told me that any day I come, any day we want, we can fix a date for a television appearance also. And since we are here, I also don't want to go far away from Vṛndāvana at this time. So in this process I'd like to go to Agra and Delhi and also possible Punjab areas, and I'd like to do some program and come back in Vṛndāvana. I don't want to go far away from Vṛndāvana at this stage. And in the process also we'd like to do some engagements. And then in about one or two months we'll work for Bombay. Bombay, I was told that three rooms are provided for the Institute. But we are at least four, and also we need a secretary for typing. So it seems to me that three rooms that are allotted for us will be not sufficient.

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Room Conversation -- November 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That's a fact.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We had no idea how that Hare Krishna Land would ever be successful.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It was a jungle.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's what we were thinking. "Why does Prabhupāda want us to live in a jungle?" So far away. Nothing there but mosquitoes, and so many rats. We thought, "Who will come there?"

Prabhupāda: Now when we construct the other building, further down, it will be (indistinct).

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Godown will be on the ground floor, and residences and Gurukula on the other floors. The only problem is that it's such a good place that now we can't get the residents to move out of those other buildings. They say, "Why should we move? Now we have a temple. There'll be a Gurukula. There's a bank." It's very hard to get them out. Of course, we don't care if they stay, if they're nice.

Prabhupāda: Gradually they'll be devotee.