Helicopter

Expressions researched:
"helicopter" |"helicopters"

SB Canto 3

SB 3.22.17, Translation and Purport:

I have heard that Viśvāvasu, the great Gandharva, his mind stupefied with infatuation, fell from his airplane after seeing your daughter playing with a ball on the roof of the palace, for she was indeed beautiful with her tinkling ankle bells and her eyes moving to and fro.

It is understood that not only at the present moment but in those days also there were skyscrapers. Herein we find the word harmya-pṛṣṭhe. Harmya means "a very big palatial building." Svād vimānāt means "from his own airplane." It is suggested that private airplanes or helicopters were also current in those days. The Gandharva Viśvāvasu, while flying in the sky, could see Devahūti playing ball on the roof of the palace. Ball playing was also current, but aristocratic girls would not play in a public place. Ball playing and other such pleasures were not meant for ordinary women and girls; only princesses like Devahūti could indulge in such sports. It is described here that she was seen from the flying airplane. This indicates that the palace was very high, otherwise how could one see her from an airplane? The vision was so distinct that the Gandharva Viśvāvasu was bewildered by her beauty and by hearing the sound of her ankle bangles, and being captivated by the sound and beauty, he fell down. Kardama Muni mentioned the incident as he had heard it.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.10 Public Meeting -- Rome, May 25, 1974:

Dhanañjaya: Should they ask for questions? Ask for questions.

Prabhupāda: Let him come here. Come here. Come here.

Question (translated): Why we are using things like microphones, helicopter and things like that? (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Why we are using microphone? (laughter)

Dhanañjaya: We are talking against material life, and why we are using microphones, tape recorders, airplanes?

Prabhupāda: We do not think microphone is material. The microphone is made of matter, namely earth, water, fire, air and ether. So all these material energies are coming from Kṛṣṇa. It is described in the Bhagavad-gītā,

bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ

khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca

ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me

bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā

(BG 7.4)

God says that "This earth, water, fire, air and ether, the mind, intelligence and ego, they are My eight different, separated energies from Me." The energy cannot be separated from the energetic. Just like the sunshine and the sun. The sunshine, although it appears to be separated from the sun, it is not separated from the sun. As the heat and light from heat from fire, although heat appears to be separated from fire, suppose there is fire in the corner of this room, and we are feeling the heat. It is apparently separated from the fire, but it is not separated from the fire. So when the energy is not utilized for the energetic, it is separated. Otherwise it is always not separated. So when you utilize this microphone for the service of Kṛṣṇa, it is no more material. It is spiritual.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Millions and millions of people. There is no advertisement but they will come. Government wanted to discourage them in so many ways. In Jagannātha Purī you will find daily, in Vṛndāvana and all sacred places. The Ārya-samājīs, the government, they tried to condemn this temple worship, this...

Haṁsadūta: Nehru.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Nehru, yes. Nehru was such a rascal that he came... Ramakrishna Mission has a big hospital in Vṛndāvana. So on the opening day he came from Delhi by helicopter. He stayed there the whole day. He came in the morning, and the function took place in the evening. Or in daytime. He left the same day. But he did not visit a single temple. You see? Such an atheist he was.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Sridhara Maharaja -- June 27, 1973, Navadvipa:

Prabhupāda: No, why? All aristocratic kings, they were carried by palanquin.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Yes, it was previously.

Prabhupāda: And...

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Now the motor car has taken place and the more advanced...

Prabhupāda: Motor, motor, there is jerking.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: ...helicopter.

Prabhupāda: Now, now we, this, recently, before coming here, one of my students, Śyāmasundara, he took me from the airport on helicopter to my temple, and he spent one thousand pounds for that rascal thing. Unnecessarily. "Why you have spent unnecessarily?" No.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 9, 1974, Vrndavana:

Guest: Have you seen the car?

Prabhupāda: I think it is now obsolete.

Guest (1): Obsolete now. I don't see it now.

Guru dāsa: Train?

Guest (1): No. (indistinct) (laughter) Just like (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: With car, there is a platform like this. It moves on the roof of the house. (laughter) (Hindi) Helicopter.

Guest (1): Helicopter.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) (break) ...New York, goes to Los Angeles and then to Honolulu, then Tokyo, then Hong Kong, then New Delhi... No. Hong Kong to Bangkok, Bangkok to New Delhi, New Delhi to Karachi, Karachi to Beirut, then, I think, London, then again New York. One, one round. (Hindi) One round.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1975, Nairobi:

Brahmānanda: City Hall is also there. United Nations has offices in that big building. They study the environment. It's environmental study.

Prabhupāda: That is another scheme. For the last thirty, forty years they could not study. "In future, we shall be happy."

Indian: Monday, president, he was addressing that Kaiser(?) affair in the next park. So there was even one helicopter. So they came to throw off flowers on him in the gathering. But suddenly the helicopter fell down there on the train. There was train was going on.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

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Room Conversation -- January 19, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: So make something like American which is wonderful for the world. So you are Americans. You must do something.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If we build this temple with escalators and the people go in the temple and they go up the escalator...

Harikeśa: They'll never come back.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Do you think that they're going to then go down the road to go into Śrī Caitanya Maṭha? Why would... What is the point of it after doing something like that? They'll never go.

Prabhupāda: And if you can arrange some... What is called, that? This helicopter.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Helicopter.

Prabhupāda: Bringing our men from Dum Dum airport to our roof.

Bhavānanda: Yes.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 7, 1977, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: We have got a government law, that sue the fellow for dissolution. Hindus. Mr. Nehru has done-great service to his community. (japa) (break)

Prabhupāda: ...aerodrome is near.

Dr. Patel: I reach aerodrome from my place in three minutes. And you (indistinct). (discussion of airplanes and helicopters)

Prabhupāda: Chambur, I stayed there for a week. So almost on head, aeroplanes.

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

Rāmeśvara: The appearance of our center here has improved at least a thousand times from last year.

Prabhupāda: On account of that building.

Rāmeśvara: And also the gardens and the lawns being kept nicely.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Even big, big men, they are... Tarun Kanti he said, "Vaikuṇṭha."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He said so.

Gargamuni: He landed by helicopter.

Prabhupāda: Everyone likes.

Rāmeśvara: (aside:) They're coming in this morning.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So you can... Śrīla Prabhupāda, you wanted to ask Dr. Sharma about altitude?

Prabhupāda: Seven thousand feet high altitude, it is good for a person to go there?

Dr. Sharma: I think it will be better if you go with an oxygen cylinder and by helicopter, not by the routine journey. Not by, you know..., gradual. Because suddenly you can get air hunger, you know, when you...

Prabhupāda: It is risky.