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Merchant (Conversations and Letters)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- July 16, 1968, Montreal:

Prabhupāda: The Vedic system does not condemn anyone. "You are a potter. Oh, you are lower." No. You are as good as a priest because you are doing your duty. That's all right. Never condemns. This is development of later age when the so-called brāhmaṇas became, I mean to say, treacherous. They began to condemn so-called lower class. There was disruption, the whole social system. But in the beginning it was not. So they have got respectable terms. Just like a brāhmaṇa is addressed as paṇḍita mahārāja. A kṣatriya is addressed ṭhākura saheb, ṭhākur. And a merchant is addressed: sethji. And the laborer class addressed as choudhari, means leader. In this way everyone has got respectable position. Why? Because the test of their success was one, Viṣṇu.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation With John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison -- September 11, 1969, London, At Tittenhurst:

Prabhupāda: Everyone thinks that "I can interpret in my own way." Why? Why this should be? We say, "No. You cannot interpret." Then what is the authority of Bhagavad-gītā? The author of Bhagavad-gītā did not leave it for being interpreted by a third-class man. He is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. He said everything clearly. Why an ordinary man should interpret His word? That is our objection. Therefore we present Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. The MacMillan Company wanted to shorten. (Chuckling) Because they are merchants. They wanted to minimize. Otherwise the book was very big. They wanted to make it only four hundred. Therefore half of the ślokas was not nicely explained. But next time we are going to publish in large and revised edition of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. We must explain everything. So the Bhagavad-gītā is very, very high-class philosophy and theology. Social, political, science—everything is there. It is very nice. And everything is clear. It is explained by Kṛṣṇa. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to present Bhagavad-gītā as it is. That's all. We have not manufactured anything.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Now we have got land, many people will contribute materials. Materials, we can get materials from many big, big merchants.

Devotee: Yeah, like, ah, Tarachand.

Prabhupāda: Cement, iron, they will.. "All right. Give it." Goods, anyone will give.

Devotee: Tarachand Gupta, I think his name is.

Prabhupāda: He is also our life member. He is nice.

Devotee: Iron merchant.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 1, 1973, Jakarta:

Devotee (1): Toko bunga means flower store. They usually have the category. (pause)

Prabhupāda: These are wholesale merchants?

Devotee (1): It appears to be. Yes.

Prabhupāda: It is just like Indian market.

Morning Walk -- May 12, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: If a poor man cannot spend ten dollars and if a rich man immediately spends million dollars, he becomes surprised, "How it is possible? How it is possible?" It is like that. We have got the capacity of not even ten dollars. We are thinking of millions and trillion dollars. Adara vapari yahan khabor.(?) You know this? Adar, adar, adar means ginger. A ginger merchant, he is asking, "When the another ship will come?" Ginger is never purchased ship loaded. You take little ginger. If you have got one bag of ginger, then it will be sold in three years. So adar vapari yahan khabor. (?) What you have got to do with ship, shipment? You just carry one bag or ten sheer(?) or ten kilos... That's all. So these rascals, they are adar vapari, and they are taking account of where is that ship.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 16, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Intelligence... Not only intelligence. Human life has got the discriminating power. Sad-asat. (Indians speaking) (break) ...infected, how your medicine will be sold? (break) ...merchant, I will say like that. (break) Since we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then bahyābhyantaraṁ śuciḥ. We are... What is called? Prophylactic, prophylactic.

Morning Walk -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: No, it doesn't matter. You give him good advice. Just like a canvasser. He canvasses for selling some books or some... If does not sell, he is not a culprit. He has done his job. That is recognized by Kṛṣṇa. Devotee does not make any bargain with Kṛṣṇa that "Kṛṣṇa will give me this benefit; therefore I have become pure devotee." That is not devotee. Prahlāda Mahā... He is a merchant, "You give me this price. I will deliver this clothing." That is not devotion. Āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu māṁ marma-hatāṁ karotu vā: (CC Antya 20.47) "Any condition, I am your slave. Whatever You like, you can do with me." That is the sign, not that "If it is favorable to my idea, then I accept You." That is not devotion.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 10, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: You have also caste system in the Western countries. You are not without caste system. There is a priestly class. So there are politicians, there are industrialists, merchants, and ordinary laborer. Where is...? How you can say there is no caste system in your country?

Jayadharma: But there may be the clergymen and the mercantile class and the soldiers and the laborers, in this particular society, but this society is breaking away from that because they are not recognizing the clergy class of men because nobody is going to church, nor is anybody giving any money to the church these days. This is why many churches...

Room Conversation with Dr. Copeland, Professor of Modern Indian History -- May 20, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: This is brāhmaṇa. We do not serve anyone, any merchant, officer, any... No. We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That's all. If Kṛṣṇa wants, He will give us food, or we shall starve. We are not going to serve. This is the proof. We are spending not less than twenty lakhs of rupees for maintaining our establishment throughout the whole world, but we do not know what is our next moment's income. We do not know... We have eaten today. We do not know whether we shall have any eatable next day. This is our position. If it is available, we shall eat; otherwise we shall starve. This is our position. Still, I don't seek any employment, "Give us some service to maintain our..." No, we don't do that. We never do that. When I was alone, I was not doing that. I was living alone. I had no income, no friend, no shelter. Since I left my home, since 1954, I never cared for anyone maintaining me. And there was no resource, fixed income, nothing of the sort. I depended on Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, in the whole society we are feeding daily ten thousand men.

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1975, Honolulu:

Bali-mardana: There are different devastations by water as well.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) There is a Bengali proverb, ādār vapare yahare khabor (?) A man is dealing with ginger. So ginger is used... Suppose we take ginger, a few small pieces. You cannot expect ginger selling in wagons. (laughs) Ginger is accepted—you purchase one or two pieces, that's all. So a merchant dealing in ginger is asking, "What is the fare of one big freight? I shall take ginger that." He is selling only two pieces, and he's taking information of a big freighter. Similarly, these rascals, they are dealing with small things and contemplate describing (?) life. What about that moon expedition?

Morning Walk -- July 19, 1975, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: No, no, I don't wonder you. But the gold has got such infection that if one... That is the whole world, that as soon as one has gold, he is no more interested with God. That is the infection. "Ah!" He will say, "This is meant for the poor class of men who has no gold. I have gold. I am God." You know that Kali-yuga. He was punished, that "You get out." Then he said that "Where shall I go? Everywhere is your kingdom." Then Parīkṣit Mahārāja said that "You go here, in the brothel, in the..., these four things." Striyaḥ śūna-pānā dyutāḥ yatra pāpāś catur-vidhāḥ: "Illicit sex, and slaughterhouse, and liquor shop, and gambling." Then he requested that "Instead of going so many places, you give me some place where one place will be sufficient." Then he said, "You go where there is gold. Then you get everything." Striyaḥ śūna-pānā dyutāḥ yatra pāpāś catur-vidhāḥ. Formerly, especially in Bengal, the gold merchants are taken as—that is artificial, of course—the low class because they are rich, and they indulge in these four kinds of prohibition.

Morning Walk -- September 18, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Does not give list—then don't bring. Everyone must supply list in the evening and once it should... (aside) Jaya. It is not that Daivī-śakti gives one list—you have to go. What is this? Everything purchased in the morning, that's all. And rice, dahl, attar, ghee, for fifteen days. Only the raw fruits and vegetables should be purchased every morning. That's all.

Dhanañjaya: So Viśvambhara is going this morning to grain merchants to arrange.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Morning Walk -- October 16, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. I have seen it. I have seen it during last wartime. One Chinese man was coming to one of my friends, my business friend. So he would give, immediately coming, a bunch of notes, maybe ten thousand.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Indian notes?

Prabhupāda: Yes. And a list of goods. He was his purchasing agent. So that bunch of notes was printed in China. You see? And he brings it and gives to a merchant here, and he gives him real goods, and he takes it out. This is inflation.

Morning Walk -- December 23, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Hah. That is nice. That is for curing Viṣṇu's representative. When we were in danger, there was so much obstruction for constructing the temple, and we prayed to Kṛṣṇa that it should stopped. We prayed to Kṛṣṇa, "Please give your protection." That is for Viṣṇu's purpose. (break) ...Bhagavad-gītā, arto 'rthārthī jijñāsur: when one is in distress, he comes to Kṛṣṇa. So that is not pure bhakti. Pure bhakti means, "I shall not take a farthing from Kṛṣṇa; I shall give everything to Kṛṣṇa." That is pure. "I shall not take any return from Kṛṣṇa." Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "I am not a merchant, that for my service I take some return for it." No. But sometimes when, since we are not pure devotees, we have no other alternative than to beg Kṛṣṇa for some material benefit. That is also good. They have said, catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ, sukṛtinaḥ, that pious. Although they are not pure devotee, but they are pious. But the duṣkṛtinaḥ, they do not approach Him. That is the difference.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 3, 1976, Fiji:

Prabhupāda: If one goes to Vaikuṇṭha he does not come. But Caitanya also says He does not desire that. He is.... "Let me remain perpetually here, but be engaged in Your service." That is real, pure devotee. He doesn't want even promotion. That is also mentioned now: dīyamānaṁ na gṛhṇanti. Dīyamānam, even Kṛṣṇa says, "Come immediately to Vaikuṇṭha," "Sir, that is for..." Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered, "Whatever you like, you take." "Sir, do not make me a bāniyā (indistinct)." (break) But if anyone wants in exchange of service, then he's not a devotee, he's a bāniyā (merchant).

Guru-kṛpā: Is that a merchant?

Prabhupāda: Huh? Merchant, yes.

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

Prabhupāda: Here is a very nice example. Soldiers. They know "We are going to give up our life." And what for? "Money." (laughs) They are prepared to give up life for money. Money is so sweeter than honey. (laughs) And thieves, they go at night for burglary. He knows that "If I trespass anyone's house, he can kill me immediately." But still he takes the risk for money. That is all explained here. What is the verse?

Hṛdayānanda: "Thieves, professional servants, soldiers and merchants try to acquire money even by risking their very dear lives."

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

Prabhupāda: Merchants also. Formerly, merchants used to go from one country.... And now they also go, now. Facility of transport is easier. Formerly, they had to cross the big ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, waves, and many of them died. Still, for money, they used to go.

Hṛdayānanda: Still today, Prabhupāda, many, for example, many big American merchants are being killed in the foreign countries by the Communists and so on. Its very risky still. Many American merchants are being killed in foreign countries.

Room Conversation -- June 17, 1976, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: Without them, the factories cannot go on. That's all. The white men cannot work so hard. How they...? No gentleman can do that. This kind of work is meant for the fourth-class, fifth-class men. Therefore they cannot say anything. They require. And they know that their money will be taken away again by supplying them wine. They'll pay, and next moment, the wine merchant will take away. And the government will get huge profit without doing anything. And excise tax. Excise tax, government hasn't got to invest or do anything—simply take the tax.

Evening Darsana -- July 13, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Wholesale business is better than retail business. My father was a wholesale, cloth seller, cloth merchant. So, he liked wholesale business, not retail.

Mr. Kallman: The wholesale is much better. It's more financial...

Prabhupāda: A little profit, but aggregate is better.

Evening Darsana -- July 13, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Therefore the Marwaris, they become very big businessmen.

Mr. Kallman: Very powerful.

Prabhupāda: Yes. This Birlas, they have become so big, they have so much credit in the market that by telephone they will ask any gold merchant, that you purchase one thousand tolās of gold for me. He'll immediately purchase, because he has a credit.

Evening Darsana -- July 13, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: And next moment he phones another gold merchant, "What is the price," he says. Say one anna less... I'll sell one hundred tolās. So he'll purchase without any investment and sells immediately and makes one hundred tolās, one anna profit, some (indistinct).

Mr. Kallman: Sure.

Prabhupāda: By telephone.

Mr. Kallman: Very quick.

Morning Walk -- July 13, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: All hooligans, thieves, rogues, they were made big, big respectable people. A deposit in the government, this lord family means they have to deposit, say, ten million pounds, like that, and the government takes that money as fixed deposit, and the interest the family will maintain the aristocracy. This is the lord's family. Some way or other you deposit ten million pounds and your family becomes lord's family. So people become mad after money, somehow or other bring money. There was no other culture. In order to introduce their Manchester cloth, how they killed the home industry of India, cloth merchant, this weaver... Just like we are trying. It is very long time, this, the handloom. They cut the finger.

Evening Darsan -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Harikeśa: He's making a lot of money from his book.

Prabhupāda: That is, everyone will read, but he's not in that position of President. Money, there are many merchants that make more money than Nixon. That is not the criterion. That position. So it is like that. So what is Mr. Ali's...? Any question?

Room Conversation -- September 6, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: And he's trying to do something. The same "something." He was at home, the same woman and same man. And again also here the same woman and man, and trying to do something. But he has no customer. He has only customer how to cheat these Europeans and Americans. Surmā merchant. As if surmā is not available in the market. And he advertises "This is my special formula, and this is this, this is this. You take it and give me five hundred rupees and go away." He cannot sell outside. Otherwise, why he's sticking to Vṛndāvana? Thinking the fools and rascals the Americans are. I shall introduce. (Hindi) That this material world has become nothing. You come to something. (Hindi) If anyone wants to go to Bhagavān then he has to make this material world voluntarily nothing. Niṣkiñcanasya. Niṣkiñcana means nothing. You understand, you translate.

Room Conversation with Indian Man -- December 22, 1976, Poona:

Prabhupāda: That much intelligence, we must have that intelligence, that who is master. Suppose if you want gold, if you do not know where gold can be purchased, then he is cheated.

Indian man: That is what is happening.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So why should you be cheated? At least you go to a shop where gold is purchased and sold. Why should you go to a pan wala. If you have no such knowledge then you will get. You must know at least that gold has to be purchased from a merchant who is dealing in gold. If you do not know that, then you will be cheated.

Morning Walk -- December 30, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: People believe, just like bank, everywhere, crores of rupees they are collecting daily because people know, "As soon as I shall want the money, it will be paid." So bāniyās were very honest. By others money, they would prosper, and the money is ready. Because they were doing with commodities, even he has no cash money he can immediately sell something and pay. That was the credit. That was the credit. Then people believed them. The village bankers were these grocers, especially the gold merchants. Therefore the gold merchants were bankers and dealers in gold. Suvarṇa-vaṇik. They had position. They have got stock of ornaments, gold ornaments, silver utensils. So you can believe in him, that by putting in his custody one hundred, one thousand rupees he can deliver. At any moment. The bankers. And Rūpa Gosvāmī did it practically. Some money for emergency, some money... Relatives they also expect. That is allowed.

Room Conversation -- December 31, 1976, Bombay:

Girirāja: There's that one man, he was very enthusiastic there, Mr. Bansalji.

Prabhupāda: Bansalji.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: From Agra?

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Tire merchant?

Girirāja: I don't remember. But Haṁsadūta and I went way in the beginning and later on he came during the Delhi pandal. He met you and he wanted us to open a center there.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: In Kanpur there is a brahmacārī aśrama. Sometimes gṛhasthas, they invite the brahmacārīs to feed them, and when a brahmacārī is initiated, they give them this pot. So that brahmacārī aśrama, the man who is maintaining, he occasionally collects these pots, so, and he sells all these pots to a brass merchant. People give sacred thread, a pot. As they give in charity to the brāhmaṇas, they give in charity to the brahmacārīs.

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

Prabhupāda: I am simply surprised when I compare British days and nowadays. My practical experience—one of my maternal uncles, he's a very big, rich man. He was; he is not existing. So he was doing business, rice exporting. So in Calcutta, Chetra side, he had big, big godown full of rice. Not only he, other merchants also. But now they are empty. Similarly, from Bombay the oil seeds are being exported.

Morning Conversation -- June 23, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Kach-Kamil. Kach-Kamil means the gentleman who kept her, he was a big glass merchant. So the temple was decorated with mirrors and glass, and her name was Kamil, so Kach-Kamil temple. Still there are. Everyone was Kṛṣṇa conscious, either poor man, retired man or prostitute or gentleman or rich man—everyone. The society itself was Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Conversation: 'How to Secure Brahmacaris' -- June 24, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Nobody drinks poison knowingly, but these people, we are all drinking poison knowingly. They're refusing to take Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So little difficult but very responsible task. So at least bring five hundred students. Then it will be very nice, gradually. Respectable gentleman, big, big man, at least these big, big merchants, their student doesn't... Just like Birla family, other big, big... If they require some technologists, they can hire. There are so many tech... Technologist means śūdra. And actually they are doing that. They do not train their own sons to become technologist. They pay for that, the śūdras, as servants are... The Englishmen used to say these men, craft and technolo..., "educated laborer." They are laborer and little educated. There are uneducated laborer, just like carpenter. He doesn't require any education.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I was surprised. In Bombay this one life member, very wealthy man... I thought, "Oh, this man must have many businesses." And I found that he only had one business. He simply exports cardamom. And he's a very wealthy man, and he simply exports little cardamom seeds, but such quantities, and it fetches a very good price abroad.

Prabhupāda: Yes, there are many merchants. They deal in quantity and stock huge. Nobody can compete with him.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, they buy everybody out.

Prabhupāda: He can give so cheap one lakh. Somebody gives you a black, what is called...? Berries, berries.

Room Conversation Varnasrama -- July 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Would the blacksmiths do the pūjā to Viśvakarmā, or brāhmaṇas?

Prabhupāda: No, brāhmaṇa will do. Similarly, the spice merchants, they'll worship Gaṅgeśvarī. The gold merchant worships Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Who would do that?

Prabhupāda: Gold merchant. The student will worship Sarasvatī. The merchant will worship Gaṇeśa, Lakṣmī.

Correspondence

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Mr. Nakano -- Delhi 18 April, 1961:

Regarding my personal history I beg to state it shortly as follows: I was born 1st September 1896 in Calcutta as the third son of my father Late Gaura Mohon Dev and mother late Rajani Devi in the family of one of very respectable Gold merchant aristocracy of Calcutta. I was educated in the Scottish Churches College (B.A. 1920) and Netaji Subhas Candra was my college mate.

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Mukunda -- Calcutta 11 November, 1967:

Regarding your telegram; I may inform you that I am starting sometime next week. I shall inform you as soon as I book my ticket of my time of arrival (ETA). Regarding your business, I have seen many merchants who will supply us incense, frankincense, saris, musical instruments, dancing ghungru (jingle bells for feet) etc.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Acyutananda, Jayagovinda -- Montreal 21 August, 1968:

You can see also the following gentleman who is also a devotee of my activities, and you can show him this letter whether he can spart a room for your stay to supervise the printing work: Gopala Krishna Babu; c/o Bhananull Gulzari Lal; Iron Merchants; Chauri Basar; Delhi-6, India. It is near the O.D. Press, and if he agrees it will be a very nice thing for you.

Letter to Acyutananda, Jayagovinda -- Seattle 13 October, 1968:

Bombay is a place where there are many many rich merchants who will be glad to donate money simply for our Back To Godhead magazine. There are many such magazines published from Bombay, and they collect Rs. 200-5—as donation for each page, simply for the advertisements of their name—that the page is donated by such and such person.

Letter to Rayarama -- Seattle 17 October, 1968:

Many people are publishing nonsense magazines as they are collecting money in that way. So this is a Vaisnava magazine, and in Bombay especially, there are many Vaisnavas rich men, merchants, they will be very glad that Krishna Consciousness is being preached in America, and they will donate space. They have got money. So let these two boys work in that way, and distribute Back To Godhead free, and simply collect money for donation of space, and increase the volume of writing.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Kedar Mataji -- Los Angeles 25 January, 1969:

I think that devotees of Lord Krishna in India should come forward and cooperate with my missionary activities. Krishna Prasadji donated one pair of Sri Murtis for our New York temple, and I wished that many other rich merchants of India who are devotees of Lord Krishna may contribute a pair of 24" high Radha-Krishna murtis for installing in various temples here. You should also come forward to cooperate with this movement. I am already getting murtis 24" high at a rate which is almost 50% less than the price quoted by you.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Rupanuga -- Los Angeles 29 March, 1970:

Regarding moving with Sankirtana Party, as Kirtanananda Maharaja is doing now, it will be another impetus for pushing forward our mission. Please do this business very nicely. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also did like that and He presented Himself as a merchant in Krsna Consciousness selling the transcendental commodity in exchange of eagerness of the people. If people simply become faithful to the understanding of Krsna Consciousness, that will be the price for our transcendental commodity, Hare Krsna Mantra.

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Los Angeles 25 June, 1970:

I am very glad to learn about Giriraja's tricks for the imitation God. Just like expert business men make profit both ways, namely when the merchandise goes down by price or goes up by price. An experienced merchant makes profit both ways—when the price goes down, he purchases, and when the price goes up, he sells. So our Krsna conscious men should be transcendental business men, and Krsna gives the right intelligence how to deal with all classes of men.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Gurukrpa -- Vrindaban 1 September, 1974:

You say that after this last payment to Dai Nippon, you will not be able to send any legal payment out of the country. But, Ramesvara has just written that after this payment you will be able to make all future payments to my account direct. Please clarify this. But, there are Indian merchants there who can help you. If they understand that we are using the money here to build temples, they will help.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Jayatirtha -- Mayapur 22 January, 1976:

Just try to improve the Prasadam system so nicely that one will not want any other arrangement. Another thing, is that the grhasthas may be encouraged to do agriculture. In the Indian villages like in Vrindaban, they get enough ghee for their personal use, and sufficient excess to be sold to the merchants, who then also get some money. Cow protection means good food and good trade. So I can give you suggestions how to manage everything, but it is up to the GBC to practically execute all these points.

Page Title:Merchant (Conversations and Letters)
Compiler:Rishab, Serene
Created:23 of Dec, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=33, Let=10
No. of Quotes:43