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Presentation (Conversations)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1967 Conversations and Morning Walks

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Hayagrīva: Yes, I see. All right. Now the fifth scene...

Prabhupāda: Fifth scene, Lord Caitanya's mother, Śacīdevī, is sitting underneath a tree, a nim tree. It is called nim tree. And the little child on her lap and the visitors, so many visitors are coming, and they are offering some presentation. Somebody is offering gold necklace, somebody offering some bangles, some cloth, some money, and his father, he...what is called...Jagannātha Miśra. Jagannātha Miśra is there? Yes. Jagannātha Miśra, His father. He was, whatever money and clothes and gold and silver, they were coming, he was also distributing to poor men, some dancers. In India there is a system... What you call the eunuchs? Those who are neither male or female. What do you call? What is their name?

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Religious Group -- July 27, 1968, Montreal:

Guest (4): But then you are searching.

Prabhupāda: What? No. My searching is complete. I...

Guest (4): But then I cannot convince you of anything.

Prabhupāda: No. Why not? You have got reason; I have got reason. You have to show me that these are favorable condition in Paris.

Guest (4): But how can I convince you? Because you are saying that you cannot...

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. Convince means you have to convince me with your reasoning power or presentation. That is not very difficult thing. Two lawyers are fighting in the court. They are convincing. Now the judgement is there. So that fighting means for convincing, not only in law court, in everywhere. In assembly, in Parliament, in Senate house. That is a regular thing. Now the majority is accepting. Now this shall be... What is that?

Devotee: (inaudible)

Prabhupāda: No, no. Show it now. (end)

Questions and Answers -- Montreal, August 26, 1968:

So He showed His opulence in wisdom also. Just like Kṛṣṇa showed His opulence by speaking Bhagavad-gītā in wisdom, not only miracles. Miracles a magician can also show. That is not very important thing. A yogī also can show so many miracles. But scholarly presentation of a certain thing, that requires opulence. And the most wonderful opulence He showed that is very unique, especially in this age, that at the age of twenty-four years He renounced the world. He had His very beautiful and obedient wife, Lakṣmī devi, sixteen years old. She was by name Lakṣmī, and actually she was goddess of fortune. And His mother was so affectionate, there is no comparison. So in a home, where mother is..., affectionate mother is present, and very beloved wife is present, and at the very young age.... He was twenty-four years old, and His wife was sixteen years old. Materially that is the age for sense gratification, but He renounced. He didn't care for His wife, didn't care for His mother. So renunciation is also one of the opulences, and it is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about His renunciation: tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita rājya-lakṣmīṁ (SB 11.5.34).

Questions and Answers -- Montreal, August 26, 1968:

So the constables came and broke the mṛdaṅgas. This information was given to Lord Caitanya, and He ordered civil disobedience. He was the first man in the history of India who started this civil disobedience movement. It is not Gandhi who is the originator of civil disobedience; it was Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He said that "Defy the order of the Kazi." Kazi means magistrate. So "This evening we shall go at the Kazi's house in hundreds of thousands, with mṛdaṅga and kīrtana." So simply by His order many hundreds of thousands young men—not young men; young, old, all kind of men-gathered, and... The point is just how popular leader He was. Even in His young age, when He was only twenty years old, how popular He was. So..., and because He was a learned brāhmaṇa, people would send Him many presentation. A brāhmaṇa is not expected to work. That is dhana pratigraha. Pratigraha means accept offerings from others. Just like you offered so many things to me-money, clothing, food—so a sannyāsī, a brāhmaṇa, can accept. Not others. A gṛhastha cannot. There are restriction. A brahmacārī can, but he can accept on behalf of his spiritual master, not personally. These are the rules. So He was learned brāhmaṇa, and people used to present Him profusely, so He had no economics problem. Not that He renounced the world on account of poverty or some strain. He had no poverty, He was opulent. A brāhmaṇa does not require any great amount of wealth just to pull on his family.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Lord Caitanya Play Told to Tamala Krsna -- August 4, 1969, Los Angeles:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, we will have a scene showing the people chanting by the..."

Prabhupāda: One scene you have to show that in the Ganges water people are taking bath, and there is on the sky beginning of the moon eclipse, lunar eclipse. And they are all chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and taking bath. And exactly at that time Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared. This is one scene. And the appearance of Caitanya Mahāprabhu should be underneath a tree. Under this scene, this scene, one... Advaita Prabhu's wife, Śrīvāsa's wife, they were elderly, and all other women of the village, they immediately came with presentation. And some of the demigods, they also came, I mean to say, disguising themselves as ordinary men, with presentation. And His father got so many valuable presentations. And then again, some of the professional dancers, they came. So he distributed charity to them. In this way, that function... Try to...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Was Nārada there? Did Nārada Muni come?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Nārada Muni also came. You can show that. Yes. all the devatas, all the demigods came. Nārada Muni, Brahmā, Śiva. They came in disguise, and their wife, Savitri, and then Umā. Umā is the wife of Lord Śiva. In that way you can show so many demigods and their wives coming. Yes.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Darsana -- June 28, 1971, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Jayānanda, how are you? So you are married now? Eh? So where is your marriage presentation?

Jayānanda: Pardon?

Prabhupāda: When you are not married, you gave me five thousand dollars. Now you are married, you must give me now ten thousand, double. Come on. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (indistinct) Where is your brother?

Makhanlal: I think he is in London.

Prabhupāda: What he is doing now?

Makhanlal: Building the Ratha-yātrā carts.

Prabhupāda: Ohh.

Makhanlal: For the festival.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, you are Nara-nārāyaṇa's brother. (devotees enter and pay obeisances) Hare Kṛṣṇa, come on. Nara-nārāyaṇa is very nice boy. Everything is all right? Where is your center?

Devotee (1): Tucson.

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

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) the amount, you can charge my account (indistinct).

Pratyatoṣa: Originally we were planning on...

Prabhupāda: That's all, it is all right.

Devotee (1): This is a presentation from Mahāpuruṣa. It's a dollar and brāhmaṇa's thread. It's a humble presentation.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Devotee (1): You're not going to be working this immediately? I want to get...

Prabhupāda: No, no, if you want to join, join it.

Devotee (1): I want to do it nicely, so it's not in your way.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct)

Devotee (1): No, just later on I can do it.

Prabhupāda: Why later on? Now. (indistinct)

Pratyatoṣa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I just wanted to ask you about, I'd like to get you a tape recorder. I wanted to get a real, real nice one. And I was thinking of getting one that has four channels. You could record four channels simultaneously or you could record if you want to one channel at a time.

Prabhupāda: Stanberg? Stanberg?

Pratyatoṣa: Well, no, it's a Sony, it's a Sony Professional.

Room Conversation -- August 14, 1971, London:

Revatīnandana: Yes. And limited and temporary. It's called capala sukha, flickering.

Prabhupāda: Now, even there was no God's picture, one who is God conscious, he can see in the natural scenery presentation, he can see, "Oh, how God is artistic. How he has manufactured this flower, how he has painted, how He has made this tree." So that is higher intelligence. That is higher intelligence. Because without God, there can be nothing existing. So one has to learn how to see God in everything. That is another thing. That is higher status. Yes. But in the lower status of God consciousness one is advised that you should not see anything without God. But in the higher status, there is nothing in the world which is without God. But we should not imitate the higher status of life in the lower status of our position. Otherwise, one who has learned about God, he can see God in this flower. Actually, how God's hand has worked out this nice flower. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā God says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8). Just like I am drinking water. In the taste of the water I'll see God. God says, Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the taste of the water." And actually, that taste cannot be created by man. The taste in the water, that is God's gift. So as soon as I taste the water, immediately I should remember, "Oh, here is God."

Sister Mary: So we believe that the holy spirit empowers artists and composers. And therefore we would say that a symphony was a creation of God.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Creation... In everything there is hand of God. Therefore one who has learned to see everything in connection with God, he sees God everywhere, every moment. (knock) Yes? Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. Premāñjana cchurita (Bs. 5.38). When one has developed love of God, he sees God everywhere, always. Because everything is creation of God; so he can find out, "Here is my Lord. Here is my Lord. Here is my Lord." That is the highest state of loving God. He cannot see anything without connection of God.

Room Conversation -- August 21, 1971, London:

Haṁsadūta: Yes, I understand. I just wanted to know if it was acceptable.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Why not acceptable? No. Yes. Yes. That's all right. Let him take. We are paying Hayagrīva also. What can be done?

Haṁsadūta: And another thing I wanted to ask you about, Prabhupāda, is that Maṇḍalībhadra, he wants to make your literature perfect, which is natural because we want to make the nicest presentation. But the devotees are saying that the translation... For instance, this Easy Journey to Other Planets, has been in the process so long, it has so many times been reworked, that it's no longer palatable to them. They don't even read it. They'd rather have the English version. So I know that Your Divine Grace has said you have full faith in his ability to do the work...

Prabhupāda: No, no. If you... you find out somebody else. He can also do.

Haṁsadūta: Because my opinion is that he's becoming overworked, it's becoming strained, so much so that we're not even able to bring it to the printer because he insists on making every time more and more corrections.

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) It never comes to perfection.

Haṁsadūta: It never comes to perfection. It can, you know. For instance, this little booklet, Easy Journey to Other Planets, one of the things that has been holding it up is because the diacritic marks, to get the diacritic marks in there perfectly... We took it to a professional composer. Of course, they're not experienced, so they didn't, at first they didn't want to do it and then... At any rate, my opinion was first let us print it without the diacritic marks, and then the second edition make it with diacritic marks. Improve it by editions rather than wait until it's completely perfect before we put it on the market because...

Prabhupāda: But if once it is made perfect, then it will be easier to print more and more.

Interview with Reporters -- November 10, 1971, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: So there is no question of comprehension. When you see a snake, call it a snake. There is no question of comprehension. This is a fan, everyone knows. When I will say, "This is a fan," everyone understands it. Law of identification. Kṛṣṇa is identifying Himself, that "This is my energy."

Reporter: Let us understand you first of all.

Prabhupāda: I have no personal presentation. I am speaking only what Kṛṣṇa... Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Here is the book, you see. This book, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, which we are presenting, and publisher is Macmillan Company, and every year they are printing at least fifty thousand copies. This is for our fifth edition. They are printing this book since 1968. '68, '69, '70, '71, that, I think, I know they have, they are fifth edition, and people are reading it, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Our..., we don't change. Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the Supreme," and we are saying Kṛṣṇa is the same, Supreme. Even I do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa, I am simply presenting what is written in the Bhagavad-gītā. mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no superior element above Me." So we say, "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme. There is no other Supreme." Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). We say that "You follow, think of Kṛṣṇa, you become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, you offer your respect to Kṛṣṇa." So we are not (indistinct), because we are presenting Kṛṣṇa as He is speaking in the Bhagavad-gītā, that's all.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Dai Nippon -- April 22, 1972, Tokyo:

Karandhara: He's asking how can he be relieved from such sadness when his son has died? How do we evaluate death?

Prabhupāda: Oh. Yes. So our program is that, as I have already explained, the success of everything depends how Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. So if you try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, then whatever you want, He will give you, benedict. I will give you one instance. It is stated in Kṛṣṇa Book. Kṛṣṇa was a student of Sāndīpani Muni. So when Kṛṣṇa finished His education, it is the system that the disciple gives some, I mean to say, reward, presentation to the spiritual master, because he has educated. So the disciple requests his spiritual master, "Now I have finished my education. I am going home." Formerly the student used to live with the spiritual master. "So how can I serve you?" So at that time the spiritual master, whatever he wants, the disciple will supply. So in the case of Kṛṣṇa, the teacher knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So when Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma asked his teacher, "How can I satisfy you?" so they requested, "My dear boys, I lost my child very young. If you kindly bring them, then I shall be very much pleased." So Kṛṣṇa went underneath the sea and brought his son back. This incident is there. So my point is that whatever you want, Kṛṣṇa will give you. You try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That's all.

Conversation in car -- April 22, 1972, Tokyo:

Prabhupāda: Practically our sales are improving only for their printing. Their printing is very attractive, I think.

Sudāmā: Very much so.

Prabhupāda: Oh. You must admit that.

Sudāmā: Yes. The attracting cover of a Back to Godhead magazine, done so nicely, and the presentation and the devotees there—a man is just inclined, "Yes, let me see. Let me see what it's about." (break) (new sequence-Prabhupāda sings hari hari biphale in the car)

Prabhupāda: We say that in whatever occupation you may be, try to find out some time and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is our preaching. So it will help you. At least you will get, even if you are attached to the material activities, you will get next birth a human body, rich family, another chance, or Vaiṣṇava family. That is also great benefit. Even there is no salvation, but he gets opportunity again. (sings another line) So Karandhara Prabhu, what advantage you will get by opening their office there?

Karandhara: Well, all of the communications can be done with the liaison officer. He'll have a telex, so I won't have to wait for two weeks to get a letter back. I'll just speak with him, and he can telex. And we can save the money we're spending now on telex. And sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's hard for them to understand my English and it's hard for me to understand their English. It takes a little elaboration. So if there's a person there to speak with and he can speak with them in Japanese and with me in English, it's simpler.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Oh, there will be a great many advantages, but they have to expend for that service. They will expect some more business. That will... We think we shall be able to give him.

Conversation with the GBC -- May 25, 1972, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: It is not the question I believe and don't believe, it is a fact. God is there—you believe or not believe—but God must be there. Your believing, not believing, it doesn't matter. If I don't believe there is no president, it does not mean there will be no president. There must be president. I do not know who is president. (indistinct) So people are in misconception that there is no God, God is dead, I am God, you are God, God is not person, so many God theories. But we have no theory, we have got a positive presentation, "Here is God." With that conviction we have to push on. So you must be prepared in that way. There will be so many questions, so many opposing elements. You have to face them by your arguments, by your knowledge. This is required. At least we must have faith in that way. We have to push on. This is the fact. We are Brahmā sampradāya, Lord Brahmā's sampradāya. So, Brahmā sampradāya, Lord Brahmā is giving. Just like last evening we were reading about Brahmā's thought. He is posing, "Yes, here is, You are God." Although He was child, "He appears to be a child, but You are God." That is Brahmā (indistinct). He is giving support on that point. So if you follow Brahmā then there is no question, here is God.

Room Conversation -- October 25, 1972, Vrndavana:

Gurudāsa: He was not serious?

Prabhupāda: No, he admitted. He admitted that "You know better than us."

Gurudāsa: So then why he didn't scientifically try to find out more?

Prabhupāda: Our process of presentation is different. Their process is different. But they can appreciate that we know better than them. The same example: just like we accept cow dung is pure. Why pure? Because Vedas says. The scientific way is not like that. Is not that?

Indian man: Yes.

Prabhupāda: They must prove by analysis, by chemical analysis. There is difference between the modern scientist and our process of understanding.

Gurudāsa: Dr. Kapoor has written an article about that, this question. The one that will be published.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Gurudāsa: The one that we will publish.

Prabhupāda: You have sent?

Gurudāsa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Our process: Kṛṣṇa says that He is the Supreme, we accept. Not blindly—because other ācāryas, they also accept. Now some rascal is taking advantage of that statement, "If Kṛṣṇa can say, 'I am the Supreme, I am God,' so I can also say." Māyāvādī philosophy. (break) Swamis could not do anything, he was (indistinct). There are so many. Vivekananda went in 1893, three years before my birth, and what he has done?

Indian man: He returned converted.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Indian man: He returned converted. (laughter)

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 3, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Life, yes. They are searching after the original source. That is life, Kṛṣṇa, sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1), cause of all causes. So this is not theory; this is fact. Now we have to prove it. Then the whole program of these rascals' theory will be changed, and people will be happy. Because they are standing on a wrong theory, all their calculations are wrong, and people are suffering. The rascal Darwin's theory. So many, based on this foolish theory, wrong conception of life. So we have to challenge, protest. defeat. This will be our work. Our worshiping of Kṛṣṇa, that is our internal affair. The external affair—we need to establish this theory. Otherwise they'll be leading this society. Misleading. They are misleading, not leading, misleading. So we have to stop this misleading. Make program how to do it. Because it is truth, you will come triumphant. There is no doubt about it. It is truth. Now you have to know how to present the truth. That is your business. We are not presenting something theories, concocted by my brain. No. This is the fact. Rudimentarily we have got evidences, but it has to be presented by the modern ways. They are presenting some wrong principle by propaganda, and we cannot establish real principle by factual presentation? What is the difficulty?

Brahmānanda: Well, when we ask them, they say, "I do not know."

Prabhupāda: That is their position. They do not know. So immediately you have to challenge that rascal, "If you do not know why you teach? What is the value of your teaching? If your position is 'do not,' then why you stand for teaching fact or truth?"

Garden Conversation with Mahadeva's Mother and Jesuit Priest -- July 25, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: We are teaching Sanskrit to our students.

Jesuit Priest: Yes, but all I was saying was, isn't it difficult to get across at times what you can see the meaning in the Sanskrit, but you can't put it into acceptable English? You know what I mean. The idiom isn't the same.

Prabhupāda: We are giving every word, meaning. The book... Have you got any book? Bring it. You can see. Each and every word of Sanskrit we are giving meaning. Our mode of presentation is first of all we put the original Sanskrit language in devanāgarī character. Then we give English, Roman transliteration, pronouncing the same word by diacritic mark. Then each word is translated into English. Then we give translation, the whole. And then we give the purport. This is our way. So we are giving meaning of each and every word means we have got considerable knowledge of that word. Otherwise how we can give? Yes.

Jesuit Priest: I was just thinking how difficult it is. I read Latin pretty well. And Greek. And I can see the meaning in the original, in the Greek when it was translated from the Aramaic. Now in your translating you can get a phrase, and if you know the language, you know exactly what it conveys.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- August 30, 1973, London:

David Lawrence: No. Just passing on what has already been there.

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is already there. When we speak of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is already there. When we speak of Vṛndāvana, Vṛndāvana is already there. It is not that we have manufactured some picture, imagination, no. They take it like that. The rascals take it like that, that it is a kind of imagination of the poet. The Māyāvādī philosophers also take like that. But that's not the fact. It is actually presentation of the spiritual facts and as the spiritual activities are quite different from material activities, they misunderstand. They misunderstand.

David Lawrence: Yes. It's one of the interesting features was, of this little bit about Lord Caitanya was in fact that he claimed Him to be pathological.

Prabhupāda: Just like...

David Lawrence: You know the manifestations obviously of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and kīrtana and so on. Seems to be obviously you regard as a scurrilous or wrong-headed or a dull-headed field of people who regard His manifestations of God consciousness as verging on madness, or temporary madness. What would you say about that. Obviously you would reject it.

Prabhupāda: When a man is himself mad, he'll find others mad.

Room Conversation -- September 2, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: That is our Vedic evidence. Whenever we speak something, immediately quote from Vedas. This is our process. If it is accepted by the Vedic process, then it is perfect. Just like in the law court. You are lawyer. You are arguing. When you quote from a judgement, previous judgement, it is accepted. Similarly, when you give authoritative statement support of your talking, then it is perfect. That is the way. Otherwise, what for these books are there? If it is mental speculation what is the use of these books? But as soon as we speak something, we immediately support by quoting from Vedic literature. And that is perfect. And now you have to possess little knowledge. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, how Kṛṣṇa is perfect. Kṛṣṇa is giving example side, by side. Yathā, dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe, as there is the soul, there is the soul, asmin dehe, and he's having different types of bodies, kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. He's changing body from childhood, boyhood, boyhood to youth-hood, youth-hood to another state. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Where is the illogical presentation? This is scientific. For an intelligent man, this is scientific. And if he's still dull-headed, then what can be done? Kṛṣṇa gives example. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. As the soul is changing body, from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youth-hood, like that. Similarly, after finishing this body, it may be invisible to you, but the subtle body is there. We have got two kinds of bodies. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). This material, eight kinds of materials—earth, water, fire, air, sky, mind, intelligence, ego. So when your body of earth, water, fire, air... Now in the... Now here is a medical man. He knows about this body made of earth, water, fire, air. But he does not know, perhaps, the body made of mind, intelligence and ego. Do you think so? That there is another body made of mind, intelligence and ego?

Room Conversation with Sanskrit Professor, Dr. Suneson -- September 5, 1973, Stockholm:

Prabhupāda: Because...

Professor: Well, I'm not in India.

Prabhupāda: India, we make members. We get more price. Because we are, our scheme, life member, they pay eleven hundred rupees, and whatever books we can supply, we supply. That's all. That is not even to the amount they pay. So we give our presentation and they contribute. This is the program.

Professor: Do you use any grammar, Sanskrit grammar, when you study Sanskrit?

Prabhupāda: Sanskrit grammar?

Professor: Yes, how do they learn when they learn Sanskrit?

Paramahaṁsa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: We have given some hints.

Professor: Or do they learn from a text or...?

Prabhupāda: We have given some hints. In the last... You can show him, in the Bhagavad-gītā. Or Īśopaniṣad. The mode, how to read.

Room Conversation with Sanskrit Professor, Dr. Suneson -- September 5, 1973, Stockholm:

Professor: Well, that's one. Yes. And also there is Edgarton (?). He was an American Sanskrit scholar.

Prabhupāda: No, translation, there is, there is good translation. But he comments like that. Just like Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was asked that "You are hearing; You do not speak anything," He said, "Yes, I am understanding the original verse of the Vedānta very clearly, but you are trying to cover the meaning. Therefore I am puzzled." This is the business of the Māyāvādīs. They'll simply puzzle. That's all.

Professor: Who? The Māyā...?

Prabhupāda: Māyāvādī.

Professor: Māyāvādī, hm.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You also told me that it is very difficult to understand the jugglery way of presentation.

Professor: Well, I think it's time for me to leave.

Prabhupāda: All right, thank you.

Professor: I have a long way home.

Prabhupāda: Give him this garland. Hm. Jaya. (end)

Morning Walk -- December 15, 1973, Los Angeles:

Candanācārya: Śrīla Prabhupāda, may I put a question?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Candanācārya: Yesterday I made the acquaintance of a theologist, a professor from the University of Montreal. He said that the Roman Catholic presentation of Christianity is that God came to share the suffering of man.

Prabhupāda: That is another rascaldom. Why God should share the sufferings of man?

Candanācārya: I asked him this, and he said, "So that man would accept more as reality, suffering."

Prabhupāda: Very good theologician. A rascal number one. You are trying for becoming happy, and his theory is that man will accept suffering. You see? The very proposition is rascaldom. Everyone is trying for to become happy. That is progress. Ātyantika. In Sanskrit it is called ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛttiḥ. There is suffering, and our struggle for existence means to, I mean to say, mitigate the suffering, to minimize or to make it nil. That is our struggle. We are not submitting to suffering. Then what is the civilization? What is human civilization: We don't want suffering. That is our position. Why this rascal says that "We shall suffer"? Just see. The theologician is a rascal. Therefore we say everyone rascal.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 6, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: My Godbrother's son-in-law, they came (indistinct).

Guru dāsa: Any service for me?

Prabhupāda: What you are doing there now?

Guru dāsa: Um, I've just been talking with Saurabha about the Māyāpur plans to present at this conference in Vancouver, Exposition. We're making a presentation there.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Guru dāsa: So we're getting that together. Tomorrow I'm leaving.

Prabhupāda: For Vancouver?

Guru dāsa: No, I'm go..., tomorrow I'm going to join Bhavānanda for a week, Bhavānanda Swami. Then I go to Delhi to see... And I'm also going to Bhuvaneśvara for Gopāla Kṛṣṇa. Then I'm going to Delhi to see that American Ambassador again about putting our name on the food list, Indo-American food list, then Vṛndāvana, then Vancouver.

Prabhupāda: So (indistinct) Delhi. Then?

Guru dāsa: New York.

Room Conversation -- March 20, 1974, Bombay:

Hari-śauri: Yeah, more or less, but it's not so good though.

Prabhupāda: This will be propaganda and to invite people to come and let them give in writing that "Here the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple must be there." Take thousand, millions of signatures. So prove that it is not nonsense. It is the most essential thing. This way. And so far traffic is concerned, now, there is big road. So make two gates, in and out, this side, so there is no question of traffic convenience. In this way, do presentation. That is my suggestion. And this letter will not be very much effective.

Guest: ...jī? May I submit a matter?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest: This about propaganda and collecting the signatures in the lakhs will not only take a lot of energy of the devotees, but it will take more time also. It is, in the city of Bombay, it is not practicable. Because people are very busy, and around the clock everybody is counting every second which he spends and more so, it's difficult for people to devote time towards a sat-saṅga or to sign the letter that they had no objection and on the contrary, the action of the police commissioner is condemnable, undesirable. That will take a lot of time. And I think by writing them a letter, by of our reconsidering, we lose nothing.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Guest: By writing them a petition.

Prabhupāda: But if... It has no effect.

Room Conversation with Biochemist, Dr. Sallaz -- June 4, 1974, Geneva:

Yogeśvara: Apparently his position is that by their research, they have discovered the truth.

Prabhupāda: What is that truth? (French)

Yogeśvara: He says it's the same truth that we are following.

Prabhupāda: Well, same truth, this is vague. But what is the tangible presentation of the truth. (French)

Yogeśvara: He says he can't explain it.

Prabhupāda: We can explain it. Why does he not take from us? We can explain it. (French)

Prabhupāda: If he knows truth, let him explain. If he does not know, take from us. (French)

Dr. Sallaz: I do not. Be careful. I am trying to understand. I do not. I don't say to you I know the truth, not at all. I hope to know...

Prabhupāda: Then why don't you take truth from us? (French)

Yogeśvara: He says because he already has a guru and he already has everything he needs.

Prabhupāda: But your guru has not given you the truth. You do not know.

Room Conversation -- June 5, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: But you can love animal. You are not animal. Animal... Just like we are discussing about theosophy because we are grown up, and the child, he cannot understand. That does not mean we shall be unkind to the children. He may be ignorant, the animal may be ignorant, but I am not ignorant. How can I kill the animal?

Swiss Man (1): (French)

Yogeśvara: He's asking, "How do we see ourselves and how is it that we intentionally distinguish ourselves by dressing differently, by having a different presentation than the rest of society."

Guru-gaurāṅga: Given the fact that all others, they are loving God too, the same principle, Christianity...

Prabhupāda: No, symptoms must be there. If you love God, then you should love everything of God. You cannot distinguish that "These are human beings. They should be given service, and the animals should be sent to the slaughterhouse." That is not love of God. That means he does not know what is God. He is still unaware of God. Just like father. Father has got ten sons. Out of them, one is very intelligent or two are very intelligent; others are fools. And if the intelligent sons propose to the father, "Father, these are useless sons. Let me kill," will the father agree? So God is father of all living entities. He is providing food for the animal, for the man, because He is father. There is, in the jungle of Africa elephants. They are eating at a time hundred kilos. The father is providing. And the ant, a small ant, is eating one grain of sugar. He is providing. Within the hole of your room there are millions of ants. The father is providing food for them. That is God. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That one is providing all necessities of life to everyone, all living entities. That is God. So if I know God, then I can know also that all of them are sons of God and God is providing all their necessities of life.

Morning Walk -- June 14, 1974, Paris:

Paramahaṁsa: It's also said that if you follow perfectly the rules and regulations, but don't develop love for Kṛṣṇa, then you have wasted your time.

Prabhupāda: Yes, but if you follow the rules and regulations, automatically, you'll love Kṛṣṇa. Sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ. These are the stepping-stones. The devotional service develops by association. So if the associates are pure devotees, anyone who will come to that association will become devotee. (break) ...just like a young man and young woman. The devotion is there, love is there, but in the beginning, they should mix, or some presentation should be given, some, something eatable should be accepted, should be given. In this way, when the association is thick and thin, the love is there. The love is already there. It has to awakened by a certain process. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam. These are six types of loving principles, that you give, if you want to love somebody, you give something. And whatever he or she offers, you take from him. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. You give him something to eat, and whatever he or she gives, you eat. Bhuṅkte bhojayate ca. And guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. And you try to understand his heart, and your heart be disclosed to him or her. If you follow these principles, automatically the loving propensity will awaken. It is already there. It is not artificial. It has simply to be awakened by a certain process. So that process we are prescribing, to rise early in the morning, have maṅgala-ārātrika, worship Deity, offer food stuff, eat prasādam, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Anyone who will follow this principle, he will become purified. There is no need of education, because the devotion is already there.

Room Conversation with Bhurijana dasa and Disciples -- July 1, 1974, Melbourne:

Satsvarūpa: Yes, that's true.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So pure devotional service is flame. All other things are smoke. You must get the flame. Otherwise, your business will not get done. So naturally we fan when there is smoke, "Phat, phat, phat." As soon as flame comes, there is no smoke. So again fan it. Let the flame come. Then everything will be all right. Otherwise be satisfied with the smoke. You are cooking with smoke for three hundred years. (laughter) There is a very humorous story that one man... He was a yogi. So he approached. It is not story, it is fact. Approached one big man that... As people are very inquisitive to see some yogic magic, so the rich man asked the yogi, "What you have learned about yogic perfection?" "No, I can in the severe winter season, I can dip myself in the water up to this and practice yoga." "So, how long can you remain? At night?" "Yes. No, I can remain the whole night or as long as you..." "All right, if you remain within severe cold, within water, overnight, then I shall give you such and such presentation." So he agreed, and he did it. And in the morning, when the man came, so he said, "Oh, you are successful." Then he did not... Either he had no money or he did not want to give. So he had his one advisor, "So what shall I do?" "No, no sir, you cannot give money." "Why?" "Now, there was heat." "So how there was heat?" You know, in India they give ākāśa-pradīpa? During Kārttika month they... This is our Vaiṣṇava principle, I think. The lamp is there on the head of the roof. On the roof there is a bamboo, and in the top of the bamboo there is light. So this man was in the lake. And his advisor said, "You have seen that the lamp was there, and heat was coming." (laughing) That lamp was three miles away and still, he advised, "Yes, there was heat. Therefore he could tolerate." So what can be said? He is poor man. So there was another servant of that big man. So he appealed to him that "See, I took so much trouble and he did not pay me anything." "So don't worry. I shall see that you are paid." What is that? Some presentation?

Paramahaṁsa: Yes. First of all, I will pay my obeisances.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Tripurari -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Prabhupāda: And for each lugloo there is magazine? No.

Tripurāri: Pardon?

Prabhupāda: If anyone wants lugloo, then he have to take one magazine? No. (laughter) One lugloo presentation for one magazine.

Devotee (4): We were thinking about how everyone knows about Kṛṣṇa now. In the United States they didn't know before, but when they see this little picture on the book, they all know, "That is Kṛṣṇa." We hand them the book, and we say, "We're passing these out." They say, "Oh, that is Kṛṣṇa." So it's so successful that everyone has learned about Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Oh, as soon as they see the picture, they understand it is Kṛṣṇa.

Tripurāri: They see the picture of Kṛṣṇa or the name and they think of the devotees chanting.

Prabhupāda: Oh, by seeing you.

Room Conversation with Tripurari -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Prabhupāda: Push on this. Then our movement is successful. All Americans should have at least one set of book. That is not very difficult for them, to purchase one set book. But it will be a good asset for them if they keep and see sometimes. Any line he reads, he will get transcendental knowledge.

Devotee (1): There is one very wealthy man in Atlanta who... We went and did a nice presentation at his home. And then afterwards we distributed prasādam and had a nice bhajana, kīrtanas. Then afterwards he bought the whole set of literatures and gave a hundred dollar donation for all of the literatures, and he has them now.

Prabhupāda: Yes. For an American gentleman one hundred dollars is nothing.

Devotee (3): One nice boy in the airport, he was a soldier boy. He had, like read a Kṛṣṇa trilogy, and he was coming through the airport, and I approached him. And he immediately saw the books, and he immediately wanted one. And I didn't even have to ask him for the donation. Automatically he gave $20. And then I was walking down the hall, and I saw him again, and he came running up to me again, and he said, "Here, you're doing such a wonderful thing. Let me give you another $20." And somebody walked by as I was giving him another book, and they said, "Don't take that book. It's a rip-off. These people are trying to rip you off." And he said, "They don't know what they're talking about. They don't understand." And then, after that, he walked up to Cārudeṣṇa Prabhu and gave him another $40. So actually he gave something like $65 or $70 in the airport just because he had read one trilogy.

Devotee (5): Just like in the Kṛṣṇa book it says anyone who reads this, he will become a devotee.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's a fact. Anyone who reads that book, he will become Vaiṣṇava.

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

Prabhupāda: So "logy" means logic.

Acyutānanda: If you say what you are..., your own theory, cannot be done, that's illogical.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Acyutānanda: If you propose a theory and say, "It can exist," then that's an illogical presentation. A rabbit's horn. (break) It can't exist. Sky-flower. Doesn't...

Prajāpati: Each of these big theologians has a specific area of specialization. For example, I took a course, when I was a student in the School of Theology, in the New Testament, hoping to learn scriptures, but instead, the entire semester was spent trying to decide which of the books of the Bible came first—the Book of Matthew or the Book of Mark? And they had very detailed ways of what they called "form criticism," taking a particular passage and checking it, seeing...

Acyutānanda: Right. What is their method?

Pañcadraviḍa: Why did you say you joined? What was it? I mean what was it you were trying to study? You said...

Prajāpati: I went three years to a school of theology.

Pañcadraviḍa: But that particular course?

Prajāpati: This was a course in the New Testament.

Pañcadraviḍa: So why, why did you say you took it?

Prajāpati: To study the śāstra, to study the scriptures. What was being said. Instead...

Acyutānanda: No, what was their method for examining their material, research?

Prajāpati: The material research is taking, finding certain forms, certain sentence construction, grammar, and comparing it with other passages in the scriptures as opposed to that grammar, to see if the form is the same, to see, to determine by different criteria which came first, which is earlier.

Acyutānanda: So after...

Prabhupāda: No, their...

Acyutānanda: Since St. Paul did they find out...

Prabhupāda: That is academic. That is not theology.

Evening Discussion -- May 6, 1975, Perth:

Amogha: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Here it mentions Brahmān, and as I understood oṁkāra... My question is whether oṁkāra is a representation...

Prabhupāda: There is no question about oṁkāra there. Discuss on the verse. But oṁkāra is also Kṛṣṇa. Praṇavaḥ sarva vedeṣu. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya praṇavaḥ sarva vedeṣu (BG 7.8). Kṛṣṇa says, "I am praṇavaḥ." So oṁkāra is not different than Kṛṣṇa. But oṁkāra is pronounced by the impersonalists. That is the difference. Kṛṣṇa, when He says that "I am praṇavaḥ, I am oṁkāra," then where is the objection? They foolishly say that oṁkāra is better than Kṛṣṇa. There is no need of chanting "Kṛṣṇa." That is not good. But so far we are concerned, we say there is no difference between oṁkāra and Kṛṣṇa. Other systems, Christianism or Buddhism or Mohamedanism, they have got one book, Koran, Bible, or... What is the Buddhist scripture? One book. And we have got so many, dealing with the same subject matter. So which is better? Higher mathematics, or two plus two? They should understand the gravity of this movement, my presentation of books. They haven't got so many books. Two thousand years past, the Christian religion has got only one book, Bible. And their only pastime of Christ is crucifixion. There is the cross. Therefore it has become hackneyed. People are no more interested. Neither they can explain very nicely. Neither they follow strictly whatever little information they have.

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

Carol: How would you go about teaching this idea of love?

Prabhupāda: Love means that I want to eat something, and if I love somebody, then I will see that my beloved also eats. If you take something from your beloved, naturally the lovers present things. Just a boy loves a girl. He presents something to the girl. So, if you accept presentation by others, we should give him also something. And, if I have got some confidential thing, I must disclose it to the lover, and the lover is also expected, he should not keep anything confidential. He should disclose it. These are the six reciprocal exchanges between the lover and the beloved. If I love you, because you are beautiful, for my sense gratification, but I keep everything secret, that is not love. That is sense gratification. Lust. These are the signs of love.

dadāti pratigṛhṇāti
bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva
guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati
ca ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam

Prīti means love. These are the symptoms. Give and take, eat and give to eat, open you mind, and know the other party's mind also. This is love. The more you increase the six kinds of exchange, there is increase in the love.

Carol: Do you think a man who says he loves God should withdraw from the world, say into a community or something like that?

Prabhupāda: First of all between two. Then you can expand it. First the love between-love means there are two, the lover and the beloved. So, the transaction begins between the two, then it expands.

Morning Walk -- May 21, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: But the varieties of creation, not that everything is coming like that. Just like Brahmā was first created, the first intelligent man. So although there was water, he was above water. He was on the lotus flower, which is not in the water. So that is also creation. So suppose this part is not covered by water—you see grass. But where there is lake there is no grass. So both things are there. Somewhere where there is water, unless the water is dried up, there is no grass. But somewhere you will find, immediately, grass. But there is no water. Or above water. So far the material elements are concerned, that is this stage. But the material elementary presentation, in different places, different way.

Madhudviṣa: From the Bhāgavatam we understand, though, that Brahmā first created human species of life.

Prabhupāda: Yes, from him.

Madhudviṣa: So if he created the human species of life, how is the...

Prabhupāda: No, that other's creation was there. Just like Lord Śiva. He began to create all demons. The Brahmā stopped it. So somebody was creating demons, somebody was creating animals.

Madhudviṣa: Oh, different Manus, uh, different procreators were creating different types.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with Yogi Bhajan -- June 7, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: And so all the ācāryas of India, including Guru Nanak, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Śaṅkarācārya, Guru Nanak, they have accepted God Kṛṣṇa. So why not present this God all over the world?

Yogi Bhajan: Yeah, but question is very simple. Present it among the other Gods. Time has come of a mutual presentation.

Prabhupāda: No, mutual presentation, simply talking will not do. Suppose we are presenting from India. If we accept Kṛṣṇa... We have accepted, as you say. As so far other ācāryas, namely, Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, the Viṣṇu Svāmī, and then, Nimbārka, Lord Caitanya, and Guru Nanak-practically the whole India, they have accepted Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Lord.

Yogi Bhajan: Um hm.

Prabhupāda: Now, in India, I think, people ask me the "How many they are Kṛṣṇa conscious?" "Everyone in India." At least in India everyone is Kṛṣṇa conscious. So the majority of people... And why majority? The whole India. Even there are many Mohammedans who also worship Kṛṣṇa. So if Kṛṣṇa is God, we, in this conference, why not present, "Here is God, whose name is Kṛṣṇa."

Room Conversation with Yogi Bhajan -- June 7, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam: "He is not a muni if he does not disagree with another muni."

Yogi Bhajan: Yeah, that's right. (laughter) So what I told him was that "It is a good idea." So we are carrying that good idea now, and Muni Sushila Kumar is coming from India, then Swami Chittananda is leading that tour. And they have sent a list of sixteen other religious people who are coming. They are going to U.N.O., where the peace presentation this year is happening. I think we should participate in that. Then there is a vegetarian congress. There the participation is happening. And all this has been done just to lay the platform and honor the idea of that man Kirpal Singh Sant. Just he wanted that way. So we thought it is a better idea to be in the West and with the arrangements that everybody can come, participate, talk to each other. I would like you to be in New Mexico in one of the presentable cabin, and not let anybody of these devotee of you be around but to ask other people to come and talk to you, learn from you, share with you, share your wisdom, share your conviction, share your experience...

Prabhupāda: That's a good idea, very good.

Morning Walk -- June 10, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: It is called, in logic it is called prititio principia(?). So it is useless.

Paramahaṁsa: In our movement, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we have that group of scientists who are preparing that book, The Origin of Life, but will they actually be able to prove anything through that book?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Paramahaṁsa: Will they actually be able to prove anything by scientific presentation or...?

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is science. If you can prove it by experiment. Otherwise, it is not science, theory.

Paramahaṁsa: But how can they prove the existence of the soul through experiment?

Prabhupāda: No, first of all let them prove by chemical composition they can produce life. Then we shall talk of soul. First of all let them, in the laboratory, let the chemicals be mixed up and produce a small ant. Then we shall understand.

Siddha-svarūpa: We don't need to make experiments.

Harikeśa: They can make these little amoebas but they can't make ants.

Prabhupāda: Amoebas, that is automatically... By perspiration it comes out. There are four sources of life: udbija, jarayuja, svedaja, and, what is other? Andaja. Andaja means life comes from the egg. That is called andaja. And life comes from, under certain circumstances... Just like trees, grass. It is called udbija. And then jarayaja, just like we human beings or animals, they come from the embryo. And svedaja. And some living entities come out from perspiration.

Garden Conversation with Professors -- June 24, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Oh yes. Why not? Christians are seeking after God. You are going to the church. "O God." You accept God has created everything. Here also He says, "Everything is My energy." Where is the difference?

Dr. Pore: The Christians describe Kṛṣṇa in a different way. Are they making mistakes?

Prabhupāda: That is... Just like the heat, the question of energy, the heat 93,000,000's miles away from the sun, heat may be different, and in the sun-globe the heat may be different. But the heat is there; and light is there. The same thing: heat and light is the same, but the degree of presentation of heat and light may be different.

Dr. Pore: Is chanting absolutely necessary in the knowing...

Prabhupāda: That is the easiest way of being directly in touch with God. Because God and God's name, they are absolute, so your chanting the name of God means that directly in touch with God.

Dr. Crossley: Why is that better than loving your fellow man in the traditional bhakti-mārga?

Prabhupāda: But you love your fellow man, but you don't love your fellow animal. You love man, but you send the animals to the slaughter-house. That is your love.

Morning Walk -- June 30, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: No other yoga system.

Satsvarūpa: World's largest. (break) ...librarians, they said, "Well, if someone comes in and asks you for a reference book on yoga and meditation, what reference books do you have?" And they admit that there are no encyclopedias or reference books on Indian philosophy. So they're describing that... our men are describing that this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is an encyclopedia of all Indian philosophy.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam idam (SB 1.1.3). The essence of all Vedic knowledge. (break)

Bhāvānanda: ...a few days previous Sudāmā Mahārāja and I were in Salt Lake City. We went to the Mormon Church visitor's center. Beautiful presentation. Dioramas, so many dioramas, and a big ramp, circular ramp like we want to have in Māyāpur. You walk up into a big diorama of the universe with... Lord Jesus is there. Beautiful presentation. A bogus philosophy, but nice presentation.

Prabhupāda: What is the philosophy?

Bhāvānanda: That when you marry, then you are married eternally. And after you die, you go to heaven and you live with your family, your wife and your children, for ever and ever. That's their philosophy.

Prabhupāda: Marry?

Bhāvānanda: Eternal marriage. And when you die, you go to heaven in the same body that you're in.

Brahmānanda: If you don't get married, then you don't go to heaven?

Bhāvānanda: Everyone gets married. They have a nice policy from the year nineteen to twenty-one every man must serve missionary work all over the world, and then he comes back and is married eternally. (break) And movie theaters, eight movie theaters.

Prabhupāda: Oh. (break) ...this way or that way? (break) What is that?

Sudāmā: Cesspool, underground sewer. It's backing up.

Prabhupāda: (break) It's coming out.

Television Interview -- July 9, 1975, Chicago:

Woman reporter: When you came to Chicago last week you said you were going to tell us some of the solutions to our problems in this country. Can you tell me what some of those solutions are?

Prabhupāda: Solution not only of your country or our country, it is the solution for the whole human society. I told that as there are different divisions in the same body, the head, the arms, the belly, and the leg... Although the body is one, but there are different parts for different function. Then the body is going nicely. The head is the most important part of the body. So if the head is not in order, then, in spite of presentation of other parts of the body, hands, leg, the body is useless. Just like a madman. Madman, this brain is not in order. Therefore despite the presentation of the hands, legs, and other things, it is useless. Similarly, the human society should be divided into four classes according to quality. Not everyone is on the same level. So for, even for material purposes there must be four divisions: first-class, second-class, third-class, fourth-class, means... The definition of the first-class, find out. This is the definition of the first-class man.

Room Conversation with Professor Olivier -- October 10, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: He has written one foreword.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So these books are being accepted as the authority, at least in America and England, so far as studies of Indian culture are concerned, philosophy, sociology. And you can see the beautiful presentation. Each Sanskrit is there, transliteration so that anyone can chant, word-for-word Sanskrit to English translation, translation in English, and then the purport, a commentary.

Prof. Olivier: That's right. This is a good edition. Good edition.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Professor Dimmock, he says that there are many, many translations of Bhagavad-gītā, and he says that "By bringing us a new and living interpretation of a text already known to many, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has increased our understanding manyfold." So although it's been prevalent in America... I know that when I was studying Humanities in college in the University of Florida, Bhagavad-gītā was required. And we read one edition, but it was very much limited. Until we come in contact with Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, the understanding is very much limited. But it's not a sectarian approach. It's purely scientific and realistic. There are many such reviews.

Prof. Olivier: Well, this is a good letter.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: All of our different books, just offhand. These are some of the colleges as of several months ago who placed standing orders for our books. Now, the professors, as we go from college to college in America, in the universities, they are using our books as textbooks, standard textbooks. They are seeing that the cost of the book is not the real criterion. The criterion is the quality of the teaching. Someone may be attracted by the cover... (break) ...transliteration is pronounced, different words, glossary for words which may not be so well understood by the neophyte, references. And for the different pictures, plate numbers and explanation. It's a complete edition. Nothing has ever been seen like this in the Western world. So there's great authority behind it.

Prof. Olivier: Yeah. This... Our university has almost an obligation to make a study in depth of all of these points.

Prabhupāda: And after studying Bhagavad-gītā thoroughly, then begins further, higher study-Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the same principles. Show.

Room Conversation with Professor Olivier -- October 10, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: If you want some of our student to teach, he can do that.

Prof. Olivier: I think one must make a start somewhere, either by getting specialist lectures or lecturers at least to start.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We could always assist in some way in an objective presentation so that the students don't feel that they're being biased in any way. This is the idea of science. Let them draw their own conclusions. Just simply present the facts and let them come to their own conclusion. The main idea, though, is the authenticity. There's no use in studying something if it's simply mental speculation, which, of course, the Vedic scriptures mean that. They've been passed down for so many thousands of years intact, and the most important thing is to get a chance to read the originals in our own language, English, or Afrikaans, whatever it may be. We're also translating into Afrikaans the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.

Prof. Olivier: Is that so?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Some of the girls are very, very proficient and they're doing this now, and we hope that within a year or so's time we'll have a polished copy to print. We're working in this direction.

Prof. Olivier: I see.

Prabhupāda: If this line of activity is taken seriously, sometimes I may come and teach them. Yes.

Morning Walk -- November 3, 1975, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: All Vaiṣṇava Ācāryas are more or less parallel. There's a little difference here and there. It is not much...

Prabhupāda: No, there is no difference. Everything. It is, rather, more...

Dr. Patel: In philosophy there is no difference, sir. But in...

Prabhupāda: In presentation, clarify. Yes. That is our business. Just like what I am doing. I am following the Ācāryas, but I am presenting, writing in such a way the modern man can understand. This is our point.

Dr. Patel: Modern man. Modernizing? (laughs)

Prabhupāda: Yes. You know him, this boy? He's a great-grandson of Henry Ford. He has contributed to our society not less than two crores of rupees.

Dr. Patel: He has got money.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (Hindi)

Dr. Patel: And Chapkhanna(?) cannot be very not good. Not very good. Your printing is wonderful. From where... Where is that place? From Japan?

Prabhupāda: America and Japan. We want wonderful books.

Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:

Harikeśa: The unknown chemical.

Prabhupāda: Not unknown. It is unknown to you. But known to us. If it is unknown to you, you take, you know it from me. That is real knowledge. Why you persist that "It is unknown"? It should remain ever unknown? Why shall I take from anyone else? That's a fact. Either you answer what is that element which is missing so that the body is now dead. Simply your denial is obstinacy. That is dog's obstinacy. Then you are like a dog. You answer that: "This is the reason." Make experiment; prove it. Then you are right. So long you cannot do it, simply denying, that is dog's obstinacy. If you, as you say, there is no soul, it is chemical combination, so bring the chemicals and put him into life. Then your statement is right. You cannot do it and simply persist. This is doggish. You are calling a lump of matter your father, your child, your relative, and when the soul is gone, you say, "Oh, my father is gone." Why your father is gone? He's lying there on the bed. The same coat, pant, face, ear, eyes. Why do you say, "My father has gone"? What is this nonsense? So that chemical combination is your father? Bring your father again, chemical combination. Hmm? What is the answer? Some foolish, rubbish thing, presentation, will it be accepted as knowledge?

Harikeśa: Another point.... I just thought of. They say it's some chemical which is missing that's making life, yet, if the same chemical is there that's making life, what accounts for so many different varieties of life? If it's the same chemical, how is there so many different varieties from that same chemical?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 20, 1976, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Written within the last thousand years.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You know that? They say like that. So many rascals are there. And this is the only shelter, these, our centers, to be protected from all these rascals. These ISKCON centers are the only shelter. So you have to maintain it very nicely. There is no other shelter. All bogus more or less, all bogus. But you have to, not to... You quote, but the purpose of the verse you present reasonably. If you simply quote, it will not be simply very appealing. "Oh, they are simply..." Sometimes the Westerner criticize that, my Godbrother, Sadānanda? He was criticizing that "Your presentation..." "Your" means our, this Vaiṣṇava literature. "Simply you quote some Sanskrit verse, that's all." So these Sanskrit verses should be explained for understanding of the modern people. If you simply quote, it is not very appealing. In Durban..., Durban? We went to that university. You remember? That Ārya-samājī? He was speaking that "This is Hindu conception. Hindu conception." And what do you mean by Hindu conception? A child grows to become a boy. Is that Hindu conception? It is science. When Kṛṣṇa said, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13), that's a fact. It is applicable to the Hindus, to the Muslim, to the Christian, everyone. Why do you say it is Hindu conception? So you have to present in that way. They may not think that it is Hindu conception. Because they are all rascals, unless you explain it, that this is meant for everyone, they will misunderstand that Bhāgavata is for the Hindus or for the Indians. It is for everyone. But one must realize. There is no question of Hindu conception or Muslim conception. (rattling sound) So this will go on whole day? "Cut-cut-cut-cut"?

Bhavānanda: Morning and evening.

Prabhupāda: Your party has sold twenty-five thousand big books?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: After three weeks.

Morning Walk -- January 21, 1976, Mayapura:

Bhavānanda: But they are filled with anxiety and we are not.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Bhavānanda: They are filled with anxiety.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the way of presentation. You have to present in such a way that he will accept that "What you are saying, you are right." That is preaching. (break) ...cepting our books because they are seeing, "Yes, here is practical explanation," not that because it is Bhāgavata. What do they care for Bhāgavata?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They never heard of Bhāgavata.

Prabhupāda: No. And why they should accept Bhāgavata? We are not accepting Bible, so why they should accept Bhāgavata? That is no argument. You must present the Vedic knowledge in such a way that they will be obliged to accept: "Yes, it is right." (break) ...something, Mr. Agarwal, that "Nobody complains about eating," you will do a great service, I tell you. Everyone will come and say, "Oh, such a nice food." They will come here for eating, if not for anything. (break) You were proposing about our Vṛndāvana. So if this thing is done, that the eatables are very nice, then visitors will come. Otherwise this manager, that manager, this manager will not help you. Phalena paricīyate. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Morning Walk -- March 13, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: "Artistry. But the poem is a symphony in which God is seen in all things. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda is, of course, profoundly sympathetic to the theme. He brings to it a special interpretative insight. Here we have a powerful and persuasive presentation in the bhakti tradition of this dearly beloved poem. The Swami's introduction makes clear at once where he stands as a leading exponent of Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That is my actual...

Devotee (1): (break) ...not only have your books there in the New York Public Library, but the head librarian of that Oriental division did the review also.

Prabhupāda: "...government(?) of postgraduate college..." Oh, O.B.L. Kapoor. (break) "It is an exhaustive plan of original Sanskrit text in Devanāgarī, then a translation, English synonym... What practitioner of philosophy cannot but be attracted to this serious student and scholar of Sanskrit language and Hindu religion and philosophy? The viewpoint of a devotee cum scholar has the advantage of making the philosophy meaningful to any practical-minded person."

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Yes, if he does not obey.

Guest (2): If he does not obey them he is breaking the orders of God.

Prabhupāda: So then these question do not arise at all, because he does not know what are sins and what are to be avoided and how to love God. These things required. There is a process. Just like if you want to love a girl or a girl wants to love you, there is a process. Unless there is no love. If you do not follow the process.... Suppose.... These are the general principles. If you love somebody you give something, some presentation. That you have given me, the presentation. It is a question of love. You are not giving to anyone, but you have got some love. So you give something to God. The first question of love is that "What you are giving to God?"

Guest (2): What am I giving to God?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (2): Well, I want to give everything...

Prabhupāda: No, no. You want to, but practically what you are giving?

Guest (2): What am I giving now?

Prabhupāda: Yes. I mean to say, anyone. Here.... Here is a process. Just like in our temple they have dedicated everything to God, the life.

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

Prabhupāda: As you can afford. Minimum one cart. Otherwise, three carts. In India the Ratha-yātrā festival is going on, according to rough estimate, for the last two thousand years, and the crowd never diminishes. One secretary of Parliament or something like that.

Hari-śauri: Śrī R. Subramanyam, M.A., Deputy Director Research, Lok Sabha Secretariat, National Parliament, New Delhi. Should I read it? "A strange feature of the modern world is that in spite of vast advances in science and technology and the establishment of a good number of institutions for human welfare, mankind has not found true peace and happiness. Knowledge of material sciences and arts has increased tremendously in recent times, and millions of volumes on each fill the libraries the world over. People and leaders in every country are generally well versed in these arts and sciences, but despite their efforts, human society everywhere continues to be in turmoil and distress. The reason is not far to see. It is that they have not learned the science of God, the most fundamental of every other art and science, and fail to apply it to the facts of life. The need of the hour is, therefore, to do it if mankind is not only to survive but flower into a glorious existence. To teach this science of God to people everywhere and to aid them in their progress and development towards the real goal of life, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is most eminently fitted. In fact, this great ancient work of Vyāsa will fill this need of the modern times, for it is a cultural presentation for the respiritualization of the entire human society. His Divine Grace, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the founder-ācārya of the ISKCON movement, has taken it upon himself, in addition to his ceaseless travels and other multifarious activities in the service of the Lord, the stupendous task of translating this Sanskrit work into English in about sixty volumes for the welfare and happiness of mankind. It is really astonishing how he is able to do this single-handed, and when one comes to think of this, apart from his other great literary works, one is tempted to wonder if he is not the same Vyāsa Muni reborn today to adapt his own old work into a universal language of this age for the spiritual upliftment of the modern man. So far eighteen volumes of this most beautiful literature on God have been brought out by ISKCON, and the rest are under preparation. Needless to say that in keeping with the excellence of their other publications, the publishers have seen to it that the printing, get-up, and pictures in these volumes are also of the highest quality, as though to serve as an ornament to the divine contents of the books. This is a rare opportunity to people and leaders of every country, race and community in the world to know and understand the glorious science of God and work for their perfection. I would say that this encyclopedia of spiritual knowledge is more important and fundamental than the encyclopedia of any other branch of knowledge and should, therefore, find a rightful place not only in the public and private libraries, big and small, of educational and other institutions, as also of every household, but above all in the hearts and minds of every man and woman." That seems to be it.

Prabhupāda: Now read.

Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan's Journal -- June 28, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: First of all, who will take it? Kṛṣṇa has given already according to the time, He has summarized the whole Vedic scripture in the Bhagavad-gītā, but who is taking it? And Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the ācāryas, they have explained how to accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness or Kṛṣṇa's instruction. So first thing you must be ready to take the presentation according to the time and circumstances. Then everything will be all right. If you manufacture your own way of life, if you do not take it from the authority, then it will be failure. Just like this harijana. Harijana is very good idea, make everyone harijana. But harijana is being picked up from the lowest class of men, the bhangis and camaras. That is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā, papa-yoni. But how this pāpa-yoni can be purified? Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya. By accepting Kṛṣṇa as everything, that means full surrender. Then he can be, even if he's pāpa-yoni, he can be rectified. But if there is no question of surrendering to Kṛṣṇa and if you rubberstamp a low class man that he has become harijana, how it will be effective? The condition is there, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya.

Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan's Journal -- June 28, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Then? What kind of love it is?

Kulādri: Nor did he say his people ever came to church. He said, "At best they come once a week." He said that's all that is necessary.

Prabhupāda: Well, love does not mean that you come once in a week at my house. Love means you come to my house, give me some presentation, and take something from me. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam. Love means if you love somebody, then you must give him something, you must accept something from him. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. You must disclose your mind to him and he should disclose his mind to you. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati, and bhuṅkte bhojayate. If you love somebody, you give him something eatable and whatever eatable he offers you accept. These six kinds of exchange makes love. But if you do not know the person, the boy or the girl, then where is the question of love? Love begins... If you love some girl, if you love some boy, then you give something, some presentation, and he gives you some presentation. That develops love. You give something to eat and whatever he gives you to eat, you eat. You disclose your mind, "My dear such and such, I love you. This is my ambition." He dis... These are the exchange of love. So if there is no persons to person meeting, where is the question of love? That is not love. If I love somebody and weekly I visit that house, "This is the house," that's all. Where is the exchange of love? Love means there is exchange. If you love somebody, if you have not given anything to that somebody, neither you have taken something from him, where is the love? Is that love? Means imperfect knowledge. You love... The conclusion is religion means to love God, and to love God means you must know who is God. There cannot be any other alternative. You must know the person who is God. Then you exchange.

'Life Comes From Life' Slideshow Discussions -- July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Immediately, work stopped.

Hari-śauri: Yes, he made that point, in that he said that in the development of a motor, he said the whole thing has to be there, the whole idea has to be there to start with, to make the motor and to make it work, then it works.

Prabhupāda: It is good.

Hari-śauri: It's very convincing, this presentation.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I think they are mahātmās, no doubt, it's just that most chemists, most scientists are very, very skeptical. Going from ovals,(?) and all of a sudden they see the form of Viṣṇu.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: That would be a great shock for the scientists.

Prabhupāda: Whose brain is there.

Hari-śauri: Maybe they should explain that in a little more detail, that in that higher order, that he put in the slide, there was one box that said "higher-order laws," so then they have to explain that if there's laws then there's lawmaker, that means higher intelligence, so that means a higher personality.

Prabhupāda: That is explained. Vāsudeva is higher. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19).

Room Conversation -- July 10, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: One letter should be written to him that "You have taken so much trouble to describe Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, so thank you for your patience. Now we shall request you to read our books and review it. That will be real presentation of the Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement. Now you have studied superficially, and if you seriously study our books, you'll get more knowledge and you'll be able to give description of the movement more definitely."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You want to hear what else he has to say?

Prabhupāda: Umhm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Others insist that the style of shaving the head identifies devotees of various spiritual orders. The long śikhās marks a man as a follower of Kṛṣṇa. Still another group says that the head-shaving simply stands for renunciation of the material world, its values and its pleasures. One or more of those reasons may be the true one. Possibly all of them have a multi-determined, have multi-determined the Kṛṣṇa cut. The how of the cut is simplicity itself. Commonly two men cut each others hair. Our pictures show how. Phase one of the cutting, known as the buzz-off, is done with ordinary..." (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Buzz off? (laughter)

Morning Walk -- July 14, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Cultural. They should... Deity worship one of the items. Otherwise it is called bhāgavata and pañcarātra.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I felt that it should be done in a very modern American style but very cultural with Vedic subject matter. Then gradually they would appreciate it. As well as the library party. If the library party, Satsvarūpa is thinking to go all over the world now, if they go to Japan they are expecting a good reception in Japan, that will be another advantage if your books are accepted by the professors there. I thought that a cultural presentation...

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We have to somehow or another get the local people to join there.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well that's the way, see they're not going to join as Hare Kṛṣṇas because of the bad publicity. They're not going to join like that. You have to have a different method.

Prabhupāda: What is this church, big church.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Gurudāsa also called.

Rāmeśvara: Lutheran Church.

Prabhupāda: Where he is now?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's in Detroit. He told me to book his ticket to London on the same flight that you were going on.

Prabhupāda: I came here in the evening, with umbrella and in the morning I saw the whole street is white.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: White-washed, you thought it was white-washed?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- July 18, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: ...books.

Hṛdayānanda: They purchase books?

Ghanaśyāma: Yes. They like it because it's not dry, like many of the other books—the art and the very glorious philosophical presentation. Your works are more enlivening and more easy for the students to understand, especially undergraduate students.

Hari-śauri: They appreciate that your books have got life.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think we could have some of these up along in front of our building, advertising things within our temple.

Rāmeśvara: These glass display cases.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: These glass display cases, if we have these outside the front of our building, people will come in.

Rāmeśvara: That's how they attract people. (break) They are always trying to think how to paint the bodies to look transcendental or spiritual. So this art historian has said this is a new style of art.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's telling me that when he sells the books... (end)

Evening Darsana -- August 9, 1976, Tehran:

Hari-śauri: Self-interest.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is very important thing. That is important, yes. But love means two persons, there is exchange. Giving something, taking something, feeding something and to eat something, and speaking everything, no secrecy, and to know everything of the other person. When these things are transacted, then there is love. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. If I love you and if I have got some secrecy, I don't disclose to you, that is not perfect love. I must deal with you open-hearted, you must deal with me open-hearted, then there is love. This is one of the basic principles. I shall invite you to eat with me and I shall accept your invitation to eat with me. I shall give you some presentation, you shall give me some presentation. In this way love develops. So if you want to love Kṛṣṇa, God, then these things must be there. Otherwise, where there is question of love? To appreciate God is great, that is not love. That is simply appreciation. But when we actually give everything to God and take everything from Him, you talk with Him of your mind, He talks with you. You give Him to eat and whatever He gives you eat. In this way there is question of love. Simply appreciation of the greatness of God, that is good, in God consciousness, but that is not love. The love stage is different.

Ali: How can one understand God's love?

Prabhupāda: This is the process, I've described. We have got Deity of the Lord, we offer foodstuff prepared very nicely, and whatever leftover is there, we eat. We dress very nicely with flowers, with ornaments; we give Him a nice place to sit down, to sleep. He also looks after our comfort. In this way, exchange of love.

Evening Darsana -- August 9, 1976, Tehran:

Ali: Sure, that is what I am practicing right now.

Prabhupāda: Yes, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The spirit soul, which is eternal, which is never lost, even by the annihilation of the body, we have to understand about that thing, that is spiritual knowledge. That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā lesson. First to understand what you are, you are not this body. This is spiritual knowledge. When one understands thoroughly that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul," then he is no more Hindu, Muhammadan, or Christian or nothing. He's spirit soul, brahma-bhutaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). That is called brahma-bhutaḥ. At that time, there is no such conception, that "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am this," "I am that." Because he's not body. He's not body. That is pure understanding. And then spiritual knowledge begins. So long I shall think myself as Hindu, Muslim, Christian, there is no spiritual knowledge. That is material knowledge.

Ali: This was just only a presentation of the...

Prabhupāda: Yes, presentation. We are everywhere in that platform, but we have to transcend this platform. Then we come to the spiritual platform. Then spiritual knowledge begins. And if we stick to this platform, then there is no spiritual knowledge. That is material knowledge, but try to understand spiritual knowledge. That is the position. To try to understand spiritual knowledge from material platform, but when you actually come to the spiritual platform, then spiritual knowledge is perfect. Just like another example, just like water. Theoretically you learn swimming. That is not swimming. You get into the water and practically learn swimming. Then it is swimming. Theoretical knowledge, that you put yourself in the water, you move your hands like this, move your legs like this, that is good. But it will be... Just like in the airplane before starting, they give so much instruction. It is going on really. But when actually the airplane is danger, that will be practical. Is it not? They are giving so much instruction, who cares for it? (laughter) They're talking and people are hearing. But when it will be practically demonstrated, that is real life. So, spiritual knowledge, understanding theoretically, it is little good, but when it is done practically, then it is reality.

Room Conversation -- September 16, 1976, Vrndavana:

Haṁsadūta: And on the basis of this transporting of food, other industries grow. Like for instance packing. Sometimes the package costs more than the item which is being packaged.

Prabhupāda: Especially in your country. Packing is more important than the... They sent me some presentation in a huge package.

Haṁsadūta: Consequently those persons who are farmers, they become discouraged.

Prabhupāda: Now it has become a problem how to throw these packings.

Haṁsadūta: Yes, this is another problem.

Hari-śauri: Yes. Plastic they can't dispose of, glass.

Prabhupāda: Simply creating problems. Lavana haila ithe gatila jagya.(?) This modern civilization, they could not make any profit. They have created some problems, that's all. Very dangerous civilization.

Haṁsadūta: There was one writer, he wrote a book about the cities, these big modern cities. And he said that in the future the price of labor will become so enormous that to break down the old buildings in these cities which have been built to become obsolete, will be impossible. And the whole place will become swamp land by that. (end)

Press Interview -- October 16, 1976, Chandigarh:

Devotee: After.

Prabhupāda: Yes, let me finish, that... We are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and it is being accepted all over the world. People are very much, those who are scholars, they say that even Rādhākrishnan and Aurobindo, they presented Bhagavad-gītā making some compromise with Western ideas. But here is presentation of Bhagavad-gītā in India's original traditional way. So they welcome it. And this is our, I mean to say, object also, that we cannot allow Bhagavad-gītā to be understood by anyone's imagination. No. That is not possible. And that is not allowed in the Bhagavad-gītā by the author. Kṛṣṇa says in the Fourth Chapter that as soon as the paramparā system of understanding is lost, then the whole thing is lost. In the Fourth Chapter it is said. Find out Fourth Chapter.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Is there another Bhagavad-gītā?

Prabhupāda: Why don't you bring another copy?

Hari-śauri: Pradyumna might have one.

Interviewer: Here is one.

Prabhupāda: Fourth Chapter, you find, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Kṛṣṇa says that this Bhagavad-gītā knowledge was first of all given to.... Fourth Chapter.

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So how they can check it? We are selling books.

Haṁsadūta: I don't think that in, in the end they will not be able to do anything but for some time they can give us some trouble, harass us.

Prabhupāda: So we have got already experience what is to be done, suggest.

Haṁsadūta: Well, we have to make a presentation of our movement properly, just like Tamāla suggested in the letter. Prominent persons, they have to speak on our behalf. And of course, the books must be in order.

Prabhupāda: Another thing, that all the Indians in Europe and America, they should sign that this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement is genuine religious.

Hari-śauri: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: Similarly here also, all the Kṛṣṇa conscious persons especially here in Vṛndāvana, all the goswamis, they should be approached that this is the genuine Indian culture.

Room Conversation -- November 2, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the European, you don't get the result, go on researching and spoil the money.

Devotee (2): Kṛṣṇa has manufactured everything in such a complicated way, that their search is never-ending.

Prabhupāda: That article written by Svarūpa Dāmodara in the recent Back to Godhead.

Hari-Sauri: That was not.... Oh, which one?

Prabhupāda: The recent this.

Hari-Sauri: The newest one? That was not by Svarūpa Dāmodara. That was by...

Prabhupāda: You have got?

Hari-Sauri: Dāmodara Dāsa and Jagjīvana.

Prabhupāda: Oh, Svarūpa Dāmodara is different. Oh.

Hari-śauri: This is more like a commentary than science, as it exists today.

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Hari-śauri: This is like a presentation of science.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Yes, these article. (pause) That's all right. Hm. (end)

Room Conversation with Dr. Theodore Kneupper -- November 6, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Some must be there. There is no doubt about it. But they are so in minority. Who will hear about them? "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." The whole world is rascal. If somebody is intelligent, who cares for him? Just like people laugh at me that I am talking of God. I am not only talking. I am writing so many books. My only endeavor is to understand God, that's all. There is no sectarian. And I am selling my books all over the world. So not that everyone is foolish. They're trying to understand my presentation, big, big scholars, big, big philosophers. Yes.

Dr. Kneupper: We have many of them in our library...

Prabhupāda: Yes. So there is knowledge. If people kindly take it everything will be solved. But they have stubbornly denied, "No God." And I am stubbornly fighting, "Yes, there is God." That is the... Now the whole America is combining to fight against me, opposition, that "This man is brainwashing, controlling the mind, and our children are kidnapped." They are bringing these charges against us. Just like you have come. Have I kidnapped you?

Dr. Kneupper: Oh, no.

Prabhupāda: But these rascals say that I have kidnapped their children.

Room Conversation with Dr. Theodore Kneupper -- November 6, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Dr. Kneupper: I think... As soon as I (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) ...all human society. It is not a sectarian...

Dr. Kneupper: I'm very glad I had the chance to meet you, to learn... Because when you meet... When you hear things second source... Secondary source, it's not like...

Prabhupāda: Do you think our presentation is all right?

Dr. Kneupper: Yes. (indistinct) And I'll try to help the people... My mother is from Texas, my family lives there.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Dr. Kneupper: And I'll try to help them understand better what the situation is. So...

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much. (break)

Devotees: Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya! (end)

Room Conversation on Farm Management -- December 10, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Make very nice palatable prasādam. We shall spend for that. Why miserly? There is no need of miserly. You are going to earn money by agricultural produce, so how the money will be utilized? It will be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's purpose. By prasādam, by chanting, by drama, somehow or other bring them. That is our mission. Congregational chanting. Always festival, and we shall spend for that. Immediately arrange. If there is scarcity of money, I shall pay, but from... Bring them somehow or other. Tomorrow I want to see at least 500 men. Make arrangement like that. I came here to see that, not to sit down in a room peacefully. So there also we shall inform the meeting that we want to propagate this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement town to town, village to village, by attracting them with musical demonstration of saṅkīrtana, dramatic play, movie, prasādam. Somehow or other they should come to the temple, to the pandal and congregationally chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, hear Bhagavad-gītā, Bhāgavatam. For this purpose, whatever expenditure is required, that you should collect and spend. This is the scheme of Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. You must come here, question, understand, and vigorous propaganda should be inaugurated town to town, village to village. Those who are educated, to them distribution of literature. The school, college, library, institution, university, by scholarly presentation. That is wanted.

Morning Walk -- December 29, 1976, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Gomath, gangath.(?)

Prabhupāda: No no. Kane. After... Because formerly the girls were married early. So after getting puberty there is one ceremony, it is called diti-abhi-bha.(?) Another ceremony. And then she goes to her husband's house. So she was going there with presentation of father, mother. So she was covered. So another young girl, up-to-date, she was doing like this. They were girls. One can touch another. So once, twice. When it made thrice, that village girl slapped her, "Hut!" I said, "Yes, you have done right." She was thinking, the city girl was thinking, "What is this nonsense?" She wanted to criticize... (laughs)

Guest (1): She got a slap.

Prabhupāda: And she gave a good slap. I've seen it. She's up-to-date and she became surprised. Lifting the avaguṇṭhana. So the whole train, they became laughed. And woman, the shyness is the only protection for them.

Guest (1): Shyness.

Dr. Patel: Modesty.

Prabhupāda: Modesty. There is no modesty left. Anyway, and that is the beauty. But we are breaking that. There is no beauty, no attraction. And as soon as you break this modesty, shyness, then the woman will create devastation.

Room Conversation -- December 29, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: We are stressing especially on Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Guest (3) (Indian man): Do you have special on each chapter of Gītā?

Prabhupāda: Oh yes. Each word. You can show Bhagavad-gītā.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: A very authoritative presentation. For example, here's the original Sanskrit śloka, word for word...

Guest (3): For example, sāṅkhya-yoga. You have a separate book? Then sthita-prajñā. You have a separate...?

Prabhupāda: No separately. It is there in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Guest (3): But that way, your volumes are dealing with each chapter of Gītā?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Each śloka. Each chapter.

Guest (2): No, no. Not inside the book. Different volumes. Like eighteen chapters, but eighteen volumes.

Prabhupāda: No, no.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: No.

Hari-śauri: Reader's Digest, that "Life After Death."

Prabhupāda: "Life After..." They do not believe. Western countries, they do not believe there is life after death. They are making research.

Hari-śauri: But if it comes in a scientific presentation, (laughs) then they accept.

Prabhupāda: What is this scientific presentation? (laughs) It is simple thing. Kṛṣṇa is giving the example, the dehāntara. A child is changing body to boyhood, boyhood... Very simple thing. But the brain is so dull, they cannot understand.

Rāmeśvara: It is too subtle for them to see or measure with their blunt senses, so therefore they do not accept it. They think of it as just...

Prabhupāda: That is for less intelligent. We accept it, even we do not understand thoroughly. But Kṛṣṇa says, authority, śruti; we believe it.

Room Conversation -- January 22, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: (laughs) So our book-selling appreciated all over the world.

Brahmānanda: Yes. And this is an Indian, he's a Hindu, so he knows Vedic culture, but still he liked your books very much. He said, "I've never read something like this."

Prabhupāda: Our presentation is simplified. That is the beauty.

Brahmānanda: Yes. That's what he appreciated.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We do not make the things cumbersome.

Rāmeśvara: So that no one understands.

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) Vyāghra mane śārdula. One student asked teacher, "What is the meaning of vyāghra?" He said "Śārdula." Means vyāghra is already a difficult word, and he presented another difficult word.

Room Conversation -- January 27, 1977, Puri:

Prabhupāda: Apart from that, you defend your position like this.

Hari-śauri: It's actually a religious issue, but they're trying to make it out something else to distract because they can't defeat us on a religious point.

Prabhupāda: No. Our religion is not faith, our religion. It is on science. So we have got more defense. We don't accept such religion—"Two plus two equal to five." It is science—"Two plus two equal to four." It cannot be three, cannot be five. This is our religion.

Satsvarūpa: Since most of our presentation is done by lawyer, how can this practically be brought about that he introduces the books as our main defense? How can he present the books, a lawyer, if there's not a preacher?

Prabhupāda: It is not the question of preaching. The lawyer can present that "My client's defense statement is here in these books." "Defense statement." Don't say, "the books." "Defense statements are there."

Hari-śauri: It's all written, already complete.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: So what these big, big scientists said?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: The chairman gave me a nice letter saying that this is the first type of seminar that he has ever heard in his life. (Prabhupāda chuckles) We made the presentation sound very scientific. We had the slide projection on one side, and this overhead projection on the other side. So it made a good presentation so that people can be attracted. It was quite effective. In fact, it was the most effective so far we have seen, because it was very colorful, the pictures, and we were comparing the fundamental concept of the Absolute Truth as it is understood by modern science and the defects of it, and then what is the alternative, the alternative view. We call it the other alternative scientific view. That is from... We speak about the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, about the nature of life, about the nature of the self. We've taken that it's nonchemical and nonphysical. Then we try to explain it in terms of scientific terminologies and scientific language.

Prabhupāda: The, that verse, that "It does not burn, it does not..."

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That is...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Nainam... Yes.

Prabhupāda: Nainaṁ chindanti... That is the nonphysical.

Hari-śauri: Like a comparative study chart.

Prabhupāda: We are presenting śāstric version in modern scientific symbolic representative. So the chairman said that he never...?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. Here's the letter with me. These are the... That's a comparison between Bhagavad-gītā and science. On the left side is the modern scientific view, and the right side is from Bhagavad-gītā about the nature of the Absolute Truth.

Prabhupāda: "Two alternative views of the laws of nature. These laws exist, but they are inconceivable to the human mind. The view of modern science—yes. They exist invariantly throughout space—yes. They do not change with time—yes. They control all manifestation—no."

Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Critical means our triumph.

Hari-śauri: Yes. They know we have some substance now.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: But I think we can pretty much convince the academic circles rather easily. Our philosophy is so strong and powerful that I think we can make a good presentation in the educated circles, especially colleges and universities.

Prabhupāda: Hm. That is nice. So that we are trying. We have got already books in the educated circles.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Not only books, but good solid presentation, to make...

Prabhupāda: That is... That you are. In our Institute you lecture.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I think our journal, the Sa-Vijñānam, will be...

Prabhupāda: Able to...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: By Prabhupāda's mercy, I think, it will be very useful in making contact with the...

Prabhupāda: Yes. So when you are going to publish?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: We wanted to print this in about three months, the first volume.

Prabhupāda: And not yet finished?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I have the draft, the manuscript here. It needs to be revised. And then we have to contact with the...

Prabhupāda: How many pages? How many pages it will be?

Room Conversation -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: So call him. That's all. (break) First of all say, "You have no brain."

Hari-śauri: If we present these points in the right way, then we'll have to make them consider these points as being valid. They can... 'Cause there's so many things in our literature that they can just not believe and claim as just plain ridiculous, but by your presentation it becomes acceptable.

Prabhupāda: You talk with them again. They're intelligent. You can talk, yes. It is recorded again, again.

Hari-śauri: Yes. I'm making spares of all these tapes, so they can take them back with them and listen to them.

Prabhupāda: All tell, "You have no brain. So where is the question of brainwash?" That you have to prove, that "You have no brain. You are all dull-headed, animals." This is our challenge. "And animals cannot... Their brain cannot be washed, but washed, I have brain, yes... Because a human being, we have tried. At the present you have no brain. All useless."

Room Conversation -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yes. If he knows about, anything about Caitanya, why should he say like that? Bogus temple. By attempting to establish a temple like that, he has diminished his value. And therefore it is doubtful whether he actually obtained this. Now, our Bon Mahārāja also writes "Doctor."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Purchased title. These deprogrammers are doing very active campaign work by getting entry into the schools, the public schools, to speak to the children in the age groups of twelve, between twelve and fifteen, junior high school, high school age. And they're making presentations to them about these different groups like ours, to beware of our groups. To beware of our groups. In other words, it's actually very bad because these children are innocent, and from a very young age now they're being told, "Watch out for the Hare Kṛṣṇas. They will brainwash you." Of course, that makes us even more appealing.

Prabhupāda: That is our advertisement.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Because when a young man, when a child is told by his... When a child is told by his parents, "Don't do something..."

Prabhupāda: They'll do it.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes. He saw me several times.

Rāmeśvara: Franklin and Marshall. He wrote, "I am impressed by Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswami's presentation. His initial chapter is one of the best statements available on the importance of the guru in transmitting spiritual knowledge." They have already taken hundreds of orders for this book, and it will be... It's being printed right now. It's at the printer right now.

Prabhupāda: These two books are very important. (chuckles) Everything improved. (leafing pages)

Gargamuni: Keep showing more.

Rādhā-vallabha: More's coming on the truck.

Prabhupāda: Ramakrishna Mission, in the beginning they asked me, "You be in coat and pant." Otherwise nobody will hear me.

Gargamuni: Ramakrishna suggested Prabhupāda use coats and pants.

Prabhupāda: Their sannyāsīs, they dress in coat-tie.

Brahmānanda: Swami Nikhilananda.

Prabhupāda: Yes, you have seen.

Room Conversation with GBC members -- March 2-3, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: This planetary system is rotating from east to west, and it is hanging like the chandelier, taking shelter of the polestar. That we can see every night. Now where is the situation, which planet, where is sun, where is moon—so that he has to assert.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: When he's coming, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: I have asked him to come in this ceremony.

Satsvarūpa: Resolved: Devotees preaching to raise funds for Māyāpur must make a uniform presentation. A brochure should be prepared by the BBT. The preaching for Māyāpur should not be done differently by different persons in different parts of the world, and a brochure should be prepared for this preaching. Any GBC who wants a BBT loan...

Rāmeśvara: That's specifically for fund raising.

Satsvarūpa: Yes. Preaching for fund-raising for Māyāpur. Then, any GBC member who wants a BBT loan will submit it to Rāmeśvara Mahārāja, but it will be held in abeyance until the Māyāpur financing is decided in regard to the BBT commitment to Māyāpur.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Room Conversation -- March 26, 1977, Bombay:

Hari-śauri: ...for myself? That boy who was with me from Australia, I've sent him back this morning. He's gone back this morning. There is actually two or three major things going on there, so I have to try to get back as soon as possible. There is a purchase of the farm, eight hundred acre farm, which comes up in about seven or eight days, and then we have to consider whether to buy that building in Sydney. You've seen that picture already. And also there's a big court case coming up in Melbourne. The deprogramming thing is going on there also. But this time the court case is being pressed by... It's a civil case. The police wouldn't take it up. So the girl who was kidnapped, we are pressing charges, but through her against the parents. So this is going to be a big case also. So that's coming up in the end of April. So I have to see what the presentation is like and get more information from Ādi-keśava and make sure that we will press it very strongly, the whole issue. Someone just sent a newspaper clipping about the whole thing. I expect to be going to Delhi in about two days, to try to speed up the process of getting a re-entry permit. Then once I do that, I can go on. (long pause) (break)

Girirāja: This evening, the chief guest is going to arrive at about a quarter to seven.

Prabhupāda: Who is the chief guest?

Girirāja: His name is Dr. Dattrey.

Karttikeya Mahadevia: He's an (indistinct).

Girirāja: Yeah. He is supposed to be one of the leading doctors in India. Especially of heart, cardiology. So I also thought this would be a good night for Svarūpa Dāmodara Prabhu to make his presentation, so that this leading doctor can also attend that.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- March 26, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, I should not take at night. At night, a little milk and barley water. Light.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Today we'll leave at twenty-five of seven instead of a quarter to seven. We'll arrive by seven at the pandal.

Girirāja: The thing is that the chief guest is reaching at a quarter to seven.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So then we can leave at 6:30. So Dr. Svarūpa Dāmodara will speak this evening, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Would you like us to read from some book, or...

Girirāja: When do you want us to show a few slides, that slide presentation?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I think only just four or five explaining in terms of precedence. It's solid that way. The words are just empty. (indistinct) ...taking that way. Becomes more, er...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hari-kathā, is it dark at 7:15?

Hari-kathā: 7:15 is dark.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's dark. No, Svarūpa Dāmodara Prabhu will lecture after the chief guest, but just before Śrīla Prabhupāda. But by then it will be 7:30, quarter to eight.

Hari-kathā: 7:30 definitely dark.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So we can arrange for a slide show.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Also we can speak from slides.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think it's possible. (discussion about the slide show between devotees) (break)

Prabhupāda: So if you combine together and go to any scientist, you challenge and prove scientifically. And still he sees it mistake. You do not know what is life's position, but we shall. Life is different. Yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). Without life, this matter has no value. This room is well decorated, well furnished. Why? Yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat. Because the life is there. If there was no life, then who cares for Bombay? Heaps of stone, that's all. Who cares for it? So you do not know that particular item and try to convince them according to the modern scientific... Then we shall be triumphant. Everything. Everything. Challenge these rascals, that "You have got power and you will get more power by serving Kṛṣṇa." Your presentation was very nice.

Room Conversation -- March 26, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Then there should not be any scarcity for their comfort. People are trained up to the modern comforts. Therefore I am building so big, big institution. Otherwise, I... That's a fact. Rādhā-Dāmodara temple is sufficient for me. It is not for me I want these big, big buildings. I am accustomed to live anywhere. But those who are educated, scientists, they are accustomed, Europeans, Americans... They must be given proper place. That was my Guru Mahārāja's policy. Not that all of a sudden they should now live on the floor. No, that's not possible. Then they will be disturbed. Give them nice place, give them nice food, nice instruction. You are all intelligent boys. Do it immediately. Another building construct. That colony should be for first-class Kṛṣṇa conscious people, to preach. So Gargamuni, you also help.

Gargamuni: Yes. We stopped in a college, Acyutānanda and myself, a D.A.B. college, and we spoke to some of these professors of physics, and we showed him the books and especially that Scientific Basis...

Prabhupāda: On the whole I very much appreciated your presentation. I thank you very much.

Room Conversation -- March 26, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: I think also. He is a very kind doctor. Whole family is attentive. Living is... That we have already discussed. Trees also live for many years. That is not wanted. To live for living forever, that is wanted. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). That should be the human endeavor, not this dog race, changing condition, from four legs to four wheels. This logic was never taught, from four legs to four wheels. They are astonished.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And anthills. Yes, it's a very unique presentation of the philosophy. They have never heard it so nicely adapted to the modern situation.

Prabhupāda: So they have got farther two days, so I think they will be able to do it. That, my, apartment in Juhu.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, there is no question. Actually, they were ready tomorrow.

Prabhupāda: Still to...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Finished completely. We'll be going there tomorrow morning to see how much they've done today.

Prabhupāda: Some first-class ḍāb should always be in stock in the refrigerator.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Keeping cold. Yeah, the Marwaris, they always drink cold. They always keep in the refrigerator. I'll tell them to do that.

Prabhupāda: This miśri water and ḍāb water.

Room Conversation -- March 31, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, make five.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, five.

Prabhupāda: Recruit two others and make it at least five, and travel all over the world. All institutions, all universities, all scientists. If you have got commodity, deliver. It is not a bluff, gold manufacturing. It is not that. Actual fact. That day, your presentation was very nice. Any scientist will be convinced by such presentation, learned speeches. So now at least five men, and estimate what will be the expenditure. I shall arrange. Don't worry.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I will submit that at the time of opening our this temple, and we will make...

Prabhupāda: For expenditure there is no worry. What will be the rough expenditure?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: It will depend on what part of the world we are traveling.

Prabhupāda: You travel all over the world. Why part of the world? We are not preaching part. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma. (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) We are concerned. Nothing shall be left over.

Room Conversation -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, the Hindi Bhāgavatam has been very appreciated, after the lamination that plastic coating we have put, it looks better. Actually the presentation is even better than the Spanish Bhāgavatams. I got some new, even improved binding, bound books today. I'll send them to you tonight or tomorrow. They look very first class. I am sending Prem Yogi back to Vṛndāvana tomorrow, because First Canto, Part Two, is almost composed. So it requires to be proofread before I bring it to Bombay for printing. So the work is just being delayed. And also there is just one week's work left on First Canto, Part Three. So I told him to go back to Vṛndāvana for two weeks, and if you go to Srinagar, I promised him I would send him to Srinagar, because he wants to go to a cold climate. Then after that...

Prabhupāda: Yes. If I go I will call him.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. So this way he was encouraged because he wants...

Prabhupāda: There was another place, Solen.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Solen, yes. It is near Simla.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Somebody wanted to give us that place.

Conversation with Tamala Krsna about Yadubara -- April 22, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He plans to meet with Svarūpa Dāmodara in Boston when he returns in July to discuss the possible films to make. He says he decided with Svarūpa Dāmodara that it would be best to wait before making a film until they have published their thesis and had some feedback from the material scientists. It's a good point. "Because their theories are always changing, our scientists also have to change their approach. It is for this reason that a film does not seem so suitable for their purposes, because it cannot be so easily changed as with a slide presentation. Also Svarūpa Dāmodara's presentation is highly scientific, and I feel somewhat dry for the film medium, which is more an artistic medium."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So he frankly admits that it is a little difficult to make a very scientific film because it may become very, you know, a little bit dry for the...

Prabhupāda: Yes. So they may not film. Their lecture is good. That's all.

Talk with Svarupa Damodara -- June 20, 1977, Vrndavana:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Well, people nowadays expect, if anything comes from the States, that's a fact. So sometime all the leading scientists of the world are in the States. Even if they are coming from other countries, they all get together in the States. Everybody goes there. So something is coming from the States, it is formally respected by all the big men all over the world. So that is why I want to attack United States as my last, bringing men from all over. Then we can make a strong presentation in the States.

Prabhupāda: And actually it so happened. Who would have joined unless I would have gone from United States? Useless. Their money, their men, they are helping. That's a fact. And that was my aim.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You tried here first.

Prabhupāda: And they are useless here, waste of time. Neither I wanted to go to London. "New York I shall go."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Anyone else would have gone to London.

Prabhupāda: Yes, to go to the Western countries means to go to England. I didn't like that. I thought, "I shall go to New York."

Talk with Svarupa Damodara -- June 20, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Or very...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: She said yes. She actually felt the necessity, and she was actually praising a lot about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that such things are being discussed in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society, and she had a great hope that this can be pushed on and the philosophy can be very accepted in the scientific community. So I request her also to help us in different capacities. She can write articles, we can publish in this journal, Sa-vijñānam. We can print it and publicize more on the presentation of Vedic scientific knowledge. So like that, I want to generate some momentum among the leading Indian scientists.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Do.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: It will be very helpful. And I think it is also their responsibility, duty.

Prabhupāda: Great duty, great respons...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I told the same thing to this Professor Kundu, that "You know all these things, but you just remain silent. You never speak out. You only accept that whatever quantum theory is coming from that West, that is all knowledge, scientific knowledge. What about this aspect?"

Prabhupāda: Sir Jagadish was influenced.

Talk with Svarupa Damodara -- June 20, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: (laughs) You have fatally...(?)

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So he became very interested. That's why he took me in an hour. About five minutes he gave me. Then he extended about an hour to a very interesting talk. And he became very impressed with the ideas about Bhagavad-gītā. And Dr. Kunja(?) asked me, "What śloka are you using from Bhagavad-gītā?" Then I was describing about nainaṁ chindanti śāstrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ (BG 2.23). "We're developing that on a scientific language." And he was very impressed with our presentation for the nature of consciousness and quantum physics. So they thought that this is very unique, and they never thought that this could be done. They have great respect for Śrīla Prabhupāda also. Said that they have read Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. And they actually accepted and developed lot of scientific thoughts, appropriating with our current scientific frame from Bhagavad-gītā. So once they have that feeling developed properly...

Prabhupāda: It will further develop.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. It's unlimited, scientific knowledge. It's all Śrīla Prabhupāda's mercy that all these people are getting at least a second thought, being born in this material, just been carried away by some sort of temporary knowledge without really knowing what real knowledge is behind. Now, by Prabhupāda's mercy, they have been given the opportunity also to think about it.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You are proper person to understand what is pervading(?). Monkey cannot understand what is pervading(?). (Bengali) Just like mother Sītā. When Hanumān approached, she gave her pearl necklace. He immediately remove it. So one who knows pearl and one does not know pearl. Anyway, it is all Kṛṣṇa's desire that you are combined together. So it is my duty to show you, "Here is the pearl." Now, to the few, value of pearl will be appreciated. All theories, bogus, vyapa, garbage(?)... At least you have got now basic principles to talk with high-grade scientists. Hm?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes.

Room Conversation-Recent Mail -- July 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "It is no wonder that this transcendental treasure chest of spiritual texts have been described by many scholars as the first presentation of full encyclopedia of Vedic knowledge. This encyclopedia touches various subject matters relating to philosophy, religion, sociology and anthropology, literature and classics, political science, history and psychology. On the back side of this pamphlet an order blank to apply for a full encyclopedia published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust is given. Please fill in and return." (chuckles) Here's what he says, "The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Library of Vedic Knowledge can make a worthwhile gift to a friend of relative or may be kept in one's own home. Or one may contribute a set to a school, college, hospital library, reading room, temple, or for any other charitable purpose. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust is offering this encyclopedia on an easy installment basis by which one may receive published volumes every month without any extra cost." Sounds like they're getting a lot for free. (chuckles)

Prabhupāda: Organized very nice. Hm. "Gargamoney." (laughter)

Room Conversation-Recent Mail -- July 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're tremendous. Here is a letter from the member of the advisory board of the Sāhitya Academy. You know what that is Śrīla Prabhupāda? Sāhitya Academy? I think it's a literary academy. " 'No earthly writer today can match the vast outpouring of pure verse which our ancient sages, particularly the great Vyāsadeva, have left to the world. Motivated by a deep desire to give moral, cultural, and educational upliftment to all people irrespective of caste, creed or nationality, they have taught us the higher values of life through the medium of historical narrations, biographies, the lives of great men, and simple instructive stories. The unlimited wealth which they have left behind in the Devanāgarī script is sheer ecstasy to read for the poet, the student and the common man. Since dialectic differences began to splinter men into smaller groups, the original language, Sanskrit, was gradually forgotten. It is special grace upon the denizens of this world today that His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has done such a tremendous job of meticulously translating into so many languages the sacred books of our heritage. Swamiji's most noteworthy achievement is his Encyclopedia of Vedic Education, the multivolume presentation of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta.' " One thing, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that this calling it the Encyclopedia of Vedic..., as he's doing...Everyone has always known the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but fewer people knew Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and now these two are lumped together as equally very important works.

Prabhupāda: Complete.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's very much increased...

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Room Conversation Gaurasundara, Dr. Kapoor -- July 26, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, generally they give it based on different factors. The quality of the printing, the sales, and the booth appearance, presentation.

Dr. Kapoor: This is solid work.

Prabhupāda: Now we are going to hold Bhaktivedanta Institute scientific meeting. What is that? Where is that paper? Bombay. Scientifically presenting, among the scientists.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's called "The First International Scientific Conference on 'Life Comes From Life,' sponsored by Bhaktivedanta Institute, Founder-Ācārya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda." Should I read this?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Current scientific theory holds that life is a product of molecular interaction." (break)

Dr. Kapoor: I think they should attack the very basic concept of science.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Dr. Kapoor: The very basic concept of science should be attacked, the molecules and the atoms. They say life comes out of molecules. But what, according to modern science, are molecules themselves? You see, before... (break) ...molecules disappear. As a matter of fact, particle disappears, you see. What remains...

Prabhupāda: Oh, they knew... They have written... That they have denied. It is not chemical-physical.

Room Conversation -- October 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Nirvāṇa means sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). That is nirvāṇa. Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityaj... Parityajya means giving up, and that is nirvāṇa. It requires expert presentation.

Haṁsadūta: In all the temples they keep a Viṣṇu Deity. All the Buddhist temples they have a Viṣṇu Deity. They have a saying that Viṣṇu promised Lord Buddha to protect the Buddhist religion in Śrī Lanka for five thousand years in this age. They say that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How many more years they have to go?

Haṁsadūta: I don't know.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? I'm thinking to go today to the Rādhā-Dāmodara temple to see how things are going on. You told me regularly to check there whenever we're here?

Prabhupāda: Not immediately.

Room Conversation -- October 4, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bali-mardana: I think Prabhupāda's... The GBC are coming here, so let them consider. Make a presentation. Gopāla is coming in a day or two. By tomorrow he should be coming. Because Prabhupāda, now it's too much for him to think about it now. Scratch with your nails.

Haṁsadūta: Prabhupāda, you've become so thin. You've become so thin. You have to become better.

Bhagatji: (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) (pause) (break)

Hari-śauri: Of course, you have so many disciples around the world who are always praying for your health, so ten brāhmaṇas would not achieve very much. He repeated also what he said before, that the period up until next March would be very difficult time.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Hari-śauri: He said that up until next March, that would be a very difficult time. But if Your Divine Grace goes beyond that time, then for three or four years, then health will return.

Prabhupāda: Back side itching.

Hari-śauri: All the back? Are these astrological charts very much applicable for a devotee, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: No.

Room Conversation -- October 6, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: He is developing. He can utilize it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hm. That's a fact. That's a fact, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Here is Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja? This valuable presentation may be utilized for New Vrindaban, Vṛndāvanacandra, all the jewelries and the money also. You are developing. I have accepted your gifts, and now you can utilize it for developing.

Kīrtanānanda: Thank you very much, Prabhupāda. If it would please you, I'd like to save it for the mūrti in your palace and use it there.

Prabhupāda: You require money, so you take back and utilize it there. That is my request.

Kīrtanānanda: Thank you very much. Most of all we want you, though.

Prabhupāda: Huh? Yes, I know that. And if I survive, I have a strong desire to go where you live there and live there. It will be a great pleasure.

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Brahma-tīrtha. When I was sitting there just now... I I mean, I suggested a lot of things which can improve the presentation. One of the big problems is the microphone system they have is very cheap. They rented some. So I suggested that they take the temple microphone system for the next few days, which is a very good one, and use that, because it's very hard to hear clearly.

Prabhupāda: Why not immediately?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, right in the middle of the conference... They can do it for the evening one. They can probably change it by five-thirty. Another thing is that these men, these scientists of ours, they are just beginning to practice speaking. Just like our sannyāsīs, we get to speak in the temples practically all the time. But these men are new at lecturing. So they require further practice in their presentation to make it very interesting—which they will get automatically by doing what they are doing. Another really important thing, I feel, is that I think it would be much more interesting if someone with an opposing opinion were to speak first, say, some other scientist we could invite who would speak on the same subject but from a different point of view. Then our man would speak from the Kṛṣṇa conscious point of view. Then people could ask questions. Because the audience I think very much appreciates when there's a little bit of, er, a dialogue. Debate.

Mādhava: They have such a speaker in physics. He's going to speak that life comes from matter.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. That's good. Because otherwise... I looked at the audience this afternoon. First of all, there weren't that many. There was only about fifteen men attending this afternoon's lecture.

Gurukṛpā: Scientists, fifteen.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Fifteen scientists. There were devotees. Our sannyāsīs, GBC men were there. And I looked at them, and some of them weren't that interested, mainly because it's just... It's just too one-sided, I think. There's not enough action going on to keep their attention. I'm going to speak... I haven't spoken to Svarūpa Dāmodara yet. I'm going to right now. I spoke to Rūpānuga, who was in the back, because he's helping to organize. I think it's very good, because gradually, as we hold more conferences, they'll learn to improve their presentation. This is why Svarūpa Dāmodara wanted to begin in India, so that when he finally got to the West he'd be very strong and it would be very good. Here it's a little easier.

Prabhupāda: So not all the doctors who...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. In other words, there's a big enough program so that... They pick which conference they want to come to. They don't come to every lecture. They may only come to one or two in a day. Today I think there's three. Right? Three lectures? So probably they might attend one or two of them. Of course, some people might attend all of them.

Bhavānanda: Also many more are coming on Sunday. They're coming through the whole conference. Tomorrow more are coming, and Sunday is the biggest day.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All in all, though, it's still very impressive and very much encouraging. It's just like everything—it takes practice. This is the first of its kind. So for being the first, it's very nice. And it certainly is well organized. That's a fact. Everything is there—good guesthouse, nice prasādam and qualified speakers. You can see our men are very... They must be presenting thousands of facts. I mean every sentence they are backing up with some quotation or some substantial reference. They are very well prepared for these lectures.

Prabhupāda: But other parties, they are not taking interest.

Room Conversation -- October 21, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Nava-yogendra? The presentation which you have brought may not be required here. Better sell them and engage there.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sell them and engage there in Mombassa.

Nava-yogendra: What? Which I brought here?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You mean those plates and things, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Anything, presentation, for the time being there is no need. Better invest the money there to develop.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda wants you to invest whatever... 'Cause he's not eating so much, he says. So better to use the money and invest it in Mombassa for development there. That temple is very good, I think.

Prabhupāda: Kaviraji's medicine was helping stop the passing of...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Kaviraji's medicine is what, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Helping through medicine passing of urine. Of course, I'll drink, but what is the use of then the allopathic?

Room Conversation -- October 21, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. She will cook a feast to celebrate the day, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and you have to also take part. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...such a way he'll call laughing. Gravity should be maintained. And laughing means taking things trifling. That is not allowed. This is the etiquette. That is what we are teaching. You are simple, but this is the etiquette. Understand me right or not?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. We understand very well. We apologize that we were taking too lightly.

Prabhupāda: So, whatever Nava-yogendra has presented, let it be sold and utilized...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In Mombassa.

Prabhupāda: Mm. Sometimes presentations are sold at higher price by bid. Yes. That is the way.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: By bid. The most valuable thing, you gave to Gurukṛpā Mahārāja-conchshell. But he did not pay anything for it.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. He'll worship. Jaya Nitāi-Gaura.

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Now, with the help of Tamāla Kṛṣṇa and who else? Chandra. You can...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Take this order, I think.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And if the bank sees that you have got fifty percent, they will advance.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hm. Especially with the presentation of the bill. Against the bill...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...they'll put it out. The bill should be approved by the company that's ordering the books. The government should certify the bill that "We've accepted this bill." Oh, the bank will immediately issue money. They're going to make interest.

Prabhupāda: So with cooperation of Tamāla and who else?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Chandra.

Prabhupāda: Chandra. And with your intelligence you can manage.

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So you can return immediately with the certificate?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I think you should do that. Should not lose time now.

Prabhupāda: And Chandra there and...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (to Vrindavan:) Whatever you need from here, I will help you. As far as I can do, any letters or anything I can give you, I am prepared to do. And I can give you the counterfoils, and I'll also give him the safe custody receipt.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That will be further help. I mean, with presentation of these, this shows that you have position to demand this money.

Prabhupāda: When the bank collects, the post office will not have any objection.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's a fact. If the bank takes money, the post office will pay as the bank orders.

Vrindavan De: But is it possible to...? In case those counterfoils... It is only mentioned in the one line.

Prabhupāda: It doesn't matter.

Room Conversation -- November 6, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Stories and fables will not convince them.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I want to briefly outline tomorrow the comparative presentation of two aspects of modern science versus the Bhagavad-gītā, the varying concepts of life.

Prabhupāda: Very good.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: We'll outline, saying that modern science thinks that we are children of chance and chemical reactions. But the Gītā says we are children of Kṛṣṇa. We are coming from the supremely conscious person.

Prabhupāda: Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4).

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So these two views, completely opposed. And I'm going to propose that...

Prabhupāda: No, it is a common sense. There is mother and there is children. Where is the father? They have no common sense even. Everything is produced... There are four kinds of living entities: udbhid-ja, sveda-ja, aṇḍa-ja and jarāyu-ja. They do not know anything. You are taking account of the jarāyu-ja, Not udbhid-ja, sveda-ja, aṇḍa-ja. They think the trees are coming automatically. That is their theory. That's not fact. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). Bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 7.10). They do not consider this. A bug is coming from bed—they think it is automatically. No? The bīja-pradaḥ pitā... There are four kinds of births.

Page Title:Presentation (Conversations)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:18 of Mar, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=96, Let=0
No. of Quotes:96