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Price (Conversations 1968 - 1975)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Radio Interview -- March 12, 1968, San Francisco:

Interviewer: I'd like to read one thing. This is evidently said by a man named Swami Śiva Premānada of New York's yoga center. He said, "If one has the time to put in about eight or ten hours a day for ten years, one might develop the power to see through a wall through meditation. I've seen people develop X-ray vision, but I've never seen the point of paying such a heavy price for it."

Prabhupāda: But I don't think it is practical that one can meditate for eight to ten hours or twelve hours.

Interviewer: For ten years.

Prabhupāda: But it is... Yes, for ten years. It is most impractical proposition. Therefore, as recommended, we have to follow the regulation as recommended in the scriptures. For the present age, this meditation. Now, last night we had saṅkīrtana in the public library... Where is that? Oakland. So all people immediately joined us as soon as we began to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Immediately there is effect and there is no rules and regulation that you have to do this or that. Simply join, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma... We had lectured in the YMCA Sunday School, little boys and children, they also joined with us. We performed this Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting in the park, the children, old men, young men, everyone joined.

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

Devotee (girl): Even when we dream about Godbrothers and Godsisters?

Prabhupāda: No. That is not māyā. I mean to say, dreaming... Yes. Sleeping means stopping your active life. So that is a waste of time. We should rather... The mind is always active, and dreaming means the mind is acting. So dreaming is not always bad. Dreaming sometimes very good. What I mean, sleeping is not very good. (long pause) Dāmodara, what is the price of these films?

Dāmodara: Price of the films?

Prabhupāda: Suppose if we take film, very long film, what will be the cost?

Dāmodara: Well, in an eight-millimeter, the size film that you saw last night, the other night, it's not very expensive. It costs a little more than a dollar a minute for, you know. So if there was an hour and a half film, it might cost $150. Not much. But to make a film of the quality that's seen in the theater, it's very expensive. An hour and a half film, it's not unusual, a hundred thousand dollars.

Prabhupāda: (laughing) Oh!

Questions and Answers -- September 6, 1968, New York:

Prabhupāda: Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the price. That's all. Yes?

Guest: You mentioned these miracles. The only miracle (indistinct) who has gone beyond the material encagement. That is what the yogi is trying, is striving to do, trying to go beyond the material nature. When one mentions miracles, it is surely a proof that he has actually transcended this material nature.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest: But why, why are they trying to transcend material, transcend material nature? Who is doing these miracles? Or why try to do (indistinct) Why should human beings try to do (indistinct)?

Prabhupāda: No. The yoga practice is like that. It is very good, that "Why we should bother ourself with such things?" That is the opinion of the devotees. The devotees, they do not want any such miracles to perform or to make some jugglery to the people. They are satisfied with the service of the Lord. So that is the position of the devotee. But generally, the yogis, they want such things. There are many instances of great yogis in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, just like Durvāsā Muni. He wanted to show his power to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. That's a very nice story. I shall narrate next meeting. The yogis, everyone, yogis... Yoga practice is, therefore... It is more or less material activity. Because when they are powerful to show some miracles and people become captivated, "Oh, he is performing such miracle thing."

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 27, 1969, Boston:

Prabhupāda: He is very cunning man.

Haṁsadūta: Yes, I know. I don't trust him at all.

Prabhupāda: He wants to utilize our men.

Haṁsadūta: Yes. Don't deal with him, right? That's what I thought.

Prabhupāda: He wants a cheap, cheap price. (Break) I don't believe all these things they have... They have come here to beg, to make money. You see? Their mentality cannot be good.

Haṁsadūta: I have a letter for you from Gopāla Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Gopāla Kṛṣṇa is a good boy.

Haṁsadūta: Oh, he's very nice. Oh, he's getting so nice. He wants to come.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Because he is serving.

Himavatī: He lives in our house now.

Haṁsadūta: He lives with us now. You know we have another house, the whole house, and almost everyone now is a devotee there. And they're eating prasādam.

Prabhupāda: Gopāla Kṛṣṇa is very nice boy. You give him good protection, and he will turn very good help. Sevonmukhe... This Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be, I mean to say, appreciated only by service. There is no other, no other way. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). You cannot catch Kṛṣṇa by any way, by your riches, by your beauty, by your..., because He excels everything. How you can make Him under your control? You can simply make Him under your control by service, like the gopīs did. Yes. What is this? Prasāda? Oh, I think I cannot take any. All right, I shall take some.

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

Prabhupāda: Another incident during Purī... Rāmānanda Rāya, he was a great devotee. So his younger brother, he was engaged in government service, Mahārāja Pratāparudra's service. But he was a karmi and a rich man. So he misappropriated some money for sense gratification from the treasury. So this was... And he had some, what is called, competition, or rivalry, between the king's son and himself. The king's son did not like him, so he was trying to put him in some difficulty. This man... His name is... He's Rāmānanda Rāya's brother. His name is there. I can find out. So he found out some fault with him and informed his father that "Your such and such person has doing like this. He has misappropriated the money. I paid him so much money for purchasing horse, and he has purchased horse less price. He was charged so much." "Oh," the king said, "Oh, how is that? He cannot do that. Realize that money." So he got some clue. So he said that "You must pay. This is not the right price. The state cannot accept at high price this kind of horses." So he said, "All right. I shall sell somewhere and repay the price." Then there was some argument. He said, "Why you have charged so much for this horse? This is not a very good horse." He said, "Yes, it is good horse. My horse does not look like this." That man, that king's son was looking like this. So he criticized him, so he became more angry. Because you know, everyone, that a horse who looks down like this, that is bad(?) horse. Or looking like this, he's not first-class horse. Do you know that? (laughter) Horse, like this, kat, kat, kat, kat, that is first-class horse. And if horse goes like this, that is not good horse. So he criticized him, and he became angry, and he complained to his father that he's not paying. Rather, he's criticizing me. And he said, "All right.

Room Conversation -- September 9, 1969, Hamburg:

Prabhupāda: You suggest that "Here is another solution. Why we should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" No. There is no other. You have got any suggestion, any other method? No. Then why don't you take to it and preach? What is the difficulty? You don't like? (break) ...especially Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yes. That is the instruction of Rūpa Gosvāmī. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā-matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate tatra laulyam ekalaṁ mūlyam na janma-koṭi sukṛtair labhyate. Very nice verse. He instructs that "If you can purchase Kṛṣṇa consciousness from any market, any store, please immediately buy it." Then next question is "Then what is the price? What shall I have to pay for it?" And Rūpa Gosvāmī says, "Oh, the price is simply eagerness." Tatra laulyam... "Yes, I must have Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That is the price. Laulyam, that eagerness is not achieved even after many, many births. That is the price. Therefore it requires a little intelligence. "Oh, such a valuable thing? I can purchase only by eagerness? Why not become eager immediately?" That is intelligence. You are German or Australian or... (end)

Discussion with BTG Staff -- December 24, 1969, Boston:

Prabhupāda: So by increasing the pages, what do we immediately get profit? Is there any special advantage we get?

Satsvarūpa: More reading material. More reading material. The customer gets more for his money.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. We should be businessmen. They should get less for their money. (laughter) We are to please Kṛṣṇa, not our customers. So if we are not increasing the price, then why should we increase the pages? Either we print in our own press or Japan, there is extra labor, extra energy. But we are not getting extra money. So there is no need.

Satsvarūpa: But, Prabhupāda, the point was, can there be more than one article by yourself? Or only one...

Prabhupāda: No. No. One. One. Everyone one, not more. One man's article, not more than two, either of mine or anyone. But so far our news is concerned...

Hayagrīva: Not more than two or not more than one?

Prabhupāda: No. Not more than one. Not more than one.

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Prabhupāda: So immediately you write to the GBC members.

Haṁsadūta: But the articles that will be in the newspaper, they will be exactly like other newspapers? Who will write them?

Prabhupāda: No, articles... Daily newspaper means there must be news. News you can purchase from the news collecting company. They will supply it. At very cheap price they'll supply. And you take advertisement. Yes. You'll cover your expenses by getting advertisements and make sufficient profit. Newspaper starting is not a losing business provided you can organize. Just like ordinary newspaper, they give... In daily news... People want to learn daily news, and they supply huge quantity. And those who are advertiser, they are simply concerned how many copies are issued. If you issue 100,000's of copies, then you can charge for each page thousand dollars. They will pay. Two thousand dollars they will pay.

Haṁsadūta: That means in each city we would we have to have our own local press.

Prabhupāda: No, not necessarily. You can arrange with any newspaper place. You simply supply your matter; they will print. Just like we are getting from Japan, similarly, make your own layout and supply them. Immediately, within two hours, everything is complete.

Room Conversation -- December 21, 1970, Surat:

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (Hindi) Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotee (4): He danced on saṅkīrtana today.

Prabhupāda: Perhaps in other engagement he cannot dance. Actually there is no problem. Why there should be problem? There are 8,400,000 species of life. Out of that, human being are 400... Out of that, 80%, they are uncivilized. So all these living entities have no problem for eating. This 20% or 15% people who are called as civilized, they have problem. They have created problem. At least in India, say, hundred years before, there was no problem for eating, even for the śūdra class or any... No, there was no... The society was so made, there was no problem. Why fifty years? In 1933 or '36 in Vṛndāvana somebody wanted milk, some pilgrimage amongst ourselves. So went to a house. So, "Can you supply us some milk?" "Ah, how much you want?" So it was about ten pounds. So she supplied immediately, one woman, and when she was offered price, "Oh, why shall I take a price for ten or twenty pounds of milk? Oh, you can take it." That is my practical experience. Milk was so freely available. So simply we are creating problems by godless civilization. That is a fact.

Room Conversation -- December 21, 1970, Surat:

Guest (3): In Bombay you can get.

Prabhupāda: No. We took quotation from Times of India press about our, this Back to Godhead magazine. They quoted, "Two rupees, twelve annas," cost price. Now at what price we shall sell?

Guest (3): This will be very costly.

Prabhupāda: Very costly here. And even if we pay, this nature, this type of book, is very difficult to be printed in India, such nice paper, printing.

Haṁsadūta: Even on U.S. standards, these books, although they retail for eight dollars each, they are worth at least twenty dollars. If you purchase a book of this quality... Generally art books come like this, with many color illustrations, and they charge twenty dollars.

Prabhupāda: Here you have seen that letter? Five?

Guest (4): Yes.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- June 29, 1971, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: So you see or else why this poor fellow should be given unnecessary trouble. What is this? Huh?

Dayānanda: Cardamom seed.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Yes. (devotees offer obeisances)

Prabhupāda: What is the price of a closet?

Karandhara: A closet? How big, Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Not very big.

Karandhara: Maybe forty dollars.

Prabhupāda: Steel?

Karandhara: Oh, steel. Probably more than forty. Like a locker? A locker like this or a closet like this?

Prabhupāda: Closet.

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

Pratyatoṣa: Yeah, it's a good machine. It's made in Norway.

Prabhupāda: And that is not very costly also.

Pratyatoṣa: No, I ordered it directly from Norway, saved quite a bit on it.

Prabhupāda: What did you pay for it?

Pratyatoṣa: Two hundred and twenty-five, and the list price at the time was five hundred and fifty. I got this before I came into the movement.

Prabhupāda: So it is five hundred and fifty the same machine?

Pratyatoṣa: Yeah, that's what they charged in the United States, five hundred fifty, and I ordered it for two hundred and twenty-five.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct)

Pratyatoṣa: In Norway I got it, and then there's duty.

Prabhupāda: The same machine?

Pratyatoṣa: Yes, exactly.

Prabhupāda: Then bring it, it is working. Then we can utilize this one for other things.

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

Pratyatoṣa: Yeah, that's just a little over a dollar an hour for the computer time, and it's a really... Normally it would be about twelve hundred or thirteen hundred dollars a month, but because... See, there's another thing, you've got to... The time is only between 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., that's why it's less expensive. But that's a better time actually, because it's after hours and you get a faster response on the computer because there's hardly anybody on it. It's really good. And normally it's...

Prabhupāda: What is the whole price?

Pratyatoṣa: Well, the terminal would cost $700 for one that handled upper and lower case. You can get 132 characters across.

Prabhupāda: $700 altogether?

Pratyatoṣa: Yeah, $700...

Devotee (4): Is that a rental?

Pratyatoṣa: No, that's the purchase price. Rental would be about $85 a month.

Devotee (4): In addition to the $185?

Pratyatoṣa: In addition to the $185, yes.

Devotee (4): Or else to purchase the machine for $700.

Pratyatoṣa: But then if you purchase it, you either have to...

Prabhupāda: If somebody pays $700 at a time, then?

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

Pratyatoṣa: OK.

Devotee (4): (indistinct)

Pratyatoṣa: OK.

Devotee (4): Śrīla Prabhupāda, actually...

Prabhupāda: What is the price of this machine?

Pratyatoṣa: I'm not too sure, but it'd probably be about two hundred and fifty, something like that. The numbers usually sort of correspond to the price more or less.

Prabhupāda: I found Tanberg better than Sony.

Room Conversation -- London, August 10, 1971:

hanañjaya: Near Stretton.

Śyāmasundara: Do you have his phone number? I'll call him, call him. He's, I'm sure he..., we could count on him to give something for...

Prabhupāda: So take their consult, what price they want.

Dhanañjaya: There's also Nandalal Chabria, Mr. Chabria's son, he's here.

Śyāmasundara: He's not very wealthy.

Dhanañjaya: No, he's not wealthy.

Prabhupāda: This Chabria is here?

Śyāmasundara: Yes. His son.

Dhanañjaya: Nandalal.

Śyāmasundara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Nandalal?

Śyāmasundara: Yeah.

Room Conversation -- London, August 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: That was it.

Mr. Arnold: Yeah.

Śyāmasundara: So he's, he promised them perpetual lease.

Prabhupāda: At what price it was being sold?

Dhanañjaya: Two and a half million pounds.

Mr. Arnold: Two and a half, which is exactly the price that I told them to put the bid in for. I went over...

Prabhupāda: Two and a half million.

Mr. Arnold: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: What Dāyananda didn't tell us is that the bank was prepared to finance the whole thing.

Prabhupāda: Huh!

Śyāmasundara: The whole thing.

Mr. Arnold: Well the bank and the building society.

Śyāmasundara: One building society and one bank combinedly would have financed the whole thing, but he sent us a letter that said only two-thirds, they would finance two-thirds.

Prabhupāda: So he is not very intelligent. A missed opportunity.

Conversation with Journalists -- August 18, 1971, London:

Journalist (1): And only get to work at it, find the time to try it. (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: But we are giving facilities to everyone to understand God. That is our mission.

Journalist (1): But it does require a certain price for them to pay as individuals.

Prabhupāda: No price. Simply to become sincere.

Journalist (1): To sincerely try to find Him.

Prabhupāda: Yes. If you are sincerely anxious to know God, there is no difficulty. There is no difficulty. Tatra laulyam eka-mūlyam. One must be very much anxious that "I must know God." Then God is revealed. There is no question of paying so much money. Our transaction in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, there is no monetary transaction. I did not pay anything to them, neither they are paying to me. It is a question of understanding.

Journalist (1): Yes. I'm only suggesting that you were saying already that only people who were kind or gentle perhaps would find it easy to start. There are obviously, as you were saying, lots of people who are not so kind or gentle and presumably would find it more difficult.

Prabhupāda: No. They may not be gentle, but we are gentle. Please come to us and learn. They may not be gentle. We can create gentle, provided he follows.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Gaurachand Gosvami At the Radha-Damodara Temple (Mostly Bengali) -- March 11, 1972, Vrndavana:

Śyāmasundara: We should take them, I think.

Devotee: I don't (indistinct).

Yamunā: We must take them, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: To ride on a car in Vṛndāvana. (chuckles) (break) (inside a building:) Price is fixed up at five thousand, then it comes to...

Indian man: Minimum is five hundred rupees.

Prabhupāda: Why five hundred? Sixty...

Indian man: Sixty-five rupees per thousand for the stamp duty, then court fees, and then other (indistinct) solicitor charges or the (indistinct) charges. So the last time... (break)

Prabhupāda: Yes. So...

Indian man: Would you like to see the draft, Prabhupāda, first?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Indian man: If you like it, then I can send that draft?

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is... I want...

Indian man: You want to see the draft first?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because if there is little to be changed, then...

Indian man: But that is a rough draft I read last night.

Room Conversation with Gaurachand Gosvami At the Radha-Damodara Temple (Mostly Bengali) -- March 11, 1972, Vrndavana:

Indian man (2): Bigger one was perhaps sixty thousand. I don't quite remember now. We didn't talk with the owner, you see, but the people residing there, they gave an idea. We didn't proceed further because Suba(?) dāsa Bābājī said unless Prabhupāda approves it, he would not seek further. So hopefully that price that they demand, they will come to talk and we talk with the owners themselves.

Guru dāsa: Yes, but they're eager to sell that property, the owners? Where are the owners? Do you know?

Indian man (2): None of the owners are here, but I'm told one Mr. Lodiya(?)... (break)

Prabhupāda: ...Vṛndāvana-dhāma.

Indian man (2): Situated (indistinct). (laughs) There is something going on always, you know. (laughs) Just now there is a controversy going on. One Kṛṣṇa Caitanya dāsa Bābā has published a book, have you read that?

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is from Rādhā-kuṇḍa?

Indian man (2): No, Prabhupāda, (indistinct). He has brought out a book which is (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Indian man (2): He says that this Pañca-tattva principle, we should recognize that this we have borrowed from Buddhism. And there is no mention of Pañca-tattva before Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Prabhupāda: That means he defies Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Room Conversation -- April 2, 1972, Sydney:

Prabhupāda: Another thing happened in Los Angeles. I wanted some quotation from a place of this Teachings of Lord Caitanya. So the man came, he said, "Swamiji, first of all I must buy this book. Either you accept or not accept our quotation, what price I shall pay?" I said, "Give me six dollars." Immediately he took this book. "Such a nice book I have never read. So either it is printed or not printed in our press, I must take this book." Actually, these ideas what we have explained in our books, they're unknown to the modern world. Unknown.

Śyāmasundara: They're not described anywhere else. No other source.

Prabhupāda: Nobody knows that God can be person, there can be dealings like this, there are dealings actually, and they are described. That is wonderful.

Śyāmasundara: They don't know that life can be so joyful and endlessly...

Prabhupāda: That I wrote in my poetry. "The Absolute is sentient thou hast proved." That was striking to me. Not impersonal, "sentient thou hast proved, impersonal calamity thou hast moved." "Absolute is sentient thou hast proved." That was my acceptance. So even the many judges came in Allahabad, do you remember?

Room Conversation -- June 29, 1972, San Diego:

Prabhupāda: Well, this seriousness comes after many, many births. It is also not so easy. Rūpa Gosvāmī says, tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalaṁ janma-koṭi-sukṛtair na labhyate. He wrote a verse, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate: "The kṛṣṇa-bhakti, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this thing, if you can purchase somewhere, just immediately purchase it." Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ krīyatām: "Just purchase." Yadi kuto 'pi labhyate. First of all, if you want to purchase, the things must be available. Yadi kuto. Therefore kuto 'pi, "If it is available, immediately purchase." Then next question is, "What is the value? What is the price I have to pay?" Then he said, tatra laulyam ekalaṁ mūlyam, "Simply your serious eagerness to have it. That is the price." "Oh, that I can have very easily." "No." Janma-koṭi-sukṛtair na labhyate: "That laulyam, that seriousness, is not obtained after thousands of years' pious activities." It is so difficult. Janma-koṭi-sukṛtair na labhyate. People are acting piously, but that kind of seriousness is not available even after executing pious activities for thousands of lives. So that seriousness is also very difficult, to become very serious that "In this life I shall finish my business and go home, back to home, back to Godhead." Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Kṛṣṇa says, "After many, many births, when actually one becomes in knowledge, he surrenders unto Me."

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: Well, what is the description?

Dhanañjaya: It's very nice. It's something like, ah, something like the size of this temple but bigger.

Devotee (2): Bigger than Los Angeles?

Dhanañjaya: And also it has a steeple.

Prabhupāda: Bigger, bigger. What is the price?

Dhanañjaya: Oh, more than 250,000 pounds.

Devotee (2): Quarter of a million pounds. Two lakhs of pounds.

Devotee (1): So that's six million dollars?

Dhanañjaya: No, one million. One million dollars.

Prabhupāda: You have got?

Devotee (2): No, it's not a million dollars. It's only 600,000.

Dhanañjaya: Well they said between 250,000 and 350,000 pounds.

Devotee (2): Oh, the money, the money won't be as important as the place. If we get the place, we can get the money, I think.

Dhanañjaya: But still there is a congregation. It's not available immediately.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Devotee (Revatīnandana?): Yes. I, I, I don't like him very much. I, I don't know what his motive is, you know. I don't think his motive is strictly very much..., you know?

Dhanañjaya: He approached me and he said... I was talking about life members to him, saying, "Why shouldn't it be one hundred pounds? This is a good price for life members." And he said, "Well, fifty-one pounds, this is the value of one hundred(?) rupees." He said, "I am prepared to give fifty-one pounds." Then he said, "Actually, I have given already more than than fifty-one pounds. I have given Kṛṣṇa's jewelry, so why you don't make me life member?" And I said, "But you have not asked." And he said, "But I have given at least..."

Devotee (2): Make him life member. He's given all the jewelry.

Prabhupāda: Is he a very influential man?

Dhanañjaya: What's the definition of influential man?

Prabhupāda: Or he's not very... He talks?

Dhanañjaya: He talks a bit about his community, but he's not produced anything for this community. He's produced some money for the jewelry. This is very nice.

Devotee (1): Personal money. Personal money?

Dhanañjaya: Not just personal money.

Prabhupāda: Do you think he can help us by raising funds?

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: Unexpected fabulous(?) Just like that boy who came to see me yesterday. He's in India, he's getting 900 dollars, that means our ten thousand rupees. Gopal is also not getting. I asked Gopal to continue his service and give 400 dollars per month.

Devotee (1): Hm. Each month. That's great. Very good.

Prabhupāda: So here we shall give you books, cost price only, and you sell books by profit only and spend for building.

Dhanañjaya: Traveling Saṅkīrtana Party is very strong here. There's some very nice boys now.

Revatīnandana: They go out and they simply distribute, and just like I think in San Francisco, Keśava's... He began it here. They just go out with literature and simply to distribute literature, you know, in that way.

Prabhupāda: So Keśava's feeling not well, then he can come here.

Devotee (2): He wanted to. He wanted to bring his party here.

Prabhupāda: He can do that. Let him do that. Write him.

Revatīnandana: But actually he may improve it even more. They are already a good group. They are doing all right.

Prabhupāda: Very expert. Not only good, very expert.

Morning Walk Conversation -- September 28, 1972, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: That's why they...

Prabhupāda: They are keeping the machine. What you will study the machine? Machine, according to his karma, that particular person this machine is given by God. Just like if you pay good price, you get a good machine. Similarly, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). So God is supplying him the machine and the circumstances to work. They do not find out the man who is working on the machine; they are studying the machine. Such a foolish attempt.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So they work only with matter, so they forget about spirit.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is their folly. Therefore, they are rascal. That is described in the Bhāgavata, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke, sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). They are animals, so what knowledge we can expect from these rascal animals? They are animals. They may pass on as big, big scientist to another animal, but they cannot pass on as big scientist to us.

Morning Walk Conversation -- September 28, 1972, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: That is why the individual is lacking intelligence, he doesn't know whether he's cheated.

Prabhupāda: No, he has got intelligence, but he wants to be cheated, wants cheap things. Just like our... Who has left, Saṅkarṣaṇa? Is that his name?

Jayatīrtha: Kapiladeva.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Kapiladeva.

Prabhupāda: He has gone to that camp. He saw, "It is very difficult to follow the rules and regulations. Better go there." He wants to be cheated.

Jayatīrtha: If something is valuable, the price will be high.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Is it like that, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the English... (end)

Introduction Speech By Dr. Kapoor and Conversation -- October 15, 1972, Vrndavana:

Devotees: Dallas.

Prabhupāda: Dallas. Dallas we have got very nice temple. Detroit. I thought that our temple, Los Angeles temple, is the best. But this year I went to Dallas. Oh, it is better than Los Angeles. (laughter) It is so nice. Now we are trying to purchase the Berkshire palace in England. Yes. That was being occupied by the Duke of Windsor. I don't think whether I have got, received one letter from. No. So the price is 500,000 dollars.

Dr. Kapoor: 500,000 dollars?

Prabhupāda: Yes. $500,000 means five crores according to Indian rate.

Dr. Kapoor: (laughing) Fabulous.

Prabhupāda: So I had no money, (laughter). But one nice boy—his name is known all over the world, George Harrison—he has promised to give me loan.

Dr. Kapoor: Kṛṣṇa has all the money.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So actually, we are spending not less than seven lakhs of rupees per month throughout the whole our institution. But by the grace of God, Kṛṣṇa, we are selling our books very nicely.

Room Conversation -- October 25, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Ravan?

Pañca-draviḍa: Rava or something, a particular notation on the calendar, it corresponds to March or April, r—a something. I don't know the exact period of time, but by March, the government says they will completely..., they want to completely take over the control of wheat by this time. They have already taken over the control of atta and flour and now suji. They want to take over the control of wheat and the control of sugar completely. So all these things we are seeing is what they are doing, they are taking over control, they are rationing the items, but in the ration shop you can get 800 grams of the product and then you have to go out onto the market and buy at outrageous prices, because nobody can feed a family on 800 grams of sugar a month. It's very little for five people. The price of sugar has gone up over a rupee and a half since the government took over.

Prabhupāda: Ration means black market. (break)

Devotee (3): ...especially in Bengal. (break) You come to Calcutta, we will keep you forever.

Pañca-draviḍa: But in Bombay we'll make better arrangements.

Prabhupāda: We have published one brochure. (break)

Pañca-draviḍa: ...nicely in the Kṛṣṇa book about the sacrifices of Vasudeva. Where Lord Kṛṣṇa speaks and says to the assembled sages and ascetics that "Seeing you is the perfection of these eyes and perfection of life," and that "Those persons who go to the holy places only to take bath there or to see the Deities in the temple, they are no better than animals like the ass." I've been thinking that how you have presented this ISKCON movement as an assembly of devotees all over the world so they don't even have to go to the holy places. Simply by walking into one of your temples is like walking into Vṛndāvana and having the association of these great ascetics and sages, because your teachings are (indistinct). (break)

Prabhupāda: ...picture?

Indian man: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Similar Deity we'll have in this London Berkshire Palace.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 28, 1973, Jakarta:

Devotee (2): Full facilities for...

Prabhupāda: All the schools, colleges will take it.

Devotee (2): Oh, yes. I see. I see.

Prabhupāda: You can distribute it at cost price. That we can do.

Devotee (1): They should read it all over this country. They...

Prabhupāda: All over the world. It is called spiritual bankruptcy all over the world and leading men are thinking this catastrophe, and the only hope is Bhagavad-gītā. (indistinct) ...religion there is no science. There is no philosophy. Buddhist religion there is little (indistinct). Otherwise...

Devotee (1): They are bankrupt and we are billionaire in spiritual life. (pause) Tomorrow the professor of Sanskrit has made appointment, a lady from University of Indonesia. She speaks English very well also. (pause) I will go speak with them see if they can bring their altar.

Morning Walk -- May 2, 1973, Los Angeles:

Karandhara: They say there is no difference between that life and that matter.

Prabhupāda: No, how can you say rascal? Then you are rascal immediately. There is so much difference. Then immediately you talk like rascal. There is difference. You have to accept superior, inferior. Just like two things. When you go to purchase something the shopkeeper gives you, "Here is superior." Although there is no difference, but there is difference of superiority and inferiority. That you have to accept. Therefore you pay more price to the superior. How there is no difference? This is another rascaldom. You have to distinguish between superior and inferior.

Karandhara: Well, they say it is all made up of the same elements.

Prabhupāda: That is all right, but do why you pay more? That is difference. Question is difference. You have to accept difference. Why do you pay more for the superior thing? That is difference. Why do you pay more respect to a superior person? That is difference. Mr. Nixon is also a human being, you are also human being. But if Mr. Nixon immediately comes, we shall all pay him respect. Why? That is difference.

Karandhara: That's all on the same plane.

Prabhupāda: That's all not. That not all. He is the superior, He is getting respect. Therefore he is not equal to you. You cannot say that. You may say... A rascal may say that "A superior person is as good as I am." But people will not accept it. People will say, "No, you are a rascal. He is an intelligent." Although you have got two hands, he has got two hands, that doesn't matter. So you must distinguish between superior and inferior. We say it is one, but superior and inferior.

Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course -- May 15, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Why?

Paramahaṁsa: They ran out of cows. Cows cost too much.

Śukadeva: So now they are killing horses.

Prabhupāda: So now they will eat their old father. Yes. No price. Home made. (laughter) Home made concession.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I think it's quite wet, Śrīla Prabhupāda, this side.

Paramahaṁsa: Maybe drier over that way.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Anywhere you go.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: This side is better, actually.

Paramahaṁsa: Not only did Christ tell them not to kill, but he also, he himself said that all his disciples were like sheep and animals and he was their herder. So he gave the example that we are all like, we should be like innocent animals. So many examples he gave like that.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I remember this in Pittsburgh last year Śrīla Prabhupāda, in that meeting with the bishops, there was a Christian father, a Catholic father. So the question raised that Śrīla Prabhupāda said, "Thou shalt not kill," in the Bible, in the Commandments.

Prabhupāda: Yes. I was invited by some Christian priest in Melbourne, very good gathering. I said also the same thing.

Room Conversation with David Wynne, Sculptor -- July 9, 1973, London:

Mukunda: One man said three pounds.

Prabhupāda: So why don't you sell to them? (laughter)

Śyāmasundara: If we tell them... If we go around the city, we could probably get four pounds for it somewhere.

Prabhupāda: So get the best price and sell it.

Śyāmasundara: All right.

Prabhupāda: I don't want any antique. (laughter)

Śyāmasundara: Yeah. Oh, this... Which king is this?

David Wynne: That's William the (indistinct)

Śyāmasundara: Oh, King William. The British...

Prabhupāda: I think Queen Victoria's father. King William. Is it not?

David Wynne: Uh huh. (Yes.)

Śyāmasundara: When David was commissioned by the Queen's husband, Duke of Edinbur...? Duke of...?

David Wynne: Edinburgh.

Śyāmasundara: Duke of Edinburgh. He went before a committee of the Duke and how many...? You tell us.

David Wynne: Twelve.

Śyāmasundara: He won a competition over many others for that privilege to make the coins. And his point was that the Queen Mother, the Queen on the coin, it should not be false representation. It should be... What was the...? You were telling us, that it should be as she is, depicted as she is. And they did not agree. But then he showed he, but then he showed them an old British coin. What year was it?

David Wynne: Yes. Well, Queen Elizabeth the First, a gold coin, very beautiful. And I said this was a work of art, and I showed them. It's a very beautiful thing. And I said, "I could do you one like that." So they... So I got the job. But he was very annoyed.

Śyāmasundara: East India Company, it says on here.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with David Wynne, Sculptor -- July 9, 1973, London:

Śyāmasundara: East India Company, it says on here.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: So the coins were given out by the East India Company.

Prabhupāda: Yes. First of all the Britishers went there as East India Company to have trade connection.

Śyāmasundara: Disguise. So we should sell it for any price?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Formerly, people could purchase any amount of coins from the currency.

Śyāmasundara: From who?

Prabhupāda: From the currency, government currency.

Śyāmasundara: Government.

Prabhupāda: Any amount of coins. In our childhood... Why our childhood? Even when we were young men, the Indians, generally, they like Guinea gold, British Guinea, what is called, pound?

Śyāmasundara: One pound, one shilling.

Prabhupāda: So in India it was available, any amount. You pay price and take. And they would melt it and make ornament, that Guinea gold. There was no restriction. You can purchase any amount.

Room Conversation with David Wynne, Sculptor -- July 9, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: But, they have lost all gold. There is no gold, simply paper. That's all. Simply blessing, "Yes, you'll get money." (laughter) But you'll never get. In the bank also, any amount of gold you can purchase. Bank was canvassing that "You take gold from us." I do not know where those gold gone. Nowhere, all over the world, you cannot purchase gold. Even in America.

Śyāmasundara: You can purchase some places, but the price is so high for a small amount.

Prabhupāda: Zurich, you can get.

Śyāmasundara: Yes, Switzerland.

Prabhupāda: But you cannot get out with the gold.

Śyāmasundara: No, officially not.

Prabhupāda: Well? Then? Suppose you purchase gold there. If you want to take out, they will not allow.

Śyāmasundara: Not if they find it.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Śyāmasundara: Officially, no, they will not allow.

Prabhupāda: And these currency notes, the price, commodity, has gone so high due to this rascal currency. Because your enemy country, they print counterfeit and they overflood in the market. So how you can check it? You cannot check. I know, during wartime, a Chinese man was coming in Calcutta, and he had a purchasing agent who was my friend. So he would come, and he would give a list of goods, especially rare medicines, and he'll deposit with him bunch of notes, "You spend, purchase, and whatever..." That means all those notes were counterfeit. (end)

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- July 11, 1973, London:

Guest (1): And no price.

Prabhupāda: And no price also. (Hindi) Eh?

Guest (6): This morning we didn't want to disturb you to have a darśana.

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much. You came in the morning?

Guest (6): I came in the morning.

Prabhupāda: You came in the morning, yes. You are for many years here in...?

Guest (7): Yes, I have been in this country since about thirteen years.

Prabhupāda: Thirteen years?

Guest (7): Yes.

Prabhupāda: Oh, long here. You are for fourteen years?

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

Prabhupāda: India, actually, they do so.

Mother: Yes.

Prabhupāda: The villagers, they have cows and land. That is sufficient for their economic problem. But the industrialists, they are alluring them, "To get more money, come here." So they are going to the cities. And the food production in the village is neglected. And therefore the food grain price is rising. Actually, everyone should be engaged to produce food, but the modern set-up of civilization is that few people are engaged in producing food, and others are eating. They are offering... They are artificially getting money. So they are offering paper, "Here is ten dollars." Although it is a paper, cheating. And they are captivated by cheating. They, they are thinking, "I have got now hundred dollars." What is this hundred dollars? It is paper. So some people are cheating and some people are being cheated. This is the society.

Car Conversation after meeting with Cardinal Danielou -- August 9, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: That is another story. No Indians are dying, not by eating cow's flesh. That, that is the theory at the present moment given. But there are so many vegetarians in India. They do not touch even fish, or eggs, or animal flesh. They're quite healthy. It does not mean...

Yogeśvara: I think his answer would be that vegetarianism is reserved to the rich people who can afford it. That if you're poor, you have to eat whatever you can get.

Prabhupāda: Well. Now in India, meat is selling at high price than vegetable. Yes.

Yogeśvara: He said now in India meat is selling at a higher price than vegetables.

Prabhupāda: That is no logic.

Yogeśvara: Not logic.

Prabhupāda: Price of meat is higher than milk and vegetables. So in that consideration, why not take vegetable and milk. Why you go to meat? So she is driving taxi, girls also drive taxi?

Yogeśvara: Oh, yes.

Satsvarūpa: In New York City, they also drive taxi.

Prabhupāda: Girls?

Satsvarūpa: Yes. They get more business. (end)

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

Professor: That's also "Not for sale in India". Why?

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 -- November 4, 1973, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: It is nice, there are many nice flowers.

Guest: You want some nice flowers. I have got a lot of plants now. (indistinct) Tell somebody to come I can give for the garden here. I have got some marigolds, I have got a few (indistinct). I think they are very nice for the pūjā. Tomorrow you can get that. (break)

Prabhupāda: So high for these poor people.

Guest: Such a vicious circle. Higher the prices, higher the wages, higher the wages, higher the prices with less production. If there are five loaves and people have 10 rupees they'll buy five loaves. And if they have 20 rupees also they'll buy five loaves because there are not 10 loaves.

Prabhupāda: No, no this high price is due to (indistinct). They are holding stock.

Guest: That is not sufficient for all these people, population.

Prabhupāda: No, if you pay them sufficient.

Guest: As it is the stock is so limited.

Lady Guest: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: (speaking in background)

Guest: You see what happens.... Suppose you see in a house there are four liters of milk, you see, and each one is given 100 rupees, you see, then they will buy each one, let's say one liter. And if they are given 200 rupees the one who has got 200 rupees, they get one for also 200 rupees, you see? So what is happening is people who have got black money, they want the things for themselves, there is a price there.

Prabhupāda: How they get black market?

Guest: No, because stock being limited. Suppose a medicine is being wanted, a man is willing to give anything for that medicine.

Prabhupāda: So far I have got experience the stock is available if you pay for it.

Room Conversation -- November 4, 1973, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: So far I have got experience the stock is available if you pay for it.

Guest: Look at last year's drought over there. (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: (Hindi)

Guest: Greater productions is one of the keys to lower prices.

Prabhupāda: This is one of the businessman's tricks. When there is new harvest they purchase and keep it and they keep the stock.

Lady Guest: Store it.

Prabhupāda: And when the prices are high they sell it. Now the same process suppose if I want to hold stock, say 100 tons of rice, so I have no money, if I have got 25% price the bank will advance me 75% so I hold the stock.

Guest: Now it is an offense to hold the stock.

Prabhupāda: That is going on in black.

Morning Walk -- December 16, 1973, Los Angeles:

Karandhara: Well, just like that one Indian chemist Svarūpa Dāmodara brought. He said that philosophy is killing India. People just sit by and watch each other die instead of trying to help each other.

Prabhupāda: No, that he is rascal. No Indian is dying. We are going three times, four times India. Who is dying? Everyone is dying natural death. This is all propaganda, to make their position secure. That's all. I have never seen anyone dying for starvation. I have pointed out so many times that fifty years ago this class of men lying on the footpath... Now the foodgrains has risen price fifty times. Still he is living. Still he is living. But he has to live in that condition. Although he must have increased his income, otherwise how he is purchasing foodstuff, fifty times? But in spite of his increasing income, he must live like that. Apart from India. Why, in your country or in Europe, so many hippies are lying? Why? They have no want.

Karandhara: But not as many.

Prabhupāda: Oh, you have not seen Amsterdam. Full, one big park, hundreds and thousands hippies are lying on the ground. Hundreds and thousands. You have been in Amsterdam? I have seen it personally.

Karandhara: Yeah. But not like India where there is millions of people...

Prabhupāda: No, no, India you will not find that in the park hundreds and thousands are lying. You never find.

Morning Walk -- December 17, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: It is a very big business here, Śrīla Prabhupāda, medical profession. They have this American Medical Association. They control the whole business. Even government cannot interfere. So they choose students, and they keep the supply so low that the demand is always high. That is why the price always increases. It's terrible.

Karandhara: To stay in a hospital now costs about $150 a day.

Prabhupāda: That is a sort of punishment of sinful activities. When you fall sick, it is due to sinful activity. So you are punished.

Karandhara: It's a very high price.

Rūpānuga: Pay fine.

Prabhupāda: Yes. The more dangerous is the disease, you have to pay more. (break)

Karandhara: ...very mercenary, hospitals...

Prabhupāda: Everywhere mercenary.

Morning Walk -- December 31, 1973, Los Angeles:

Bahulāśva: Real money is gold and silver.

Prabhupāda: Any... It must be value. According to the market price, it must be value. Whatever it may be. Gold is taken, because gold is the most valuable metal. A small piece of gold, it can carry two hundred dollars. But if I give you iron, then you have to bring another, what is called, bus, to carry it. (laughter) So therefore gold standard is accepted everywhere. There is a standard price of gold, so when I pay you money, it must be, carry the value in gold. That's all. Then there is no inflation. The people want to be cheated, and people cheat. That's all.

Bahulāśva: In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Prabhupāda, you say that Kali became gold standardized.

Prabhupāda: That is another point. That one who has gold, he can purchase these four kinds of sinful activities: meat-eating, gambling, intoxication, illicit sex. If you have money, you can get illicit sex from big, big quarters. Is it not?

Karandhara: Yes.

Morning Walk -- December 31, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Prajāpati: And as the practical basis, transactions of thousands and thousands of dollars, would be...

Prabhupāda: That will be good for the people. Because large scale transaction is there, therefore the capitalists hoarding. Capitalists hoarding. Goods are there, everything is there. You pay black price, you get it. Then, when somebody's hoarding, he is not giving to the market. So if the large scale industry and trade becomes stopped, that is good for people.

Jagajjīvana: Does that mean the same amount of gold is here?

Prabhupāda: No, larger scale... Suppose if you want to store, say, thousand kilos or a thousand bags of rice, so you have to pay me gold. But you have no such gold. Therefore large scale industry will be stopped. Just see.

Karandhara: Then the price of rice would go very low.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Then you get actual price and actual value. Goods are there, any part of the world you..., there is enough commodity. But these rascals, they are hoarding, and they are not giving in right time. So people are suffering.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 5, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: That Chaganlal this, I pay him extra eighty-five thousand. That is also black. No more white. So the black money was paid in this way, that the money was counted and it was put in a handbag, and it was locked by him. So the key was with him, and the bag was with me. As soon as court accepted the agreement, then I handed over, "Take this bag." Then again this Ratna Parik, he first of all proposed twenty thousand to sell that house. Then when I went there, he knew that he's settling at any cost, he said, "Now that twenty thousand was cost formerly. Now things have gone very high, I cannot sell." So he knows that we are eager to purchase. Then I said, "Then what do you want to do?" "Now I want thirty thousand." "All right, yes. Take it." I did not argue. In this way I settled up. And our Girirāja's father appreciated that "It is better a bad settlement than to prolong the case." So I took this policy. It is bad settlement, from twenty thousand to thirty thousand. But settled out. "I give you 85,000 black." But one thing I gain—that by cancelling the agreement, their proposal was that increase the price, twenty lakhs from fourteen lakhs. That was the arrangement between the attorneys. They cancelled the agreement and take twenty lakhs from him, and the balance should be divided by..., amongst us. That was the agreement. So that addition of twenty lakhs I satisfied Mrs. Nair by fourteen lakhs fifty thousand.

Room Conversation -- February 9, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So, Mr. (indistinct) said that he'll send the contract form. So we have to see.

Guru dāsa: If it does not include the delivery and the polishing...

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) include delivery, polishing, everything.

Guru dāsa: If it does, it's good rate. Also this black marble, I've gotten the price in Makrana four, four rupees and fifty paise.

Prabhupāda: That is excluding labor.

Guru dāsa: Yes. So if they can do it for five, it is good rate.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guru dāsa: But if they do it five for just the marble, it is not good rate.

Prabhupāda: No, no. That is not good. It is included everything, that I was informed by...

Guru dāsa: Then it's, then it is good. It is very good for us.

Prabhupāda: Then we shall accept.

Morning Walk -- February 19, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...father fires son, it is not envious. Adveṣṭā, he... That is adveṣṭā.

Dr. Patel: Anapekṣaḥ śucir dakṣa.

Prabhupāda: Anapekṣaḥ, just see. When I went to Europe, America, I went with forty rupees. The Sumati Morarji gave me a ticket, and I had only forty rupees. That forty rupees could not be spent there. Then, when I was getting down, I asked the captain, "Captain Pandia," that "I have not a single dollar with me. So you purchase one set of my books." "So what is... Swami, what is your price?" "Sixteen dollar." He paid me twenty dollars. With that twenty dollars, I dropped.

Mr. Sar: This is anapekṣaḥ.

Dr. Patel: Anapekṣaḥ śucir dakṣa.

Prabhupāda: Now I think we have got money.

Dr. Patel: Two million dollars.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) So that is not a problem. That is not a problem because I knew that Kṛṣṇa is there.

Morning Walk -- March 5, 1974, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: ...no woman can... (break) So I took it very a cheap price. There was no question of woman. I kept my office there. And the address was Multani temple. It is a temple. Multani temple, Grant Road. And in my retired life my office was there, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple and Delhi, Chippiwada. And my residence was Rādhā-Dāmodara temple. And before that, that Keśī Ghāṭa. Who has seen that? You have...?

Devotee: Oh yes.

Prabhupāda: That was also temple. Yes.

Indian devotee: Kṛṣṇa has arranged.

Indian devotee: Very nice side, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: I lived in that house for seven years. And then I came to Rādhā-Dāmodara temple.

Devotee: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Which way? (break) ...stayed in that Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple, Malliks. And still I am living in temple. So Kṛṣṇa has arranged nicely, from the beginning of my life, temple. Which way? This way? (break) Medhi, this is called medhi, this rod, center. So the, the bull is bound up with it and he goes round, goes around. All day. So gṛhamedhī means center is home, and he goes round. Throughout the whole life. They are called gṛhamedhīs.

Morning Walk -- March 16, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: ...men, so everyone should be very alert in their behavior. Rising early in the morning, taking bath, be prepared for maṅgala āratik immediately. Then class. Everything in regulated way. (break) ...and still everyone comes to the point, "I know everything." This point.

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: On the basis of Bhagavad-gītā, then nobody can supercede. (break) ...he turns back all our money invested, (indistinct) people. (break) ...if he's prepared to pay double the price, so why not pay the full price, fourteen lakhs? We have paid two lakhs, let him pay twelve lakhs and he'll immediately transfer, and we'll take double price from him, so that... (break) ...if he's so eager. These, these are practical. If he's prepared to pay double, why not pay us? (break—switches to room conversation) Sun is the same. The power observation, this is a morning sun, this is noon sun. The sun is the same. We sometimes say that because this noon sun, it is so strong. So sun is always powerful. It is our appreciation, relative appreciation, that we consider in the morning it is less scorching and in the noon it is very scorching. Kṛṣṇa is always Kṛṣṇa. ...tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ. Nija-rūpa kalā taya.

Morning Walk -- March 18, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Are for sale, or they have been sold?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They are selling. The owners are selling.

Prabhupāda: So...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They say... I spoke with one hotel man, and he says the price of petrol is now three rupees, twenty-five paise per liter.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Petrol now costs three rupees twenty-five per liter. That means about three or four times what it was previously. So people are not so much inclined; since they have their business in the city, if they stay in Juhu...

Prabhupāda: That is one of the reasons.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...they have to go all the way from Juhu into the city. It costs twenty-five rupees by taxi.

Guru dāsa: This is happening all over the world to the hotel business.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Guru dāsa: All over the world. All over the world.

Prabhupāda: Hotel business declining?

Guru dāsa: All over. Because of the petrol shortage.

Morning Walk -- April 5, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Ādi-kartā.

Dr. Patel: (Sanskrit) (break)

Prabhupāda: ...purāṇas, not new manufactured. (break) If I have to offer my obeisances and surrender, why not to Kṛṣṇa? Why an imitation Kṛṣṇa? Why? Just like if you go to purchase some medicine, the shopkeeper may say, "Now, here is a medicine equal to this medicine, and its price is less." So no sane man will purchase. "Why I shall purchase the imitation for being less price? Give me the original." (break) ...the life of Ramakrishna. It is said that at the time of his death he said to his disciples, especially to Vivekananda, that "I am the same Rāma, I am the same Kṛṣṇa," and he took it. And he preached that "This Gadadhara Chatterjee, Ramakrishna." That's all. Then if he is referring to the original Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, so why not take the original Rāma and Kṛṣṇa? What is the proof? Simply by his words one can accept? Just like he is taking the proof, Arjuna. Yes.

Morning Walk -- April 10, 1974, Bombay:

Makhanlal: What's the explanation then? They are slaughtering more cows in the United States, but there is still more fortunate situation there materially.

Prabhupāda: No, that is now dwindling. The hippies are coming out. So one day it will be finished. One day it will be finished. That... It has already begun. The future hope is now becoming hippies. So who will manage this? It is already there is a problem how to maintain the industry, how to... This has become a problem. So naturally, when the, there will be all hippies, not to work, then everything collapses. The so-called prosperity will be finished. (break) Nobody is working sincerely. Here also in India, all government servants, they do not work. The manager of the government coal company said that "The workers in the mine, they are not working. Therefore we have to increase the price." So now, everything dependent on one another, so if one side there is noncooperation, the whole thing will collapse. (break) ...college they don't work. One thing is that draft board chasing all young men. (end)

Morning Walk -- April 17, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Coal Corporation of India.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He's the general manager. He told me that "Workers, they are not working. Therefore we have to increase price." Now, when the, it was private concern, they were managing. They were working very nicely. Now, since it has become government concern, they are not working.

Dr. Patel: Same thing in...

Prabhupāda: Everywhere.

Dr. Patel: ...in nationalized banks.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Patel: If you go there, you have... (break)

Prabhupāda: That is government, no responsibility. (break) ...kriyā hīnā. These governments are not... They are not reformed, and they have taken the post of government. Nobody can do(?). (break) ...today the political paper, Harmonist?

Morning Walk Excerpts -- May 1, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Yadubara: "As soon as Keśi reached Him..." (break)

Prabhupāda: ...was not so cheap. He had to pay proper price.

Dr. Patel: In Europe also they were eloping away, these girls.

Prabhupāda: Europeans, they are also coming from kṣatriya family.

Yadubara: "I shall also see how You..." (break) "...your internal potency You have set up the influence of māyā." That is part of the internal potency?

Prabhupāda: Hm? Yes. What is your question?

Yadubara: Well, I thought it was the external potency.

Prabhupāda: For Him there is no external, internal. For Kṛṣṇa there is no external, internal. You cannot understand this. Kṛṣṇa is absolute. For me there is external, internal, but for Kṛṣṇa there is no external, internal because His energy... The external energy is also His energy, and internal is His energy. Therefore He's everything. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. (Hindi) For electrician there is no difference between refrigerator and heater. He knows how to adjust it. For me, this is heater; this is refrigerator. Like that.

Room Conversation -- May 20, 1974, Vrndavana:

Gurudāsa: So somehow or other we have to attract some śūdras to our movement if we want to work self-sufficiently.

Prabhupāda: So for the time being, what is to be done? We shall take it, then we shall see, find out śūdra, (indistinct) better price. But we will require more land.

Gurudāsa: We will require a self-sufficient... Not only land, but we require a self-sufficient community.

Prabhupāda: That is wanted.

Gurudāsa: Because of Kali-yuga. And also everyone in Vṛndāvana that I mention that we are planning to have gośala, everyone likes the idea. That will be very popular here. Gośala, everyone, their eyes become bright.

Prabhupāda: Make at least gośala, keep cows. That is also profitable.

Gurudāsa: Yes, maybe we should do that.

Prabhupāda: One or two men may simply take care of the cows.

Room Conversation with Richard Webster, chairman, Societa Filosofica Italiana -- May 24, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: Well, Chamberlain may tried, might have tried to stop the war, but he could not stop the cause of the war. So far we know that the two wars started by Germany on account of Britain. So far I have studied. The German people did not like the Britishers to occupy the trade all over the world. And wherever they went to trade, they were restricting. I know this fact. In India the Britishers monopolized all trade, and they would not allow German goods to come in. So that was the cause of the war. The German knew that the Britishers, they are purchasing from Germany and stamping it "Made in London" and selling in India at high price. And when the Germans go there, they are not allowed to enter. This is the cause of the war. The Germans still, they do not like to speak in English. They are so envious. So Chamberlain might have tried to stop war, but his nation created the cause of the war. Why there should be... That was the demand, that free trade. Germans, in the, what is called, peace negotiation, their demand was free trade. Everyone... And that is very good. Why trade should be... This is unnatural. Let there be free trade. General public, they want best thing at good price, at cheap price. So if Japan and Germany can supply goods, necessary goods, at cheaper price, why they should be restricted? Let the people take advantage of it.

Morning Walk at Villa Borghese -- May 25, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: What you have produced, that's all. Very simple thing. Everyone was engaged producing. There was no necessity. And here the rascals are advising, produce bolts and nuts, tire, and drill petrol. They are not producing food. And the so-called government men, they are levying taxes, and they are enjoying. They haven't got to produce food. They are killing animals, eating, and digesting with wine. And then woman. That's all. This is their business. And food price is increasing daily. They don't mind because they will print paper, and to the supplier they will give paper. That's all.

Bhagavān: Print more paper.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That's all. This is the civilization, cheating, bluffing. That's all. They don't care for the citizens. And as soon as there is some agitation, they declare war, so that they can be engaged, attention is diverted. This is going on.

Morning Walk at Villa Borghese -- May 25, 1974, Rome:

Bhagavān: Now with paper money, any country can print any other country's money.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is going on. Therefore inflation. Suppose I am an enemy. I print dollars like that, and distribute. So the inflation is there. And the price is increased. If you get money for nothing, you will be prepared to pay anything. Suppose there is one mound of rice. I have got these printed notes. You are offering ten rupees. I will say twenty rupees.

Atreya Ṛṣi: That's inflation.

Prabhupāda: That's all. Because I did not earn this money, I have printed. I am prepared to twenty rupees. So he says, "Why shall I pay ten rupees? I must wait for the customer, for twenty rupees, and hoard it." Even there is sufficient stock, he will not sell. Therefore the other man, who is honest, he is suffering. This is going on. So to stop this inflation, the government must stop this paper currency. Then the inflation... There will be no more inflation. But that they will not do. They want to cheat people. "In God I trust. Take this paper and you be satisfied that you have got thousand dollars." That's all. This cheating is going on. Why should you pay me paper? Give me real dollar, in gold. That they have none. They haven't got. That's all. They will employ laborers and cheat them by paying these papers, and this rascal will think that "I am getting more money." That's all. Since this world has taken this paper currency, the situation has degraded. Formerly there was barter exchange. That was very good thing. Still in Indian villages, the remote villages, there is barter. Yes. He has produced some grains, paddy. He will bring to the storekeeper. And the storekeeper will take, "For so much oil, you have to give me so much paddy." So he will weigh and keep it and give him oil. So he will arrange to sell the paddy. But for the villagers, he brings the paddy and he takes. They require little salt, little oil, some spices. That's all. Otherwise they have got their own thing. They have got dahl, their rice, wheat, everything. They have produced. In this way, still there are, Indian villages. There is no question of scarcity.

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Bhagavān: ...which they are importing basically from the Saudi Arabian countries.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bhagavān: Now, recently, in the last war in the Middle East, Saudi Arabians raised the price of the oil over double now, I think, as a pressure to the western countries to do things in their favor. Now they realized that the market for oil is in such great demand that they don't have to lower the price after the war, but they are going to keep the price. And actually the price is still increasing. So this is causing inflation.

Prabhupāda: So this problem will be solved as soon as we are localized. Petrol is required for transport, but if you are localized, there is no question of transport. You don't require petrol. Suppose in New Vrindaban, we stay, we don't go anywhere. Then where is the need of petrol?

Bhagavān: Petrol they also use for heating. And electricity.

Prabhupāda: No, heating. Heating we can do by wood. By nature.

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1974, Rome:

Bhagavān: We can make our own cloth? Khādi.

Prabhupāda: Yes, cotton. From cotton you can make your own cloth.

Dhanañjaya: My wife knows how to spin cloth.

Prabhupāda: Yes. By spinning thread, then you make cloth. Without any price. You grow your cotton and have your cloth. So by machine, they have created so many idle brain, and therefore hippies are coming out, problem. This is the result of this. Because they have created this machine, not everyone is employed, so he must become a hippie. Idle brain is a devil's workshop.

Bhagavān: Even the older generation, even the fathers, they are becoming...

Prabhupāda: Anyone who hasn't got sufficient to work, to be employed or engaged, then he must become hippie, vagabond. What is this? Temple?

Dhanañjaya: This is Mary, the...

Yogeśvara: The Virgin Mary.

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is just like India. They also make some small temple like this.

Morning Walk -- June 2, 1974, Geneva:

Guru-gaurāṅga: Some time ago I read in the papers that they had so much milk and so much butter that the government proposal was kill the cows.

Prabhupāda: Kill all the animals. Oh, just see. They will not give to others.

Bhagavān: The farmers were complaining that their prices weren't competitive cause there was so much milk.

Prabhupāda: The price is the standard, not that goods are required. They want money for purchasing wine. This is the difficulty. They are not satisfied simply by eating sufficient. They want money for woman and wine. This is their philosophy.

Bhagavān: In the United States that same problem was there, that the prices were all going up. Everything was having inflation.

Prabhupāda: So if they had sense, they should have exported where there is necessity of this milk, butter, grain. Then the world will be happy.

Morning Walk -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Satsvarūpa: Not thinking, "Oh, when will I go to Kṛṣṇaloka?"

Prabhupāda: No, it doesn't matter. You give him good advice. Just like a canvasser. He canvasses for selling some books or some... If does not sell, he is not a culprit. He has done his job. That is recognized by Kṛṣṇa. Devotee does not make any bargain with Kṛṣṇa that "Kṛṣṇa will give me this benefit; therefore I have become pure devotee." That is not devotee. Prahlāda Mahā... He is a merchant, "You give me this price. I will deliver this clothing." That is not devotion. Āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu māṁ marma-hatāṁ karotu vā: (CC Antya 20.47) "Any condition, I am your slave. Whatever You like, you can do with me." That is the sign, not that "If it is favorable to my idea, then I accept You." That is not devotion. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), no desire. Only desire: "Please accept me as Your eternal servant again." Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings, mārobi rākhobi jo icchā tohārā: "Now, if You like, You can kill me; if You like, You can keep me. Whatever You like, I am prepared." Mārobi rākhobi jo icchā tohārā. That is surrender. (break) Similarly, if we live on the nature's way, there is no problem. The extra brain and intelligence which we have from the lower animals, we are utilizing for the same purpose, the animal life. That lady was saying, "Now we are advanced, so..." (car comes by) It is our car?

Haṁsadūta: No.

Morning Walk -- June 21, 1974, Germany:

Satsvarūpa: In Arabia?

Prabhupāda: No, no. There was a boy. He was theologician. Prajāpati, Prajāpati. Do you remember? He was theologician. Our only request is that Bible confirms there is name. Now, even though they do not know the name, here is the name, Kṛṣṇa. So why people will not take this name to chant? And if by chanting the name there is practical benefit, why they should object? Why they should be so sectarian? Theologician, at least, must not be sectarian. So let the whole world chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So there is no loss. If there is any gain, why not take it? And because you are writing books, therefore I am requesting you to write this, that some of the Christians, they say there is no name, but Christ says there is name, and here is the name. They are chanting, and they are getting profit. We don't want anything. We don't want any price, that I have researched the name.

Professor Durckheim: They chant the name...

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Room Conversation with Scientists -- July 2, 1974, Melbourne:

Cāru:

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
(BG 5.18)

"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater."

Prabhupāda: Because our vision is from the standard of the soul. The soul is there in elephant as well as in the learned scientist. So paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18), means a learned, advanced, spiritualist, he sees that everyone is soul. The body, material body, is dress. Just like we are talking with Dr. such and such, not with the dress. We are not interested with the dress, but we are interested with you, person. Similarly, these bodies are dresses, different dresses, according to the price he has paid. According to his work, nature gives him. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27).

Room Conversation with Devotees -- July 2, 1974, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: I think you missed that verse, jagato ahitāya. Anyway, these are the description of demonic activities. So this is practical. The last two disastrous war was waged only for this industry. This is the cause. German, they are actually in Europe very intelligent and their machine products and other things, they make very nice things. At least, I have got experience, German chemicals are first-class chemical. So they manufacture and British occupied the half of the world in their colonization, whole Africa, and they controlled India and China, Japan, yes, China, Burma, Ceylon, Australia. So these poor people, they manufactured. They have got goods enough; where to sell? As soon as they go to the British territories, "No, you cannot sell. If you want to sell, then hundred percent duty." So price increase. This was the grudge. Everyone knows. This is the cause of two wars. The jagato ahita. Now, why so much? You require a scissor? Go to a blacksmith and pay something. He'll make a scissor. "No. Produce millions of scissor." Then where is market, sir? This is going on. Produce millions of TV machine. Simple they are used for wasting time. One or two or five made for some important business. Now they are producing millions of sets. They must sell.

Morning Walk at Marine del Rey -- July 13, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Satsvarūpa: Yes, I...

Prabhupāda: So you can hear that lecture, how it was. They appreciated so much. We have no disrespect for Christianity. (pause) At least, expose our so-called Indian ambassador and others... Approach them, that "Help us. What is this? What for you are here?" Even they do not allow by agitation, make the movement very important. Make profit this side or that side. That is businessman. The businessman makes profit when the price is going down and when the price is going up. They make their profit. That is businessman. Just like our Tripurāri, he goes on selling his book in any condition. He finds out some means how to sell in this condition. This is intelligence, how to deal in different circumstances and make profit. That is brain. And if you make condition, "If these conditions are there, then I can make business," that is foolishness.

Brahmānanda: You told me that when I came from Pakistan to India. I was complaining how difficult it was, but you said that a businessman makes profit in any circumstances.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is business. They are... Police has no eyes to see that the Bala-Krishna (Guru Maharaji) is regularly cheating. Any man can understand.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk Through the BBT Warehouse -- February 10, 1975, Los Angeles:

Rāmeśvara: He's a little nervous. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: What is the rent?

Rāmeśvara: 1,800 dollars each month for all the offices in the warehouse. It's considered a good price in this area. We have a speaker system, so during the day, while they work in the warehouse, they're always hearing your lectures.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā? (chuckles)

Rāmeśvara: This is the other warehouse.

Hṛdayānanda: Back to Godhead.

Prabhupāda: There is arrangement for fire?

Rāmeśvara: Yes. We have fire insurance and fire alarm. We have fire alarm?

Kirtirāja: Yeah.

Rāmeśvara: We have fire alarm? These are Kṛṣṇa Trilogies.

Prabhupāda: All these? All these, stock?

Rāmeśvara: We always require large inventory because the temples order so fast. Bhagavad-gītās in this corner, and on this back wall here, all the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatams and Caitanya-caritāmṛta volumes... These books have just arrived from the printer.

Prabhupāda: Where is that Prajāpati? He's not here? That play yesterday... Last evening I saw. It was very nice.

Room Conversation with Sanskrit Professor, other Guests and Disciples -- February 12, 1975, Mexico:

Hanumān: The way you have come is that you have come as though you've not come from a religion or nothing. You've come and everybody fall in love with you, you preach, and, Prabhupāda, we cannot deny you are the authority because you know everything, and your...

Prabhupāda: Any way you take it, then you become happy. That's all. Of course, when you take it out of love... That is a fact. So without love, this transaction, because there is no price for it... All other transaction, there is exchange of price. Here there is no price, so out of love only, one can take it, not by paying any price. It is not possible. To pay the price of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not possible. Yes.

Hanumān: You cannot force anybody to say, "I am the guru. I'm the (indistinct). Fall in love with me."

Prabhupāda: Why shall I force? What is my... That is not my business. I am Kṛṣṇa's servant. I simply say, "Here is good thing. You take it." Now, Kṛṣṇa also says that. He does not force. Kṛṣṇa is God. He can force, but He does not do that.

Room Conversation with Bernard Manischewitz -- March 5, 1975, New York:

Bernard Manischewitz: He dies his own natural death?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because the higher class, they keep cows, they maintain, but after all, the animal will die. So when the animal dies, they call for this cobbler class, and he takes away the dead cows. So he gets out the skin, hooves, bones and flesh, they eat, and this skin is tanned by them, and they prepare shoes. So they get their raw material without any price.

Bernard Manischewitz: I see, yes. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: They are poor class. So our program, "When he will die," so they wait for the death of the animal and get the skin, hoof, bones, they make trade. (to devotee:) So what is this key, the elmira?

Devotee: No, that is a little spoon for your tilaka.

Prabhupāda: Oh. So cow is very important animal. So from religious point of view, or from economic point of view, cows are not allowed, in the Vedic civilization, to be killed. The meat-eaters, they are everywhere, all over the world, but in India meat-eating is allowed—the fifth class, fifth grade community, they eat these cows when it is dead. And the śūdra class, they also eat meat restrictively, goats. That is only under certain restriction, means sacrifice. The goat is sacrificed in the Goddess Kali's temple, and they eat. This is very dangerous, this sacrifice. It is very dangerous. It creates all sinful men. In the Christian religion also, it is said, "Thou shall not kill," and they are killing. So what kind of Christians they are?

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

Young man: The good man gets a better body or a good body?

Prabhupāda: Good, better or worst, bad, according to his karma. Just like your shirt. You throw away on account of being old. Now you have to purchase another. But there are many varieties of shirt-coat. As you pay for it, you get. If you can pay nice price, you get silk shirt-coat. But if you cannot, you get ordinary cotton or jute. So your body will be according to your karma, or work. Why the other boys went away? Two, three boys?

Parivrājakācārya: They said they had to go.

Prabhupāda: Oh. So these things has to be learned first, that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul. I am changing my body, and this is botheration." So if there is any way to stop this changing, that is required. That... That is possible to be done in this human form of life.

Young man: Is there any chance to understand how the Absolute think?

Prabhupāda: Yes, this is the chance, human body. If you want to know, you can know. Here is the chance.

Room Conversation with Press Representative -- March 21, 1975, Calcutta:

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) Where is the actual attempt to give everyone sufficient food? Where is that attempt? And here in the Bhagavad-gītā it is plainly said, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) if you want to keep happy the animals and the men, then produce food grain. Who is doing that? They simply passing resolution and raising funds and then eating, themself, at the cost of others. And therefore the price is increasing. One who has got money, he can pay more price, artificial. I am poor man. I have no money. You have got money. You purchase before me. Then I starve. But if there is sufficient supply of food grain, then this thing will not happen. You can distribute without any price. That was being done in India. Educated man means unemployment, is it not? So-called education means creating unemployment. They will go with application, "Give me some clerical post, some this post, that post, that post." This is education.

Conversation with the GBC -- March 27, 1975, Mayapur:

Atreya Ṛṣi: Yes. But in this Gurukula project, Śrīla Prabhupāda, temples are having difficulty in paying their debts to BBT already. I don't think they will respond, respond. On one hand, BBT, Ramesvara Prabhu is recommending that we reduce the cost of books, and on the other hand, it's being recommended that the tax for Gurukula be collected.

Prabhupāda: No, no, cost of book... Cost of books?

Atreya Ṛṣi: Not cost. Price of books.

Jayatīrtha: Yes, price of...

Prabhupāda: Cost of selling price.

Jayatīrtha: That we discussed with you in Dallas, Ramesvara and I.

Prabhupāda: No, no. There is no need. There is no need.

Atreya Ṛṣi: So what I was...

Prabhupāda: It is not a fact that by reducing the price you'll sell more.

Jayatīrtha: No, no. Not reducing the price to the public. Reducing the cost to the temple, so the temple can make more profit.

Prabhupāda: That you can do.

Conversation with the GBC -- March 27, 1975, Mayapur:

Jayatīrtha: Right. We have the whole proposal. Everyone has a copy, I think. So we can discuss that. The main point, I'm just saying now, is to read through the agenda and see if Prabhupāda approves that we're talking about these things, and then..., because these things are so detailed, and we have some proposals in writing. We can discuss them more. Anyway, so one proposal is Gurukula finance. Another proposal is Brahmānanda's made some proposals about Africa, specifically manpower to be sent to Africa. Another proposal... another thing is to discuss the BBT, BBT loans, moving of the Press, several points about BBT, lowering of the prices, these things...

Prabhupāda: So what is the advantage of moving the Press?

Jayatīrtha: That Ramesvara should be here to say.

Prabhupāda: Call (?) Ramesvara. If you be..., all GBC agrees, then you do that.

Jayatīrtha: All right. So if we have a separate meeting, and Ramesvara presents his proposals nicely, and everyone agrees, then we can...

Prabhupāda: You consider, and then you decide.

Conversation with the GBC -- March 27, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Now, the Spiritual Sky... I have heard that you are paying two thousand rupees, er, two thousand dollars, per month to the accountant, and one thousand dollars to Karandhara.

Jayatīrtha: Yes, about that.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Jayatīrtha: Seventeen hundred dollars a month to the accountant, full-time accountant. That is the average price in America for a first-class accountant. Otherwise, we have to hire, get Atreya Ṛṣi to come and do it.

Prabhupāda: And Karandhara is taking one thousand dollars?

Jayatīrtha: Well, here's the problem, that because it is a business, people must, that work there, have to get regular salary and pay taxes. Otherwise we can get in a lot of trouble. We can get in a lot of trouble. Maybe Bhagavān may know.

Bhagavān: Well, I have the same thing in France. Spiritual Sky is a legal business. That means you have to legally employ people. But I employ the temple people and just take their salary.

Jayatīrtha: Yes. That's all right.

Bhagavān: Do you take Karandhara's salary?

Jayatīrtha: No, that's a different thing. Anyway, let me finish the point. The point is that legal salary has to be paid, and then taxes have to paid from that. So for example, Karandhara's salary is not really a good example because he doesn't give fifty percent. But one thousand dollars is the salary.

Bhagavān: Minimum? Minimum salary?

Prabhupāda: No.

Jayatīrtha: That eight hundred, two hundred goes for taxes...

Prabhupāda: No our, our... That was the... Formerly, who was managing?

Jayatīrtha: Formerly, I was managing.

Morning Walk -- April 3, 1975, Mayapur:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Sometimes the argument is put forward that in places where's there is not sufficient food and shelter and things like this, these problems should be solved first before the problem of spiritual life.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Why don't you solve? There are so many land. Come here and grow food. Grow fruit. That is... That is the desire of Kṛṣṇa. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Produce food and eat in sufficiently, be strong, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is our philosophy. Why you are producing bolts and nuts, tire and tubes? Eat. Rascal. They do not know that first of all you must eat. No, everyone is engaged in industry. Why? Kṛṣṇa does not say that "Take to industry." Kṛṣṇa says, "Produce foodstuff." Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. If you produce foodstuff, then both your animals, yourself, will be happy, becoming strong. Why do they manufacture other things? All these people are engaged in manufacturing, and nobody is manu..., er, growing food. Therefore the price of food grain is rising. Suppose I am growing food, and you are not growing, so you have to purchase from me. I'll ask, "You have to pay this price." And you have to pay. And if you grow your own food, there is no such question. The simple economic problem, solution, this rascal cannot take. If you grow your own food, I grow my own, then who is going to purchase? The price will be reduced automatically. If you have no customer, then you have to reduce your price. But they do not understand even the simple thing that "God has given us enough land to produce food grain, and we must eat." They do not understand this. And still, they are scientist, philosopher, politician. Just see. That is the difficulty. All rascals, fools, they are leading the whole human society.

Morning Walk -- April 3, 1975, Mayapur:

Rāmeśvara: They're too busy making money to grow their own food.

Prabhupāda: "So then pay more money. Come on. You have earned money and give me. I shall give you food. And whatever I shall ask, you have to pay." This simple thing, more demand-price is more. Then why do you gripe, "Oh, everything is price growing, price growing." Why it will not? If I have got food, and you have to purchase, and I have got so many customers, I must increase. That is economic theory: more demand—the price is increased. And then you say, "There are so many problems. We have to solve first." But you have created this problem, rascal. And you shall must suffer. You have infected some disease. Now you must suffer. It is like say, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). The reason is that you have infected some quality of the modes of nature and you must suffer for that. How you can deny it? If you have infected some disease like cholera, smallpox, and when you are suffering, how you can blaim? You have infected. You must suffer. Nature's law is so strict that as soon as you infect a particular type of quality of nature—there are so many—you must suffer for that, or so-called enjoy. There are two things, suffer and enjoy. So you must have to undergo the process. This is... Nature's process is so nice. As soon as you do something, there is reaction and you are bound up. Yajñārthe karma anyatra loko 'yaṁ karma bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Bandhanaḥ means bound up. Immediately you become bound up. And still, you are thinking, "Independent." The nature's law is so strict.

Conversation with Indian Guests -- April 12, 1975, Hyderabad:
Prabhupāda: This is argument, this is not philosophy. Philosophy is there, direct, you should do like this, that's all. You do it and get the results. You go to purchase something, the price is fixed, you pay the price and take it. Where is argument? If you are, if you serious about that thing, you may pay price and take it away. That is the advice of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti rasa-bhāvitā-mati kriyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate. If you can purchase somewhere the thinking of Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-bhakti rasa-bhāvitā mati. That is, we have translated into "Kṛṣṇa Consciousness." If you can purchase this consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, somewhere, immediately purchase it. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti rasa-bhāvita-mati, kriyatām, just purchase, yadi kuto 'pi labhyate, if it is available somewhere. And if I have to purchase, then what price? Tatra laulyam ekaṁ mūlam. Na janma-koṭibhiḥ labhyate. If you want what is the price, he says the price is your eagerness. And that eagerness to obtain it, takes many millions of births. Why you want Kṛṣṇa? Just like the other day I said that if one has seen Kṛṣṇa, he will become mad after Kṛṣṇa. That is the sign. These boys are certified in their own country by the Christian priests that "These boys are our boys, they will never come into church, they are never interested about God, and now they are mad after God. What is this?" Because that is the price only to purchase Kṛṣṇa. To mad after Him. Where is Kṛṣṇa? He rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-sūno kutaḥ. Where You are? Where You are? Śrī-govardhana pādapa-tale kālindī-vane kutaḥ. Are You under the valley of Govardhana Hill or on the bank of the Yamunā? Where you are? Ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure. That was their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply wondering where is Kṛṣṇa, where is Kṛṣṇa, where is Kṛṣṇa. Ghoṣantāv iti sarvato pure khedair mahā-vihvalau. Madlike, vihvalau. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-go... This is, this price one takes, then you can get Kṛṣṇa, you can understand Kṛṣṇa. It is not so cheap, that anyone can comment on Kṛṣṇa, whimsically, and he becomes a devotee. That is not possible. That is going on. I can interpret in my own way. Kṛṣṇa says, mām ekam. (indistinct) Somebody is taking Kṛṣṇa is black, somebody is taking Kṛṣṇa as something else.
Morning Walk -- April 19, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Ten lakhs expenditure but twenty lakhs collection.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But I think now we should say fifty lakhs expenditure and...

Prabhupāda: One crore.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One crore collection. That will be a nice target. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...getting more price for their land on account of the temple.

Guest (1): Yes, Prabhupāda Mahārāja, they are just started asking double.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. But who is going to purchase it?

Guest (1): Ah, we are not.

Prabhupāda: The purchaser is ourself only.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What about that land...

Prabhupāda: (break) ...not very nice last time. But this time also I am not eating, but I am working nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Not eating?

Prabhupāda: No. This is improvement, no eating but working nicely.

Morning Walk -- May 10, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: (laughing lightly) You cannot say that I have introduced it. It is already there. As it is there in India, it is also everywhere. It may be under different names. The four classes are already there, everywhere. The... Even in Muslim, they have also got the (indistinct), what is called, mohallas, priestly class. They have got. We are introducing the systematic caste system, but caste system is already there, everywhere. Maybe under different names. And it is necessary. The caste system is there as a matter of necessity. You cannot abolish it. But it is now existing in a deformed manner. People should be systematic and organized. That we are trying to. Not that a new thing we are trying to introduce. It is already there. Our proposition is that "You priestly class, you must act exactly as a priest-ideal priest. You are a drunkard, you are woman-hunter, you are doing everything nonsense, and at the same time you are passing on as priest—this should be stopped." This should be stopped. The priestly class, or the brāhmaṇas, they should be trained up to become truthful, how to control mind, how to control senses, and tolerant, and very learned, knowing God also—these things are required. They should be the first-class, ideal men. Similarly, the kṣatriyas, they must be fearless; they must be very boldly, face fighting the enemies; they must have the capacity to govern nicely so that people will not have any complaint against the government. In this way they should be trained up. And the mercantile class of man, they should produce enough food grains, not motor tires. That is śūdra's business—artisans—that is śūdra. The vaiśyas' business is first to see that in the country there is enough food for eating—both for the human being and the animals. The human being should not complain that there is no sufficient food grains, therefore they're eating flesh. No. Flesh is not for human being. They should live on food grains. Just like dahl. Dahl is as good as meat. It is from food grain. And there is sufficient varieties of dahl they can eat. They can make so many preparations, palatable preparations. Why are the prices of food grains increasing? Because there is shortage. If there is enough food, the price will automatically decrease, because everyone want to sell. So, the price will decrease, naturally. It will be so lavishly available that you can give food grains even to the animals, like cows and goats and other so many animals. Let them eat. That is the business of the vaiśya man.

Morning Walk -- May 13, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Amogha: Sometimes they are caught by the authorities and it comes in the newspapers, and there's a big scandal because all the students are buying the answers to the questions.

Prabhupāda: Just see. The main point is how to get some money. So the teachers are also dishonest.

Paramahaṁsa: There's a saying that everyone and everything has its price.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Paramahaṁsa: It means that if you pay enough money, you can get anything, or you can get somebody to do anything.

Prabhupāda: Yes. The justice, they are taking bribe, giving judgment.

Paramahaṁsa: Yes, yes. Policemen. Also the politicians in America, sometimes they win their elections by giving bribes.

Prabhupāda: To the voters.

Paramahaṁsa: Yes.

Room Conversation with Justin Murphy (Geographer) -- May 14, 1975, Perth:

Justin Murphy: But that's not what the multinational corporations that enjoy using Australia's resources are going to say. All of the hills to the east of Perth are almost entirely made up of bauxite, from which of course, we get, not that, the stainless steel, but from which we get aluminium. Aluminium is a very... Bauxite is a very, very favored material now. The West Indies are rich in it, and a few other countries, but not many. Australia is now part of, as they call it, part of "the bauxite club." And Dr. Cairns(?), our deputy prime minister and treasurer, was some months ago talking with a number of people in the West Indies about fixing world prices for bauxite and eventually aluminium. America has Comalco and Alcoa, two very large international groups, have large interests in the bauxite in the hills around Perth. They are out to make money. They're in it to return money to their shareholders in America.

Prabhupāda: But therefore, there are two ways of living. One way of living is called material enjoyment, or sense enjoyment. This is one way of life. In Sanskrit it is called pravṛtti-mārga, "How to enjoy more, more, more, more, more." This is called pravṛtti-mārga. That is going on. The whole... At the present moment the whole civilization, throughout the whole world—everyone is trying to get more money. More money means more sense enjoyment. More money means more sense enjoyment. This is called pravṛtti-mārga.

Morning Walk -- May 23, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: It is a fact that they do not grow fruit trees because people will eat and will not work? Is that the policy? Somebody told me like that, that if there is enough fruit, then people will eat and they will not work.

Amogha: The fruit business would go down also. The fruit stands would not be able to sell much.

Prabhupāda: Just see. Bad policy.

Śrutakīrti: The government does that. On some farmers they will pay them not to grow to keep the price high.

Prabhupāda: Kill animals. Just see the policy. Instead of growing natural food, they will kill animal. Purposefully sinful life.

Śrutakīrti: But they still have to grow food for the animal. They're growing the food, but they give it to the animal.

Prabhupāda: Fruit?

Śrutakīrti: No, the food. They grow food for the animals, but then they kill the animal.

Prabhupāda: Just see. They can grow food both for the animals and for human being. Instead, they are simply growing food for the animals and killing them. Tā'ra madhye jihwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati. You sing this before taking prasādam. The tongue is the greatest enemy and greedy. Tā'ra madhye jihwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati. For the satisfaction of the tongue they are risking their own life and committing sinful life to suffer later on. Therefore the first-class man's first duty is to śamaḥ, controlling the mind. If one can control the mind, that "If I can live with grains, food, and milk, why shall I kill the ani...?" this is controlling the mind. They cannot control even this small thing. "Live and let live,"—this policy they do not follow. "Live and kill others." "Live at the cost of others."

Morning Walk -- June 22, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: So it is worth taking?

Jayatīrtha: It seems to be. The price seems to be about the right price.

Prabhupāda: So down payment has been made?

Jayatīrtha: Yes, it's already... It's now in our name. It's been transferred.

Prabhupāda: And when they are moving?

Jayatīrtha: Some devotees have already moved.

Prabhupāda: Oh. It is vacant, vacant?

Jayatīrtha: It was vacant, yes. Well, the old owner, he is keeping one room in the building for the time being. The man who sold it to us, he's a very..., Sort of a pious gentleman. He's doing humanitarian work. He's a war hero.

Prabhupāda: War hero?

Jayatīrtha: Yes. In the last war. (Prabhupāda laughs) So he is also helping us. He has a big factory next to the land and he's letting us use it for the incense business. So he's doing some good service.

Prabhupāda: What is that factory?

Jayatīrtha: He employs these alcoholics and derelicts in different kinds of work, making things. And he was keeping these people living in this palace, but now he's built another place next door where he keeps them and he has them employed. It's sort of an Alcoholics Anonymous group.

Prabhupāda: Let them chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and they will be rectified.

Morning Walk -- June 28, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: Snow falls above ten thousand feet?

Kuruśreṣṭha: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...Kashmir, that is sixteen thousand feet. (break) ...do not sink? Guarantee? (laughter) (break) ...glass building.

Kuruśreṣṭha: That's a hospital, Śrīla Prabhupāda. The temple is in a hospital zone. It keeps the price of the land very high.

Prabhupāda: Oh. (break)

Brahmānanda: ...hospital is more expensive?

Kuruśreṣṭha: All, in this area, doctors and high class, so-called high class men live.

Prabhupāda: The real doctor is he who can cure material disease. What do you think?

Satsvarūpa: You said Murāri Gupta was a doctor in both ways.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- July 1, 1975, Denver:

Brahmānanda: One friend of the temple, one man, he has purchased it at a very high price, and he has lent it for your stay. These glasses are bulletproof. (break) This is a Lincoln Continental, Ford company.

Prabhupāda: Why he stopped? (break) ...without car? (Brahmānanda laughs) (break) ...Nixon's home.

Brahmānanda: He has in Florida, Key Biscayne. He had two homes, one in Florida, one in California. But now he's staying in Florida. Recently he went to New York and testified before a committee. It's the first time that he has spoken publicly since his...

Prabhupāda: What is that committee?

Brahmānanda: They were investigating the Watergate.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Oh, he had to present himself.

Brahmānanda: Yes. It's the first time any ex-chief executive has ever testified.

Prabhupāda: So he is not out of danger.

Brahmānanda: Well, they're still investigating the whole thing.

Prabhupāda: But I heard that he made a condition that he will no more be bothered. On this condition, he agreed to resign. (break) ...India the trouble is dissention between Indira Gandhi and Jaya Prakash Nārāyaṇa. So that Jaya Prakash Nārāyaṇa is fasting, I have heard.

Morning Walk -- July 5, 1975, Chicago:

Prabhupāda: Now it is not raining. We can go.

Brahmānanda: Yes, we can go. Stop here. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...price there are?

Jagadīśa: 350,000.

Prabhupāda: So it is very cheap.

Brahmānanda: Yes. What is the neighborhood?

Jagadīśa: It is just south of...

Jayatīrtha: It has a big stone fence, though.

Jagadīśa: ...the wealthiest neighborhood. It's about six blocks away.

Brahmānanda: Is it a crime place?

Jagadīśa: No.

Jayatīrtha: In Detroit... (break)

Prabhupāda: ...also, there is threatening of life. Some brāhmaṇa boys who were living with us, so they were threatened, "You are living with these mlecchas. If you don't give up, then your life is in danger." So they have gone to Māyāpur.

Morning Walk -- July 10, 1975, Chicago:

Brahmānanda: What would be your advice to her?

Prabhupāda: My first step will be to capture all the hoarders and distribute the grains free. Immediately public will be obliged to... There are immense food grains; they are simply hoarded. They are not selling without good price. This is going on. Immediately she can capture the public. And some of the hoarders should be hanged, yes, so that in future nobody will hoard. People are hungry. And she says she has got some program, garivi hatta(?), "Drive away the poverty." This is the point. If she can supply all consumer goods for the time being free to the poor, then immediately the whole population will be after her. And the hoarders should be exemplary punished. Shoot them, that's all. Then nobody will hoard. But to remain the dictator she requires spiritual knowledge. Otherwise it will be another disaster. If she wants to remain the dictator, then she must be a spiritual man. She must become a Vaiṣṇavī. (end)

Room Conversation with writer, Sandy Nixon -- July 13, 1975, Philadelphia:

Jayatīrtha: We sell about twenty-five thousand books and magazines a day.

Prabhupāda: What is the price?

Jayatīrtha: The collection would probably be around 35 to forty thousand dollars a day.

Prabhupāda: We are collecting forty thousand dollars a day by selling books. How I can say they are against us?

Sandy Nixon: You're very positive. I like that.

Prabhupāda: Where is the any other institution who can sell forty thousand dollars a day? So how do you say that they are against us?

Sandy Nixon: My last question. Could you tell me about the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra because it's so important to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And I'd like to have...

Prabhupāda: It is very simple. Hare means "O the energy of Lord," and Kṛṣṇa means "O Lord. Both of You kindly engage me in Your service." That's all. "Both of You, Kṛṣṇa and His energy..." Just like here we have got conception of male and female, similarly, originally, God and His energy, God is male and energy female, prakṛti and puruṣa. This idea of male and female, wherefrom it comes? God is manufacturing so many male and female. So the male and female idea, wherefrom it comes? It comes from God. He is the origin of everything. So the female, or prakṛti, or energy of God, and God Himself... He is called puruṣa. So we are appealing both God and His energy, combined together, engage us in Their service. This is Hare Kṛṣṇa. O Hare means "O the energy of God," O Kṛṣṇa, "O Lord, both of You take care of me and engage me in Your service." That's all. This is meaning.

Room Conversation with writer, Sandy Nixon -- July 13, 1975, Philadelphia:

Sandy Nixon: In capsule.

Prabhupāda: So? What I have to do? (laughter)

Jayatīrtha: I think she wants you to say, "Please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and your life will become sublime."

Prabhupāda: Yes. That I am saying always. Without any price. I don't charge, "You give me so many dollars. Then I shall give you."

Jayatīrtha: So do any of the other guests have any questions?

Guest: I would like to ask, Swami, would you pray for me?

Jayatīrtha: He wants you to pray for him.

Prabhupāda: I am praying for everyone. That is my business. Otherwise why I have come here?

Jayatīrtha: Are there any other questions from anybody, guest or devotee?

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, how does one become humble and remain humble?

Jayatīrtha: How to become humble and remain humble. Same question one devotee asked you in Chicago.

Prabhupāda: So you explain.

Morning Walk -- July 17, 1975, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Kṣatriya marriage, without fighting, there is no kṣatriya marriage. For one prince, there are so many candidates. So they must fight between themselves and decide who is the hero. Then he will be allowed to marry. There was no such freedom: the princess are loitering in the street and you can take as many as you like.

Devotee: The price was blood, huh?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee: Plenty blood.

Prabhupāda: That is prince. They are not cheap, loitering street. Every father of the prince made some bet. Just like Arjuna got Draupadī. How difficult it was! There was a fish on the ceiling, and you cannot see in this way. You have to see. There is a water pot, and you have to pierce the eyes of the fish. Then you will get this prince. So many failure. It is not so easy job, see the eyes from the shadow, and in this way you have to pierce. It is not so easy job.

Walk Around Farm -- August 1, 1975, New Orleans:

Prabhupāda: It is not now utilized?

Nityānanda: Not... No. We are just growing hay. Grass for hay. We can sell the hay in the winter for a good price.

Prabhupāda: It is not possible to walk. (break) ...it is born?

Nityānanda: This one? Last week. His name is... Her name is Lakṣmī. There is more over here. (break) Bull calves. We are getting more bulls than females.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Nityānanda: I don't know.

Prabhupāda: Then how utilize the bulls?

Nityānanda: To plow?

Prabhupāda: Plow, transport. You have to engage more men for plowing. Two bulls will be required for each plow.

Nityānanda: We can go this way maybe? See the sugarcane?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Walk Around Farm -- August 1, 1975, New Orleans:

Nityānanda: The principal livelihood of our neighbors is to grow cows for slaughter.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is all over Western countries.

Nityānanda: They don't have to work. They simply put some cows in their field, and when the price is high, they sell them. In this way they live.

Brahmānanda: What is the attitude of the neighbors to us here? They like us?

Nityānanda: Pretty friendly.

Brahmānanda: There's a papaya.

Prabhupāda: They grow nicely here?

Nityānanda: Er, we're trying. I don't know yet.

Devotee (3): Would you like to be fanned, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Harikeśa: Just keep the flies away.

Prabhupāda: He is very friendly to the small calves, this child?

Nityānanda: Yes. That's my boy.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Room Conversation with Devotees -- August 1, 1975, New Orleans:

Brahmānanda: Curd.

Prabhupāda: Curd. So curd you can send to the city. They will convert into sandeśa, rasagullā and other preparations, and ghee. That is being done. In India the villagers, they do that. They are, keep cows. Convert them into curd or ghee, and ghee and curd sent to the city, they have got regular price for that. There is no question of waste of milk at any stage. One must know how to do it. So you can keep as many cows as possible and collect as much milk from them. You can utilize. And if some of the villagers trained up, they can open nice restaurant in the city. Utilize the ghee, curd, for making nice confectionary. People will purchase like anything. Just like in our Rathayātrā festival, whatever sweets they prepared, all sold at good profit. Your countrymen, they did not see such nice things. And when they taste it—"Very nice."

Brahmānanda: They were selling one gulabjamin for seventy-five cents.

Prabhupāda: Just see. (laughs) It may cost two cent. And you have got your sugar also. In this way organize. Avoid machine. Keep everyone employed as brāhmaṇa, as kṣatriya, as vaiśya. Nobody should sit down. Brāhmaṇas, they are writers, editors, lecturers, instructors, worshiping Deity, ideal character. They have no anxiety for food, for clothing. Others should supply them. They haven't got to work. Sannyāsī is always preaching, going outside. In this way keep everyone fully engaged. Then it will be ideal. Otherwise people will criticize that we are simply eating and sleeping, escaping, so many, so many. And actually that is the position. Unless one is fully engaged, oh, that is not good. That is tamo-guṇa. Tamo-guṇa, and rajo-guṇa very active, and sattva-guṇa, intellectual activity. Both of them, active, only tamo-guṇa, not active. (indistinct) Tamo-guṇa means sleeping and laziness. These are the symptoms of tamo-guṇa. Every saintly man can avoid these two things—laziness and sleeping. Of course, as much you require, sleeping allowed, not more than... And keep everyone active, man or woman-all. Then it will be ideal society.

Room Conversation with Devotees -- August 1, 1975, New Orleans:

Jagadīśa: Cobbler?

Prabhupāda: Cobbler is less than śūdra. Yes. Cobbler means when the cows die, the cobbler may take it. If he wants, he can eat the flesh, and he can utilize the bone, hoofs. He can prepare... He gets the skin without any price. So he can make shoes and he'll make some profit. And because he is cobbler, he can be allowed to eat meat, fifth-class... Not that "Professor such-and-such," and eating meat. This is the degradation of society. He is doing the work of a brāhmaṇa—teacher means brāhmaṇa—and eating meat-Oh, horrible! Śyāmasundara? So make, organize. I can give you the idea, but I'll not live very long. If you can carry out, you can change the whole... Especially if you can change America, then whole world will change. Then the whole world... And it is the duty because they are kept in darkness and ignorance, then the human life is being spoiled. These rascals, because they do not know how to live... Andhā yathāndhair... They are blind, and they are leading... Others are blind, and they are leading and they, all of them, going to ditch. So it is the duty. There is... Caitanya has explained, para-upakāra. Save them. If it is not possible to save everyone, as many as possible... This is human life. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to save others who are in the darkness. It is not a profession: "Now, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is my profession. I'm getting very easily food and shelter." Just like the Indians, they are doing, a profession, say another means of livelihood. Not like that. It is for para-upakāra, actually benefiting the others. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then Kṛṣṇa will be very much pleased: "Oh, he is trying." 'Cause Kṛṣṇa personally comes for doing this benefit to the people, and if you do, then how much Kṛṣṇa will be pleased.

Morning Walk -- September 18, 1975, Vrndavana:

Dhanañjaya: Now we have stopped. We've reduced the quantity.

Prabhupāda: Why you were purchasing more?

Dhanañjaya: We were purchasing because the ghee was being used in all the preparations, in all the vegetable preparations...

Prabhupāda: That's all right. So what is the price of four kilos?

Devotee (2): Eighty-eight rupees.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Dhanañjaya: Eighty-eight rupees.

Prabhupāda: So you collect only the ghee price. And what about others? Other, attar and sugar and so many things? That means you are spending hundred rupees, and the kitchen department, you are is collecting eighty rupees. So twenty rupees lost. Hm? So what is this business? What you are spending, you must collect also. Or balance you are eating?

Dhanañjaya: A few days ago a devotee donated three hundred rupees to the Deities.

Prabhupāda: Donated, that is all right. I am talking of the business.

Morning Walk -- October 2, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: But you do not know how to be happy.

Indian man (1): Even this land, here they are producing sugarcane. So that is strong for wheat. They can grow plenty of wheat.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Everything can be grown.

Cyavana: If sugarcane will grow, anything will grow. It's very fertile.

Indian man (1): Because they don't want to do anything, they simply plant the sugarcane and then they want rest for few months, simply getting money and taking and drinking.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Indian man (1): No work. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...getting rice, wheat from outside, they can charge any price because the price of grain is increasing.

Indian man (1): Any time, they can stop it.

Prabhupāda: You can stop it. (end)

Morning Walk -- October 5, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: You must take birth. That is a fact. You cannot avoid it. But according to your karma you have to take birth.

Indian man (4): This means that you pay what you have wrote. Yes, eh? Therefore do you think that...

Prabhupāda: Suppose when your, this shirt is torn, you have to purchase one shirt. Now, that shirt you have to purchase according to your price. If you have good price, then you get a good shirt. If you have no money, then you get a bad shirt. That's all.

Indian man (4): I wanted to say this, Swamijī, that hell also is situated in this world itself, because where do you think that we can pay our debt?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Indian man (4): The sin, the debt of our sin. Where do you think that we pay it? In the hell, which is not...

Prabhupāda: Hell is the place for your punishment.

Morning Walk -- October 9, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: That's all. That's all. Exploiting, that's all. This is their business. Just like Pakistan politicians, as soon as they cannot supply food, they declare war with India. The attention is diverted. Here also we have seen in the last war. When no man was joining, so in India, they created artificial famine. So for want of food they joined military. The government created a situation, purchased all the food grains and stocked. And when the price is very high the government opened controlled shop at high price. The people had no money; therefore they were obliged to join military. These polit..., demons, they are so dangerous, simply to keep their position they are doing all nefarious activities. Simply there is... Because they don't believe in the next birth, they are not afraid of sinful activities. They can do anything, "Whatever I like. There is no... This life is finished." That is the whole philosophy of the modern educated man, "There is no life." Big, big professors, they say like that, "There is no life after death." Therefore the Ārya-samājī rascal was: "That is Hindu belief." Why Hindu belief? Does the Mohammedan do not grow old? That answer he could not give. He is such a rascal. And at last he said that "I am God."

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

Prof. Olivier: In South Africa?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes. Very, very reasonable prices.

Prabhupāda: Your Sanskrit professor, he has seen?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. The Sanskrit professor has noted that he would like to take the whole set of books.

Prof. Olivier: What's his name, this professor, Zanenberg?(?)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: One of the devotees spoke to him, but he wanted that I should go back and see him.

Prabhupāda: Where he is? Call him, that devotee who saw him.

Prof. Olivier: Was this an Indian gentleman or...

Bhargava: Yes, it was an Indian gentleman. I saw him, but I didn't speak to him.

Prof. Olivier: Which professor?

Bhargava: I don't know his name.

Prof. Olivier: Probably Mishra?

Bhargava: I don't know his name. I saw he was an Indian gentleman.

Prof. Olivier: Yes. We want to... I mean, I can do very little at the university. My attempts have been to try and stress that the only...the only permanent element in education is the spiritual, and how to effect this...

Prabhupāda: These are the books. That is a fact. So you saw the Sanskrit professor there?

Devotee: Yes, Prabhupāda.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Prof. Olivier: And you’ve got another copy of this?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Oh, you can keep this.

Prabhupāda: You can take.

Prof. Olivier: Are the prices in here?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No, the prices...

Prabhupāda: No, price is there.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I can give you...

Prabhupāda: No, no, price is there.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The American prices.

Prabhupāda: That doesn’t matter. Price is there.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Some of them are here.

Prof. Olivier: In case we want to order them for our...

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: So you can order here. You can get it.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: All of these books we have available at this point.

Prof. Olivier: These are introductory?

Prabhupāda: Yes. I think in the beginning Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.

Morning Walk -- October 16, 1975, Johannesburg:

Harikeśa: That seems to be the root cause of...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Government is taking labor from you. You ask, "If you pay me three hundred dollars, then I shall work." "All right, I shall give you. Work." Then what is that three hundred? I print and pay you, and you rascal, you accept it, three hundred dollars. What is that three hundred dollars for government? Printing press. And you are so rascal, "Yes, I have got now three hundred dollars." This is going on. This is artificial inflation. Why there is inflation? Now you have got three hundred dollars without any hard labor. And when you go to purchase—I haven't got three hundred dollars; you have got—"All right, I shall pay this price." So price is increased because the seller will see: "Who pays me large price?" So you have got unnecessary money. You offer him large price. So I am poor man; I could not purchase. This is going on.

Morning Walk -- October 16, 1975, Johannesburg:

Devotee (2): Could he spend that money?

Prahupada: Yes. I print ten thousand dollars' worth currency note, and I give you, and I take you, actual goods from you, anywhere.

Harikeśa: The government is doing that all the time. They take contracts from people.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is going on. Therefore price is increasing daily. Formerly British government, in the beginning, to prove their honesty, as soon as you go to the currency for changing, they will offer you, "You want coins or paper currency?" So if you think that paper currency will be convenient, you can take. Otherwise, if you want coins, they will pay you.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Gold coins.

Prabhupāda: Yes, gold, silver, whatever you want. That was the... Now this is stopped. You can not ask now gold coins and silver coins. Whatever government will give you, you have to accept. Where is honesty?

Devotee (2): Śrīla Prabhupāda, in South Africa they have a coin called the Krugerrand. And one rand is worth one hundred cents, one rand of paper money. But one rand gold is worth about seventy-eight rand.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Morning Walk -- October 16, 1975, Johannesburg:

Devotee (1): It's constantly going up and down, the price. Hundred and eight.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Here is the car, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Everything mismanaged, cheating.

Harikeśa: So until the top man is Kṛṣṇa conscious, this cheating will basically continue.

Prabhupāda: Who is the top man? Everyone is top man. Instead of one king, now you have got one hundred kings. The minister, the secretaries, the under-secretaries, the deputy minister, and so on, so on, so on. So there was only one unfortunate king. Now you have got three dozen kings, and you have to maintain them like kings. This is going on.

Harikeśa: They can pay them with their phony money.

Prabhupāda: And they are seeking this post because they know that without doing anything, money will come. That's all. And as soon as you approach some minister, he will ask you, "All right, give me an application." And after six months' reminding, he will say, "No, it is not possible."

Morning Walk -- October 19, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: Oh, I see. Here I see you are prosperous than in India. You go to the ration shop; you simply find all rejected food grains.

Indian man (1): Rejected food grains.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They are not eatable. No country uses them as food grain, and India, they are selling, a good price.

Indian man (1): The people are lazy too, Swamiji.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Indian man (1): Don't you think the people are lazy also?

Prabhupāda: Well, you are the same Indian. Why you are not lazy here? It is the government's policy or government's management. You see? To become lazy is the recommendation of the śāstra. To become lazy... It is a bad word, "lazy," but actually life means not to work very hard. That is real life. And to work hard for eating, that is animal life, that is not human life. Human life should be very peaceful, without any hard work, and cultivating spiritual knowledge. That is human life, not that, to work hard like hogs and dogs throughout the whole day for find out some stool, where it is. That is not human life. So people are being educated to work very hard. That is not human life. Therefore those who have got money, they build nice bungalow in a secluded place to live peacefully, to become lazy. Is it not?

Indian man (1): Yes.

Morning Walk -- November 8, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: (break) ...city one house with twenty rooms on the riverside.

Dr. Patel: I was told that Lasteri's house, you know, sir, Charpak Lasteri.(?)

Prabhupāda: What do you think will be the price?

Dr. Patel: I don't know about price, sir. But their prices are as high as in Bombay. Whose is this house? Who is the owner? (break)

Prabhupāda: ...jīvanti. The trees, they live many, many hundreds of thousands of years more than men.

Indian man (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: Does it mean he is sinless? (laughter)

Indian (1): He's a good man. They are doing good. They are doing good.

Prabhupāda: He is... It is most condemned life, the trees. They cannot move one inch. They have to suffer all these natural disturbances. One who is too much sinful, he is condemned to stand up here for five thousand years.

Morning Walk -- November 15, 1975, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: A military school.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Military school or military barracks?

Brahmānanda: No, a military school.

Prabhupāda: What is the price?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: 420,000...?

Brahmānanda: Four fifty.

Prabhupāda: So they have paid?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They are going to pay 150,000 in January. It looks perfect for Gurukula.

Prabhupāda: How far? It is in Chicago?

Brahmānanda: It's about, I think, an hour and a half from Chicago by car.

Prabhupāda: Oh. It is a village.

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...the description?

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- November 20, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: It dropped.

Dr. Patel: And the lowest was in 1930. Then it rose. Then in 1935 it was thirty rupees and in 1940 it was thirty-eight, and 1950 it was fifty rupees. And 1956 we bought at the rate of fifty-six rupees. I still remember that because we have been buying gold every year.

Indian man (2): 1959 or '60 the price was ninety-six rupees.

Dr. Patel: Then suddenly it rose. Now, because Americans are buying gold, the gold standard has been left out. They have taken, cornered the gold of the whole world. But I have heard that the Russians have got some gold mountains on the surface. They can take out gold very easily from there. Here you have to dig up deep down.

Prabhupāda: No, in South Africa there is gold. In the city there are so many gold mines in South Africa.

Dr. Patel: Yes. South Africa is today supplying more than half of the world gold. Our mines are getting exhausted in Kolar(?) and all this, Mysore State. America, they have not been able to search out gold anywhere. Perhaps in South America they may be having some gold mines, but they have not made any survey. But the Russians, they say there are very huge mountains, gold on the surface.

Yaśomatīnandana: Sumeru is made of gold, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- November 29, 1975, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: But what the Communist has done for the world benefit?

Harikeśa: Well, it's a nice philosophy.

Prabhupāda: In India there are many Communists, but the price of foodstuff increasing daily. What they can do?

Haṁsadūta: Well, they say "If we were in power, this would not happen."

Prabhupāda: So why don't you become in power? You are strong. And what they have done, those who are already in the power? There is no food. One has to give line for two hours to get foodstuff. I have seen in Moscow.

Ambarīṣa: They don't have any food. They have to buy from the United States.

Kṛṣṇa-caitanya: Importing from India.

Prabhupāda: Yes, importing India, America.

Kṛṣṇa-caitanya: They don't have any bananas, mangoes, nothing.

Prabhupāda: So this rascaldom is going on.

Morning Walk -- November 29, 1975, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Next to our temple there's so many kalākendras.

Kṛṣṇa-caitanya: Kalā has another meaning of "art."

Prabhupāda: (break) ...people engage in academic kalākendra, and the price of rice is rising. No rice. Rice kalā. "My dear kalākendra, can you supply me rice?" "No." (laughter)

Tejās: In Bombay, even if any businessman brings more than five kgs of rice, they will seize him. They search the baggage many times in the trains at the station.

Prabhupāda: You see. This is the kalākendra.

Haṁsadūta: There was a political cartoon that people were shouting for food to Indira Gandhi, and the minister was saying, "The people want food." And she said, "But tomorrow we're going to have television."

Prabhupāda: Television. Kalākendra. (break) ...kalākendra? This big house.

Harikeśa: Rabindra...

Prabhupāda: Rabindranath. Oh, he is the foremost kalā, Rabindranath Tagore. He has shown biggest kalā to the people of India.

Morning Walk -- December 11, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Now?

Devotee: (indistinct) Now, (degraded?)...

Akṣayānanda Swami: Price has risen and quality has lessened. (pause) Prabhupāda, you know the ISKCON centres you have started they are just like actually Vaikuṇṭha, they are so nice. Even the Gauḍīya Matha centres were not so nice. Just like an installation of Vaikuṇṭha. They're so clean and nice. (indistinct) ...help becoming devotees by visiting your centers. Becomes almost automatic.

Prabhupāda: Follow the regulative principles, it will remain, always Vaikuṇṭha. Otherwise again material world.

Akṣayānanda Swami: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Free hotel. (laughs) That's all. And free hotel will not endure.

Akṣayānanda Swami: No.

Prabhupāda: Svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. By service spirit beginning with tongue Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then everything is revealed, Vaikuṇṭha atmosphere... Sethji has not come out.

Page Title:Price (Conversations 1968 - 1975)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:18 of Mar, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=110, Let=0
No. of Quotes:110