Puerto Rico

Expressions researched:
"Puerto Rico"

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- December 21, 1973, Los Angeles:

Jagajjīvana: In the Dominican Republic which is an island near us, the chanting is so powerful, it draws so many people, that the government won't let us in to the country because it is so powerful. We have devotees there now, though. We had to send a devotee incognito, in disguise, to get residence there. Now he's...

Prabhupāda: Oh, they will not give place?

Jagajjīvana: They didn't let us in the country, but we have devotees there now. (break) We had an article in a magazine recently. I can show it to you later.

Prabhupāda: What does he say?

Jagajjīvana: Well, it's about that we weren't allowed into the Dominican Republic and they were stopping us from coming in, and that one million people buy our books and that millions of people buy our books and many people...

Prabhupāda: Spanish book?

Jagajjīvana: All types of books. Had some nice pictures. In the article there is a picture of us giving books to the governor of Puerto Rico. (break)

Prabhupāda: So we have got books in Spanish now? Which book?

Jagajjīvana: We have the...

Prabhupāda: Īśopaniṣad.

Jagajjīvana: Yeah, we haven't gotten that yet, though. There is the Perfection of Yoga, Topmost Yoga, and the Back to Godhead.

Morning Walk -- December 21, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Communists? Students are under Communistic? What the Communists preaches? There is no God?

Jagajjīvana: Yes. And that in this life you can become perfect. There can be a perfect man without Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Ah, so who has become that perfect man? Amongst your Communists? The Stalin is considered the greatest criminal in the world, in the history, Stalin. So how he is perfect man? If he is the greatest criminal?

Jagajjīvana: (break) Mostly Spanish countries. (break) Another town in Puerto Rico we have a center there also.

Prabhupāda: Where it is?

Jagajjīvana: That is on the other side of the island, on Puerto Rico.

Prabhupāda: Rūpānuga Mahārāja went there?

Jagajjīvana: Yes. And...

Prabhupāda: He can speak in Spanish?

Jagajjīvana: No. We have a translator. He speaks and someone translates. And there is a school there with 25,000 students. Scientist students. (break) ...all photographs of the chanting to show how people are taking this.

Prabhupāda: Taking part. That's nice.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Woman Sanskrit Professor -- February 13, 1975, Mexico:

Prabhupāda: Caracas.

Hṛdayānanda: And then Puerto Rico. Then Miami, Atlanta, New York, London.

Prabhupāda: And then, from London, I may go directly to Bombay, or I may visit some other European cities where we have got temple. In Paris, in Geneva, in Rome, in Amsterdam, we have got some temple, like this.

Professor: What you're going to do about...?

Prabhupāda: You have seen all our books? These are our books.

Professor: I saw them.(?) I think I had a talk somewhere with...

Prabhupāda: We have got our small and big book. Fifty books we have got. All about Kṛṣṇa.

Professor: I understand that music plays an important role also in the preparation of...

Hṛdayānanda: If music is important to us?

Prabhupāda: No, first of all, our basic principle is pleasure. So whatever gives pleasure, we accept. That is natural. But in the material world, they take material pleasure, but we are for spiritual pleasure. So as soon as we speak of pleasure, there must be varieties. Without... Variety is the mother of enjoyment. So the only thing is that the material pleasure, that is temporary. It is finished after certain period, and spiritual means eternal. So our endeavor is to transfer ourself from this material pleasure to the spiritual pleasure. But the pleasure is the aim, either in this material world or in the spiritual world. This is... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). This is the Vedic... Our position is ānandamaya, to remain in pleasure. But here in this material world, the body is temporary, and everything is temporary. Therefore pleasure is temporary.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: This is Second Avenue?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think Third Avenue. Next comes Lexington Avenue.

Prabhupāda: This is black area?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Puerto Rican and black. This city has as many people Puerto Ricans as Puerto Rico does. So many Puerto Rican people come here, because part of it's a possession of the United States. So the East Side is Puerto Ricans and the West Side...

Prabhupāda: Generally they are worker class.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes. This is Park Avenue.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Hari-śauri: Some of the billboard signs are even Portuguese also.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Spanish.

Prabhupāda: They speak Spanish?

Rāmeśvara: Puerto Ricans speak Spanish.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Hari-śauri: That's how those islands became the West Indies, because he was looking for India, and he went West, and he hit some islands, and they call them the West Indies. Then later they went to America.

Prabhupāda: West Indies are South America.

Rāmeśvara: The Caribbean. Cuba, Nassau, Puerto Rico.

Prabhupāda: The southern part.

Rāmeśvara: Yes. South of Florida. So his main motive was how to find India, to get the wealth of India.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gargamuni: So it seems all over the world there was a greater interest in education, in art, and in India at the time when Lord Caitanya appeared.

Hari-śauri: The church was its strongest as well in Europe at that time, religion, very strong.

Prabhupāda: Christ also went, came to India.

Room Conversation 'GBC Resolutions' -- March 1, 1977, Mayapura:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We have sent them also books.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Ekala eka.(?) One man's conclusion is not good. Better consult with him. Then?

Satsvarūpa: Then for the division of the United States, for myself, for being editor of Back to Godhead, I would go to Los Angeles for that, Back to Godhead, but would also supervise the Northwest US zone, which includes Berkeley, California; Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, and the Dallas temple. Rāmeśvara Mahārāja would continue being the GBC for Los Angeles, San Diego, Laguna Beach, and Denver. Balavanta Prabhu would keep his same zone—Atlanta; the Tennessee farm; Gainesville and Miami, Florida; New Orleans and the Mississippi farm; and Houston, Texas. Rūpānuga would also keep his same zone—Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Philadelphia; St. Louis; the St. Louis farm; Ottawa; and Montreal, Canada. Kīrtanānanda would keep his same zone—New Vrindaban, Buffalo, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja was accepted as your permanent secretary, and therefore, for the vacancy created in his absence in New York, Pennsylvania farm, Boston, Puerto Rico...

Rāmeśvara: And Rādhā-Dāmodara.

Satsvarūpa: ...and the Rādhā-Dāmodara party, it was decided that he should keep the responsibility of being the GBC for that area. However, Ādi-keśava Mahārāja will act as special assistant to the GBC and take the on-the-spot responsibility.

Prabhupāda: That means he'll be trained up in his place. Is it not?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Bhaktijana -- Los Angeles 21 September, 1972:

Yes, that is a good program that you are doing in New York by going from place to place and holding classes, having kirtana in the street, and generally recruiting devotees for sending to the Brooklyn Temple. If you do like that, going from one part of New York to another, New York is the biggest city in the world and there are innumerable places where you can hold chanting and classes, so if you go on like you are doing, I have no objection. But at all times, give your kind cooperation to Bali Mardan for working together on your program. He is GBC and President of Brooklyn Temple and he can give you all advice and facilities for your work. So kindly cooperate with him as much as possible, and that will please me very much. So far going to Puerto Rico, I have no objection if you go there, but if your program in New York is successful, better to develop that. But if someone goes to Puerto Rico in the future, that also sounds like a good adventure. But I think it is better to develop what we have got for now, and later on we shall see if someone can go to Puerto Rico.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Sridhara Maharaja -- Mexico City 14 February, 1975:

I thank you very much for your kind letter dated 1-1-1975 and I have noted the contents with great pleasure. I left India on the 26th January from Bombay and I went to Hong Kong and Tokyo. Then I went to Hawaii and I received your letter there. Then I went to Los Angeles. Now I am staying at our Mexico City temple at the address below. Here the Mexicans are taking part in sankirtana and Deity worship very nicely. They have become very good devotees. In the neighboring countries like Venezuela, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Trinidad and the Dominican Republic we have also got our temples. So, I am touring in these temples to see how things are going on, and by the grace of Krishna, everyone is becoming Krishna Conscious.