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Regular (Conversations)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview -- March 9, 1968, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: So the next stage is to associate with us, to understand more and more. This is the second stage, to associate. First stage, faith and respect, and second stage, association. The third stage, if by association one becomes serious, that "I shall become a regular student of Swamiji," that is third stage. That is called initiation. Just like these boys. They are initiated. So in that stage they are guided by me. They follow strictly. Just like we have got for the initiated students we have got six, four principles. We do now allow illicit sex life. No, we do not allow these boys or girls sex life without being married. Yes. This is one regulation. We don't allow them to take anything which is not offered to the Deity. So we offer to the Deity foodstuff, grains, fruits, flowers, milk products, in that way, no meat, no egg, nothing of the sort. Simple food. They are nutritious. We prepare very... Perhaps you have participated in our love feast in Sundays.

Morning Walk at Stow Lake -- March 23, 1968, San Francisco:
Prabhupāda: So by practice, everything can be attained. Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. (break) ...determination. And this determination is increased by celibacy. Brahmacārya is recommended to keep oneself determined. A brahmacārī, if he determines something, he executes. He has got that strength of mind. Those who are too much addicted to sex life, they cannot be determined. They cannot be fixed-up. They are fluctuating, changing. People are, in modern day, they cannot sit down in a place for a long time. Therefore so much traveling. The traveling business is very prosperous. Everyone wants to travel. They cannot fix, fix up. So the processes recommended, they're very valuable, but it is not possible to follow them all in the present age because everything is reducing. So our method is to pray to Kṛṣṇa to give us the necessary strength. That's all. Otherwise, by regular practice, this age is very difficult. Unfavorable. First thing is memory is very short. We cannot remember. Life is very short. Life is short, at the same time, so much disturbed by anxiety, by disease, by natural disturbances. Roga-śokādibhiḥ. Short life; that is also disturbed by disease and lamentation.
Conversation with Religious Group -- July 27, 1968, Montreal:

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

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

Devotee: (inaudible)

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

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation Including Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.1-34 Recitation & Explanation -- April 1, 1969, San Francisco:

Devotee: No more?

Prabhupāda: No, if you can do more, that's all right. Just like I ask everybody to chant 16 rounds. But if you can chant 1600 rounds, then who prohibits you? You can do that. But we should make a regulation of our life, that "So many times I chant. One chapter I shall read. I shall go to the temple at this time." In this way we must have routine work. Then we'll get practiced automatically. Yes. And Gosvāmīs, the Six Gosvāmīs, they were following routine work. Even they... Sāṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ. They were doing regularly counting. Just like you are counting sixteen rounds. Not only chanting in that counting, but they were offering obeisances also by counting, that "Hundred times I shall offer my obeisances." You see? This is regular routine. Yes.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- August 15, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: Miniskirt, trying to show the private part and people will be attracted and she will be happy. This is regular prostitution. Regular prostitution. Still they are not getting husband. Even they walk naked... That will come. Say after fifty years it will come like that.

Śyāmasundara:They are starting already some places, walking naked.

Prabhupāda: And the law is you cannot marry more than one wife. The rascal lawgiver. So many women, there must be... One husband, at the present moment, must marry at least one dozen wives, otherwise they're going to hell. At least, she will know that "I have got a husband." Maybe the husband of twelve wives, but they are anxious to have a husband. That facility should be given to them. They are anxious.

Room Conversation -- August 15, 1971, London:

Śyāmasundara: So they are not spoiled.

Prabhupāda: No. And the psychology is the girl, after first menstruation, she enjoys sex life with a boy, she will never forget that boy. Her love for that boy is fixed up for good. This is woman's psychology. And she is allowed to have many, oh, she will never be chaste woman. These are the psychology. So these rascals, Westerners, they do not know and they are becoming philosopher, scientist, and politician, and spoiling the whole world. They can be saved only by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. There is no other way. Otherwise they will lick up their skyscraper building and everything will go to hell. We have seen in New York, so many houses fall down. In New York. Yes. So many. Simply garbage. I have studied. Simply full of garbage. Nobody is going to take care. And the boys and girls loitering in the street as hippies. This is a very, very, bad sign. You see? No home, home neglected, no regular life. The whole nation will be spoiled. It is already spoiled. The poison is already there. Fire. Now it is increasing. Just like you set fire, it increases. So that fire is already there.

Room Conversation -- August 17, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Visit. Keep them alive. "Simply because we have opened a center, the business is finished." No. You must keep them alive. Alive means this morning class must go on, evening class must go on, there must be regular program for prasāda distribution. Busy. That is alive.

Revatīnandana: And they must also study your books.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Otherwise, so many Indian temples or churches, they think, "The church is there; everything is finished." No. Why people are losing interest in church? There is no preaching. Neither do they know what is preaching. They simply think that "This building will attract people." So they are now on sale.

Revatīnandana: In Calcutta it was like that. Everywhere we attract people with the Deity worship, but we hold them with the lectures.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) Come on. So how you were allowed to enter?

Śivānanda: Oh, it was all right. No difficulty. No difficulty.

Prabhupāda: Last time you had difficulty.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: "Watchtower." It has criticized, one priest has allowed the marriage between man to man, homosex. So these things are going on. They take it purely for prostitution. That's all. So therefore people are thinking, "What is the use of keeping a regular prostitution at a cost of heavy expenditure? Better not to have this."

Śyāmasundara: You use that example of the cow and the market?

Prabhupāda: Yes, when the milk is available in the market, what is the use of keeping a cow? (laughter) It is a very abominable condition. In the western countries I have seen. Here also, in India, gradually it is coming to be so. (Speaks to someone in Bengali) (break) ...movement is especially meant for making human life, reaching the real goal.

Bob: The real goal?

Prabhupāda: The real goal of life.

Room Conversation with John Griesser (later initiated as Yadubara Dasa) -- March 10, 1972, Vrndavana:

Guru dāsa: About this tape recording.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is not the question of "the Chinese are eating, I am not eating." It is a question that how many number of different types of body I got. It is not that I am talking of Chinaman eating man or dog. I may be in this form, next life. So, therefore, the problem is how to stop this transmigration of the soul. That is the problem. Not that because the Chinese man eats something else other than I eat, that does not mean that I am very much... (break) Therefore, we have to prepare ourself what kind of body we are going to have next. That is human civilization. But they do not believe in the transmigration of the soul. They do not believe in God. They do not believe in anything. Simply just like animals. This life—eating, sleeping, mating—do it to your best capacity. That is Kali-yuga. They have no knowledge, neither they are interested to know. Mandāḥ. And even they become little interested of spiritual..., a hodgepodge, no clear idea. Mandāḥ sumanda matayo (SB 1.1.10). And unfortunate, harassed in every field of life. And hy upadrutāḥ. And over and above everything, they are always disturbed by external enemies. This is the position of Kali-yuga. And this life shortened, duration of life. So how they can advance by following the regular Vedic process? It is not possible.

Room Conversation Vaisnava Calendar Description -- March 11, 1972, Vrndavana:
Prabhupāda: Therefore, in order to keep his position as subordinate to the brāhmaṇas, he was known as Dāsa Gosvāmī. But it does not make any difference whether a brāhmaṇa is a Gosvāmī or a non-brāhmaṇa is a Gosvāmī, he is equally respected. This Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī later on, after Lord Caitanya's disappearance he went to Vṛndāvana to associate with the other Gosvāmīs, and he remained mostly at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, and he passed his days at Rādhā-kuṇḍa. His tomb is there still in Rādhā-kuṇḍa and he has got established a temple, that is Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī's temple. All the Gosvāmīs established some temple, separately. That temple is also there. (break) ...some of the instructions that such exalted personalities used to keep regular routine vow. Another thing that is also very difficult. At Rādhā-kuṇḍa Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī did not eat every day. He would eat every alternate day, or maybe after two days, he would take a little butter, say about ten grains or twenty grains, and that was his foodstuff, and the whole day and night he would engage himself in chanting, in writing books. He did not write many books, but some of his prayers are very famous. Some prayers, mostly he was engaged in chanting, and offering obeisances, circumambulating. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī's life is so glorious. This should be discussed on that day. (indistinct).

Devotee: Thank you Prabhupāda. (end)

Room Conversation -- July 5, 1972, London:

Sumati Morarjee: So, at that time it is handed over to Hong Kong ship. It will be delivered in Bombay. Then we reship it to Hong Kong, to Los Angeles.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee: Is that on a regular basis, that it goes to Hong Kong?

Sumati Morarjee: Yes, mostly. I'll let you know, because that service is also Bombay. These people, they don't know. So you can write one letter for this car, and another letter for this. So they're not intermixed.

Prabhupāda: Yes, all right. Scindia Steam Navigation meant for carrying Kṛṣṇa conscious.... (laughter)

Sumati Morarjee: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: That was written in the beginning.

Sumati Morarjee: Ah (laughter)

Prabhupāda: I think it was done by, at your expense.

Sumati Morarjee: Yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: That small pamphlet.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Father Tanner and other guests -- July 11, 1973, London:

Father Tanner: So it is the action, rather than the, no, the exterior rather than the interior.

Prabhupāda: No, interior... Well, of course, everyone has got interior tendency, but by practicing actually, exteriorally, that interior also is reformed. It is, by external behavior, the interior behavior also becomes fixed up. By practice. Therefore there is regular class so that he may be purified internally and externally. Sa bāhyābhyantara-śuciḥ. Yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantara-śuciḥ. If you constantly remember the Supreme Lord, so you become automatically purified, internally and externally. Because the Lord is absolute, so if we chant the Lord's holy name, the name is also Lord. He has no difference between His name and Himself.

Room Conversation with Dr. Arnold Toynbee, Famous Historian, at his home or office -- July 22, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: They can understand that. So during Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time, the cows were happy, and because they were happy, they were producing so much milk that when they were on the pasturing ground, the pasturing ground became moist with milk. Milk was dropping. So much milk supply. And kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ: (SB 1.10.4) There was regular rainfall and ample production of food grains, other things also. Just like jewelry, they are also produced by the rainfall and certain constellation of the stars. That we understand from the astrological books.

Dr. Arnold Toynbee: Yes.

Room Conversation with Dr. Arnold Toynbee, Famous Historian, at his home or office -- July 22, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: And yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ (BG 3.14). And when we regularly perform yajña, then there is regular cloud in the sky. And when there is cloud in the sky, there is regular rainfall, and when there is regular rainfall, there is sufficient production of food grains, fruits and other vegetables so that both the animal and the human beings, they eat sufficiently, they grow strength, they become happy and again perform yajña. And the animals supply, the cow supplies milk. In this way, the whole society becomes happy. These are the prescriptions, or directions, given by the Vedic literature. So if people take advantage of this instruction, as you have mentioned in your article "The Great Seers," so if we follow their instruction, the whole history of the human being can be changed. There is no difficulty. But whether the people will accept or not, that is the business of the leaders of the society. So far I think that British people, they organized very nicely the British Empire, but some way or other, it is now lost. But still, the British prestige can be elevated if actually, according to the Vedic instruction, you try to make your social construction, the political institution and economic development... Every direction is there. So you are all great historians. And there are many politicians. If you take this instruction of the Vedas little seriously, you can make your state an ideal state, and people are still ready to follow you. Then the whole history of the world will change. And if you people agree, then I can help you. I can help.

Room Conversation with Cardinal Danielou -- August 9, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: So our point of view is that we don't allow killing any animal. Our Kṛṣṇa says: patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa says vegetable, fruits, milk, grains, all these things should be offered to Me with devotion. And you should take the remnants of the foodstuff. So we take prasādam. And Kṛṣṇa says: "Give Me foodstuff prepared from this group." That we do. Accepting that the fruits, they have got life. But fruits are by nature... There are many fruits. It is offered by the tree for eating. The tree's not killed. So we accept this philosophy also that a, one animal, one living entity is meant for being food for another living entity. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. That we also accept, but that does not mean one living entity is the food for another living entity, that does not mean I can kill my mother, my child... That is not, sir. So at least this must be taken into consideration that cows, innocent, they give us milk, we take its milk, and we kill in regular slaughterhouse, this is not very good thing. It is sinful.

Room Conversation with French Journalist and UNESCO Worker -- August 10, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: ...your position there?

Dr. Inger: Well, now I am a consultant. I used to be a regular member of the staff for a long time. Now I do certain projects for them, and I'm a visiting professor, and I'm a writer, visiting professor at different universities. So I'm connected with, with UNESCO in a way that I can not be now a permanent member of the staff which I was... (break)

Prabhupāda: ...purpose is not to propose only. Because I wish that there are so many scient..., scientific men, philosophers and thoughtful men... Suppose even if I ask you, what is your answer, that what is the purpose...? The cosmic manifestation is there, the universe is there, and there are innumerable planets within this universe, and they are very organizely kept. Everything is nicely going on. The sun is rising in due time. The moon is rising in due time. The seasons, seasons are changing. There is nice organization. So is it not a bona fide inquiry to, "What is the purpose of this organization?"

Room Conversation with Anna Conan Doyle, daughter-in-law of famous author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- August 10, 1973, Paris:

Anna Conan Doyle: He's not trained.

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is the... So if we make our living condition very simple, there is enough time, enough time. But we don't say that you go back to the primitive stage of life. That is not possible. We simply request that wherever you are, simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. There is no difficulty. Then everything will be clear. And we are not charging anything for that, that: "You give me so many pounds. I'll give you a mantra." Not like that. (break) There is no necessity. Unnecessarily they are killing animals, and becoming sinful. So they have created their own field of activities just to become bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Formerly, in the human society, there was no slaughterhouse. If they wanted to kill one animal, they went to the forest or anywhere. Kill one animal and eat it. But here it is now regular business. Somebody's supplying cows regularly by increasing livestock. That has become his business. And somebody's killing. So we have invented so many things like that, simply for sinful activities. How we can become happy? It is not possible. So many big, big factories for producing beer and liquor. But they have become accustomed to this. And the net result is now we increasing the hippie population. This irresponsible life is producing children, most irresponsible, brainless. Yes. But they have no eyes to see, that "How we are degrading. This is our children." I have been to Amsterdam.

Room Conversation with Indian Ambassador -- September 5, 1973, Stockholm:

Prabhupāda: They give this example that: "You also kill vegetables, just this grass blade is broken. It is killed. So it is equal to maintaining a big slaughterhouse." You see? This is going on, under the name of re... They, they were Christian nuns. In London they come to me, talk some time. So... And in India also, we see now cow killing is going on, regular slaughterhouse and... What can I say? You are government man. (laughs) You may take some wrong views about me. What is your opinion, personal?

Ambassador: I'm afraid I'm a very democratic person. If people, if they sincerely believe that they cannot exist without meat, they should be permitted, and once that is granted...

Prabhupāda: No, no, no.

Ambassador: ...you have to organize slaughterhouses.

Prabhupāda: Then, then that is the, our misfortune that we have lost our Indian culture.

Room Conversation with Dr. Christian Hauser, Psychiatrist -- September 10, 1973, Stockholm:

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) Bhāgavata verse, janmādy asya (SB 1.1.1), asya janmādi (indistinct) concise word but volumes of meanings. Volumes. Each word is like that. Vidyā bhāgavata-vali(?). Therefore one's learning is complete when he reads Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Otherwise he remains imperfect, in spite of all learning. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), from where? Now the creation of this cosmic world, from where? But you do not know from where. This is explained in Bhāgavatam. Paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi. That is actually true. In this way simply if you analyze one verse, you'll find each word is full of volumes of meaning. Janmādy asya yataḥ, anvayāt (SB 1.1.1). Like the creation, anvayāt, directly and indirectly, itarataś cārtheṣu, in the matter of understanding, abhijñaḥ. Abhijñaḥ means completely cognizant. That is the Absolute Truth. He knows everything—how this universe is created, how it is maintained, how it annihilated, directly and indirectly. Just like, I always, regular, everyday thing, when I am massaged by my student, I see so many veins so I think that I claim, "This is my leg," but I do not know what are these veins. Directly I know this is my leg, but indirectly I do not know how this leg is working with these veins and nerves and muscles. I do not know. But so far God is concerned, He has created. He knows every veins and everything.

Interviews with Macmillan and various English Reporters -- September 12, 1973, London:

Prof. Gombrich: No, I haven't, I'm afraid. No. And do you think that the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness or Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is very different from the message of realizing God which is promulgated in other religions, for instance the Śaiva religion or...?

Prabhupāda: No I don't think so. Any religion, you follow nicely. Just Christian religion, there is God consciousness. So actually it is not this religion or that religion. People have given up religion. All over the world they have no more interest in religion. And especially I see that in your London that so many churches are vacant. Nobody's going there. So thing is that there is no more regular teaching of religious system. It has become a profession like. Neither the teachers are serious, nor the students are serious. So our principle is that not this religion or that religion. Whichever religion you may like, you can follow, but we want to see whether you are God conscious. If you are not God conscious, then we take it simply useless waste of time, these so-called religions. Śrama eva hi kevalam. You understand Sanskrit.

Room Conversation -- September 19, 1973, Bombay:

Kīrtanānanda: Because she asked, "Why do you eat meat?"

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Acyutānanda: She couldn't answer her philosophically, so she got back by failing her.

Prabhupāda: So there are so many members of the society against cruelty to animals. But they are all meat-eaters. Read something from Bhagavad-gītā and discuss. So in the Nepeansea Road, whether regular other things are going on or not? Or simply it is going out and coming and eating and sleeping?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, we want to have morning class and Monday, Wednesday and Friday have evening program there, evening discourse.

Prabhupāda: Whether it is going on?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, we just fixed up the place. The day you arrived was the first day it was painted. Until then, it was not fit for anyone to come in. It was very nasty.

Prabhupāda: But you are living since a long time there.

Room Conversation with Banker -- September 21, 1973, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: She knows only "dark room." That's all. In darkness.

Lady: But we have not practiced by sitting there (indistinct)...

Banker: He has a regular schedule. He has āratis.

Prabhupāda: What Deity?

Banker: He had a book in Sanskrit.

Prabhupāda: What is that book?

Lady: Some prayers of the Lord.

Banker: His own prayers. They are not the Gītā or anything. It is something separate. And they sing Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Rāma... That's why it's not this Kṛṣṇa consciousness because er...,

Prabhupāda: He sings Hare Kṛṣṇa?

Lady: No. Some different sort of prayers. He was learning that... He had one saint of his (indistinct)...

Banker: There's a statue in the temple of some saint.

Lady: Nityānanda Swami. He was his guru.

Conversation at Airport -- October 26, 1973, Bombay:

Pradyumna:

kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ
sarva-kāma-dughā mahī
siṣicuḥ sma vrajān gāvaḥ
payasodhasvatīr mudā
(SB 1.10.4)

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ. So if there is regular rainfall, then you get all necessities of life. And the cows were so happy that the milk bag was so full that the pasturing ground became muddy with milk. They were supplying so much milk. So arrangement should be made how you can get more milk and more foodgrains. Then the whole economic problem will be solved. But instead of getting more milk, they are slaughtering cows, innocent animals. So people have become demons, rascals, so they must suffer. There is no other way. (end)

Morning Walk -- December 8, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: They would give advice to the kings but never accept the post of a king.

Hṛdayānanda: So every kṣatriya had to have something to manage?

Prabhupāda: Yes. There was a regular advisory committee, privy council, composed of high learned brāhmaṇas and saintly persons.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I think people who say like this they are jealous.

Prabhupāda: Ha?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They are jealous of the other people who are coming up higher than them. So, seeing them, they are quite jealous.

Prabhupāda: Who?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: These so-called brāhmaṇas.

Prabhupāda: They must be jealous because if simply by taking birth in a brāhmaṇa family he can become brāhmaṇa and if somebody protests then he, he becomes jealous... (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya.

Morning Walk -- December 8, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Jaya, Śrīla Prabhupāda. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...daiva-varṇāśrama. My Guru Mahārāja wanted this that there be regular varṇāśrama, qualified. It is not the monopoly of India that brāhmaṇas are born there. No. No, you are all brāhmaṇas. Otherwise how can I allow you to worship Deity? Hmm. What is that?

Satsvarūpa: If I go to some city and hold a program and advertise but only, say, four or five people come and yet they're interested, very interested-should that be considered successful or unsuccessful?

Prabhupāda: It is successful. If one man comes to hear, that is successful. But we have to see that, after spending so much money...

Devotee: Yes.

Morning Walk -- December 11, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Topless, bottomless. That is going on. It is a regular policy that girls may remain unmarried, and the drunkards and the meat-eaters may take advantage of the prostitution. This is the policy. They have no sympathy. So many hundreds and thousands of innocent girls, they're like children. And they're exposed to prostitution. They have no shelter. Now these girls who are with us, they're feeling some shelter, you see? That we are giving some shelter. Everything should be reformed, political, social, and be, you American nation—you're favored nation, that I am always speaking; you should utilize the favor of God and be yourself perfect—and be leader of the whole world. Anyone who is not believer in God, he should be punished. Because he's animal. He is animal, and he is posing himself as human being. Cheater. Human life is meant for tapasya, for understanding God. That is human life.

Morning Walk -- December 11, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prajāpati: That that's right, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So you must take this clue, that we Americans, we say "In God we trust." Now, every American should know what is God, what is trust. This is propaganda, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The government must come forward to patronize this. This is my proposition. So you write articles, you are theologicians. The America must rise up to the occasion. They have pledged themselves, "In God we trust." Every human nation or every human being should be like that. In God they must trust. So America, especially taken up the slogan as part of Constitution. Now there should be regular educational program, that every child, every man, every woman will trust in God. And this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So? Am I wrong in my arguments?

Devotee: No, correct.

Prabhupāda: So why don't you take it seriously, you American boys?

Prajāpati: Also in the Constitution, Śrīla Prabhupāda, there is a thing called separation of church and state, that they would have...

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is all right. We want to educate, we don't want to take part in administration. But the administration should be under our guidance; they should take advice from us, how to do it. That is required. We are not going to be president. We are satisfied in our humble temple.

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

Rūpānuga: Third Canto. How the sunlight, you can tell time, that the atom is a subtle form of time, that you can tell time as light passes over the surface of an atom. And the experiment is that you look for atoms in a screen. When the sun comes through the screen, you can see in the sunlight hexatoms or six atoms with your naked eye. That experiment is given in Bhāgavatam. It is very wonderful. Vedic science. We should present that as the real actual science, real atomic science.

Prabhupāda: No, in Bhāgavatam there is regular calculation, what is the distance from one planet to another. Everything is there.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: The calculation is given.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Every planet is described, what is the constitution, what are the forms of the living entities there. Everything is there. Bhāgavata never says that "These, all the other planets are vacant. Only this planet is full of living entities." Bhāgavata is not so rascal. These rascals may say. Their theory is that "All other planets, they are vacant. Only this planet is filled with..." This rascal theory is not in the Bhāgavata. We see that there is living entity in the water. There is living entity within the sand. How you can say there is no living entity in other planets?

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

Prabhupāda: That is the beginning. So the girl becomes infected, and she distributes to all men who have sex life with... This is the beginning of sex life. And in Mexico I have heard that they regularly make theatrical demonstration, how a woman is getting sex with ass. Is it?

Bahulāśva: Yes. That is in Tijuana.

Prabhupāda: Just see. Brahmānanda told me. People have become so degraded. They make regular show, how sex life can be enjoyed with animals.

Bahulāśva: That is abominable.

South American Devotee: In South of Argentina, the soldiers, they have sex life with different animals. The army. When they are so long alone without..., and they have...

Prabhupāda: The government allow?

South American Devotee: Oh yeah.

Prabhupāda: It is legal. Just see. Where it is?

South American Devotee: South Argentina.

Prabhupāda: Now, if you analyze the present human society, you will find there is not a single human being. All animals. All animals. Not a single human being.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 12, 1974, Los Angeles:

Umāpati: Yes. The schools are falling apart. Delinquency and there's lots of criminal activity amongst the children in school. And even the teachers are walking out of the classrooms because of the violence in the schools and the lack of communication with their students.

Prabhupāda: No, in India, in examination hall there is regularly police. Regularly. I have seen it. So what is the value of this education? There is regular police. Now there is no ordinary guard.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: In fact some people get killed. During the examination hall, people get killed.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Sometimes people want to copy, and those people who are...

Prabhupāda: Guarding.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. They catch them, and sometimes they get killed outside. Still in Calcutta.

Prabhupāda: Yes. There has been case. Yes.

Morning Walk -- February 20, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: They came here... I have got many students. They came here for spiritual enlightenment, but they learned gañjā smoking and keeping high, big beard. You know. There is a sannyāsa-āśrama in Delhi. And people contribute them gañjā. Not only they, I know... My father, he was also attached to so many sannyāsīs. So in Kālī-ghāṭa, there was a sannyāsī...

Dr. Patel: Sannyāsīs, those nāgā-bābās, they smoke.

Prabhupāda: Not nāgā... He was a regular sannyāsī, Māyāvādī sannyāsī. So my father was giving them the saffron cloth and gañjā. People accept it that this is one of the items.

Dr. Patel: That gañjā should be given.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes, so badly impressed. So this gañjā-smoking has spread all over the world as the hippie movement.

Dr. Patel: I thought that the hippies started from those, this (indistinct) part.

Prabhupāda: No, no. The hippie movement was started from India. You see so many gañjā-smokers, they are sādhus, bābā-sādhu.

Dr. Patel: Bābās also, those nāgā-bābās, they all smoke...

Prabhupāda: No, no. Nāgā and also "sāgā (?)" also. All of them gañjā-... (laughs)

Morning Walk -- February 25, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...temple.

Dr. Patel: No, but I mean to say because the temple is open you hear the noise. When the temple is closed, you won't hear the noise. That is, that should be all right. Because there is a next-door temple also. It also makes noise. But your noise is now louder, I mean, far away because of the open space. That should be the argument: "Let us construct a regular temple. You won't..." (break)

Prabhupāda: ...so much proud of the Hindus.

Dr. Patel: I'm also proud of the Hindu. Always proud.

Prabhupāda: But why they disturb maṅgala ārati?

Dr. Patel: But they may be degenerated Hindu, people may be Hindus, real Hindus, false Hindus and fictitious Hindus and non-Hindus calling themselves as Hindus. So which type of Hindus do you mean?

Prabhupāda: No. I mean Hindu Hindu.

Morning Walk -- March 12, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: They did not take sannyāsa, but they left home. There is no need of accepting sannyāsa. One has to perform the devotional activities. That is real thing. Simply by changing dress, one does not improve. Unless he takes to the, seriously, principles of devotional service. But in the Kali-yuga, they'll think, "Because I have changed my dress, I have become a big sannyāsī." You see? "Because I have got a sacred thread, now I am a brāhmaṇa." No. There must be regular training. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Jagadīśa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, in a varṇāśrama society is...

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Jagadīśa: In a varṇāśrama society, are most of the citizens śūdras?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Jagadīśa: Are the majority of citizens śūdras? In a varṇāśrama society?

Prabhupāda: Yes. The number of śūdras are always bigger. Just like in University education. The, the number of graduates and post-graduates, they're less. Others are big, number bigger.

Morning Walk -- March 14, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: ...that business in your country. What is that? Topless, bottomless?

Devotee: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: No? They want. There is regular business. In India also. In the hotels there are regular business to pick up college girls and enjoyed by the guests. So many things are going on on this basis of sinful activity. All over the world. So they become polluted, all people..., population, then how they can expect good government? Some of them will take the charge of the government, and he's polluted. (pause) Indigestion. You know that? Indigestion.

Devotee: Ha.

Prabhupāda: You have not digested your food. (break) Any carpenter working in... (break) The government was pleased to reply that they're maintaining themselves by selling literature. Similarly, if it comes to the notice of the government that they're maintaining ourselves by production of food, they'll like very much. (break) In your temple.

Morning Walk 'Varnasrama College' -- March 14, 1974, Vrndavana:

Hṛdayānanda: What he kills.

Prabhupāda: Yes. But not from the slaughterhouse. Those who are kṣatriyas, they can, they're allowed sometimes to eat meat. It is understood Bhīma, Bhīma also eating sometimes meat. Bhīma. Amongst the Pāṇḍavas, only Bhīma. Not others. So if the kṣatriyas, they want to eat meat, they can be allowed on particular occasions. But they must go to the forest and kill the animal. Not that for meat-eating regular slaughterhouses should be maintained. This is all nonsense, degradation. If you want to eat meat, you go to the forest. And the śūdras, they also sometimes eat meat. Or the caṇḍālas.

Hṛdayānanda: But never the cow.

Prabhupāda: No. Cow... The śūdras, they can take a goat and sacrifice before the deity, goddess Kālī, and then eat. Nobody should be given unrestricted freedom to eat meat. Or wine. If one is adamant to drink wine, then there is Caṇḍī-pūjā, Durgā-pūjā. That means restriction. That means restriction. Under certain condition. Similarly, sex life—marriage. That is also sex life, but under condition.

Morning Walk -- April 4, 1974, Bombay:

Chandobhai: Gopīs are personal.

Prabhupāda: No, no, everything is being described as person. So where is the question of imperson? Even in His aneka mūrti, in the virāṭ form, universal form, there are persons. At least from Bhagavad-gītā, nobody can prove that the Absolute Truth, God, is imperson. That is not possible. But still, they are doing that. That means they do not understand what is Bhagavad-gītā, although they are very much proud of regular scholar of Bhagavad-gītā. So am I right or wrong? Let us discuss.

Chandobhai: He is both personal and impersonal.

Prabhupāda: No, no, why?

Dr. Patel: You are right.

Prabhupāda: No, here it is described person. Although the virāṭ-rūpa is there... Virāṭ-rūpa is considered...

Chandobhai: Virāṭ-rūpa is personal.

Prabhupāda: Personal.

Morning Walk -- April 10, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes. No. By birth, there is no brāhmaṇa. By saṁskāra. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. That is...

Indian man (4): Birthright is not brāhmaṇa. No birthright.

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Indian man (4): Provided he has got the particular saṁskāra. (Hindi) That is the beginning of it.

Prabhupāda: Ah, that is the beginning of saṁskāra. There is regular ceremony.

Indian man (5): But a very few people nowadays...

Prabhupāda: Still in Bengal, when the husband meets first the wife, there is saṁskāra. There is regular pūjā, patha. Then the husband and wife meet together. We had the same saṁskāra in our family. It was going on. When we were young man, it was going on.

Indian man (4): Semen ceremony.

Indian man (6): Semen means before the birth.

Indian man (5): After pregnancy, eight or nine months, something like that.

Prabhupāda: That is ṣaḍ-lakṣana. That is another thing. Before sex, there is a ceremony. That is called garbhādhāna.

Morning Walk -- April 10, 1974, Bombay:

Indian man: Yes. You can recognize here. But now they are changed completely.

Prabhupāda: Yes. When the girl has no this covering, that means she is virgin. She is not married. In this way all the signs are there. This is prosita bhartrka. Prosita-bhartrka means one whose husband is not at home, outside. Then she will not dress, she will not take regular bath, so that people may know that her husband is not at home.

Śrīdhara: She won't take bath?

Prabhupāda: Not, take bath not with any oil. Yes. Means she wanted to avoid very good looking. Yes, that is the idea.

Śrīdhara: "But although Rohiṇī's husband was away, she still dressed herself on this occasion."

Prabhupāda: (break) ...deliver each and every child to Kamsa, but in the case of Kṛṣṇa he did not do so. He did not deliver. He cheated him by changing. So to give protection to Kṛṣṇa, they had to do something, even it is not sanctioned. He violated because he promised before Kaṁsa that "I shall deliver all the children," and he did it. But when there was Kṛṣṇa, he broke the promise.

Room Conversation with Mr. C. Hennis of the International Labor Organization of the U.N. -- May 31, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: Now the so-called, the priestly society, priestly society, they are amending the Biblical injunction according to their whims. Just like in the Bible, the injunction is, "Thou shalt not kill." But the priestly class and all classes, they are simply killing. So how they can guide? They are keeping regular slaughterhouse for killing. So how they can guide? I have asked so many Christian gentlemen, including priests that "Your injunction is that 'Thou shalt not kill.' That is Lord Jesus Christ's order. Why you are violating this?" They give me vague answers. Directly it is said, "Thou shalt not kill." And the whole world is simply killing poor animals, and keeping up-to-date slaughterhouse.

C. Hennis: Well, I suppose they are adopting the principle that you yourself advocated just now. You said that the proper society is one which is...

Prabhupāda: That means lacking brain, lacking brain, lacking brain.

Morning Walk -- June 22, 1974, Germany:

Haṁsadūta: Cultured excursion.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Weekly and planned.

Guest (2) (French man): There is regularly pūjā in your community?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Here also, there is temple. There is regular pūjā, six times.

Guest (2): Offering light...

Prabhupāda: Light, food, everything. Dress, bathing, so many things. If you receive me, you must give me something eatable. Simply light, how can I be satisfied? (laughter) If you give me simply light and no food then how can I be satisfied? Kṛṣṇa says, "Give Me this food." Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, tad ahaṁ aṣnāmi (BG 9.26). "I will eat." (break)

Haṁsadūta: Cigarettes. (chuckles)

Prabhupāda: Tin can. You can get also tin can in the slot? What is that? Paying?

Haṁsadūta: Oh yes. Anyone can get it. There's no restriction. Here's the car. (end)

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: Gṛhastha is also āśrama. It is as good as sannyāsa āśrama. You can accept any āśrama suitable for you, but āśrama means cultivation of spiritual knowledge. That is the difference between āśrama and ordinary house. Now, this building is called temple, and the next building is called house. Why? The building is the same. But it is meant for cultivating spiritual knowledge. Therefore it is called temple, to understand God. The other house is meant for eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Therefore they are house. So you can change your house into temple provided you try to understand God. Then it is āśrama. Otherwise it is house.

Guest (4): But is it possible to jump from brahmacārī to directly sannyāsa?

Prabhupāda: It is not jumping. It is regular process.

Guest (4): One should go through all the...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like student. Then he becomes a family man when he's grown up. Then he becomes again a sannyāsī. So it is a process. It is not jumping. One after another.

Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Prabhupāda: No, now this killing of the babies are going on.

Guest (1): You mean abortions.

Prabhupāda: Yes, and not abortion, killing, regular killing. Sometimes they kill, the doctors. So it is going to be supported, like that, scientific research?

Guest (1): No, Swamiji, it's a matter of opinion when the mentally fetus becomes an individual. If you think that as soon as it is conceived, it is an individual—of course it is because it's going to grow into one—then of course it's killing.

Prabhupāda: You believe that the child in the womb is not individual?

Guest (1): No, I don't have any personal thoughts about it though. But I think if a woman thinks that she is not suited as a mother...

Prabhupāda: Then why she has sex?

Guest (1): Well, in this present world I think, you know, sex is not for procreation, it is more for fun. I think ninety-nine percent of the couples who indulge in sex do not think of children at that time.

Prabhupāda: But that is sinful.

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

Jayatīrtha: So then the next thing, besides having a zonal responsibility, a GBC man may have a functional responsibility, like we've already discussed.

Prabhupāda: Functional, main functional responsibility is to go and see that the temple regular work is going on, the president is doing nicely, to check in this way. You can sit down in the class, in the..., and see how things are going on. That's it.

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

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.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The answer to his point is that just as there's a president of the United States, so when someone is talking about the president, according to how intimate that person is, you discuss different subject matters. For example, if the person is just a common person, a regular person, you may discuss about the president's powers in the government. But when you meet someone who actually is intimately connected with the president, then you describe the president's family, how the president's family is doing, what is the president doing in his time of relaxation, etc. So similarly, Jesus was speaking to persons who were not very intimate with God. They were not so much spiritually advanced. Therefore, for those persons, simply the power and glory of God is mentioned in the Bible. But Kṛṣṇa, the description of Kṛṣṇa in the Bhāgavatam, is meant for the pure devotees. And for them the very detailed, intimate description of Kṛṣṇa is given there.

Pañcadraviḍa: Nirmatsarāṇām.

Prajāpati: A very major thing happenned to the Christian tradition in about 400 A.D. Up until that time, as best our records are, Christianity was very much like Kṛṣṇa consciousness, very much like our movement. But at that time it became the official religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine, and it took on many of the paraphernalia of the old Roman demigod worship, and at that time it became a whole...

Prabhupāda: Just to make it favorable for your government, for the government.

Conversation with Indian Guests -- April 12, 1975, Hyderabad:

Guest (3): Even in the Bhāgavatam you don't see the...

Prabhupāda: No, Rādhā... There, Bhāgavata, there is. That is foolish proposition, "In the Bhāgavata there is no Rādhārāṇī." There is. But at least in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa has never said about His Vṛndāvana-līlā. No. That is very confidential. That is not for common man. The common man, first of all let him understand what is Kṛṣṇa. That is Bhagavad-gītā. That they do not understand. Even big, big leaders, politicians, scholars, they do not understand. Because they do not take to Kṛṣṇa's instruction, therefore they fail to understand. And what they'll understand about Rādhārāṇī? You... If you are my confidential friend, then I can take to my family. And if you are outsider, why should you expect to come into my family life? This is common sense. You do not understand Kṛṣṇa, and you want to understand Kṛṣṇa's dealings with Rādhārāṇī. That is very confidential. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktir asmāt. You have to understand Kṛṣṇa, then His pleasure potency, hlādinī-śakti. The difficulty is that we do not want to become a regular student.

Conversation with Devotees -- April 14, 1975, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: ...take the credit. And what is your credit? It is already there for millions of years. Why you are anxious to produce this? Without your help it is being produced. So why you spending our hard-earned money and cheating us? You are cheater. You should be punished. These things are already going on. For you there is no scarcity of life. Then why you are spending our tax to show your talent? What is your talent? You are simply cheating us—"We shall do it..." You do or do not, the things are already there. Why you are taking our money to make research? You are cheating us. You should be punished. You will be punished. Even the state does not punish, you'll be punished by the Supreme Lord because you are cheating. So you can cheat us, but you cannot cheat God. Regular punishment will be there. Millions of years it has been going on, and I want to tell (?) you, just tell (?) you (indistinct). The same example-millions of dogs are barking, and this man has learned how to bark. He is selling tickets. You see? You are driving away barking dog, and because this rascal has learned how to bark, you have to pay for it.

Conversation with Governor -- April 20, 1975, Vrndavana:

Governor: No, all people... One or two could be taken out of many.

Prabhupāda: No, that I asked him. Actually the idea is in the society as it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The guṇas are there. Just like naturally one is taking education just to become a politician, one is taking education how to become a high character saintly person. That natural inclination is already there, but that is not being properly harnessed. Therefore a regular educational institution should be there where proper training of brāhmaṇa, proper training of kṣatriya, vaiśya, must be given. These four divisions must remain there. And the, so far the brahminical culture, that must be there. Otherwise you cannot say that you become moralist. Where is the example of moralist? A section of person must be there, fully moralist. That ideal section is now lacking. Therefore, what I have written, that?

Brahmānanda: "As there are different sections of educational institutions, there must be one institution how to train up perfect brāhmaṇas with ideal characters as above mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā. If there is a section of people of ideal character, say 5 percent, the other 95 percent, by seeing their example, will follow. In other words, a section of the society must be of ideal character. That is essential."

Prabhupāda: So therefore this varṇāśrama college is very essential.

Morning Walk -- May 9, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Amogha: And he ate a big plate of prasādam. He liked it very much. So he was saying that perhaps we can have some regular comparative religion course in the school, and when we show the students, tell them about Hare Kṛṣṇa movement as a study, about, as he calls it, our religion, so they can also come in a bus to the temple.

Prabhupāda: Very good.

Amogha: The students will come in a bus and see how we chant and have some prasādam.

Prabhupāda: It is a good reception. So that is still going on?

Amogha: It hasn't started yet. This is the plan. But sometimes he hesitates, because he has doubts.

Prabhupāda: Superstition. That is superstition.

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

Carol: So you think the Christian faith hasn't been reflected in the behavior of Western people.

Prabhupāda: This is practical. You are maintaining huge slaughterhouses, regular killing. So, you took instruction from Christ, "Thou shall not kill." You first of all killed him, and then the killing process is going on among the animals, and declaring wars every now and then. So the killing business is going on regularly. In your regular life also. You are maintaining big, big slaughterhouses. Then when you accepted the instruction of Christ? That I want to know. What is that date?

Carol: Do you see any hope for the world? We seem to be moving towards destruction.

Prabhupāda: No, my... You just explain.

Amogha: He's asking you when did this civilization actually accept the teachings of Christ?

Carol: When have they? Not overall at all, only in small pockets. Never overall.

Prabhupāda: Then why you are claiming that you are Christian? Just like you are having cross. That is the sign that you killed Christ. The cross is the killing symbol of Christ.

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

Prabhupāda: Who is following the instructions?

Śrutakīrti: We are.

Prabhupāda: But supposing Christ distributed fish, but did he say that we shall maintain regular slaughterhouse for killing animals?

Śrutakīrti: He was against that. He threw the men out of the temple, because they were selling lambs in the temple to be offered at the altar. So he kicked them out, saying this temple is not a place for selling animals for slaughter.

Paramahaṁsa: But in one place they say Christ encouraged fishermen. Because he came and the fishermen were fishing on one side of the boat, and Christ came along and said, "You are fishing on the wrong side of the boat." He said, "Put your nets on the other side, and you will get more fish." An they did that and they got huge amounts of fish. And so they were encouraged in their fish-eating in this way.

Gaṇeśa: Jesus also said to the fisherman, "Give up you fishing and I will make you fishers of men." He said this to his disciples.

Prabhupāda: Then on the whole it comes that his instructions are sometimes contradictory.

Morning Walk -- May 11, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: That is tapasya, that voluntarily we accept some inconvenience. That is called tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryena (SB 6.1.13). The tapasa means first brahmacarya, how to avoid sex desire. That is the first tapasa. Tapasā brahmacaryena samena vā, yamena niyamena vā, damena tyāgena satya-śaucābhyām (SB 6.1.13). The steps are there. So tapasā, tapasā... Tapasya means first brahmacarya, how to restrain this sex desire. That is first step. Where is their tapasya? "It is very difficult to do this tapasya. Oh." Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given harer nāma (CC Adi 17.21). If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra regularly, you'll be cured. Otherwise, regular tapasya is almost impossible nowadays.

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

Prabhupāda: So that problem solved if you perform sacrifice. That is the verse. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. And yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ (BG 3.14). Very simple formula. If we follow this formula, that first of all, if we want regular water supply... That we want. Not that "if we want." We must have regular water supply. So that is possible by performing yajña.

Justin Murphy: Um hm, um hm.

Prabhupāda: Yajña means to satisfy the Supreme Lord. That is yajña. Yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ. Karma means your activities. Whatever you are doing, that is karma. You are working as geologist? What is?

Justin Murphy: Geographer.

Morning Walk -- May 20, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Then it will be regular. It is nature's punishment. You may not care what is sinful life, but that is recorded. That is foolishness. "I don't care for God, don't care for what is going to happen." That is foolishness. People, lower planetary system, they are like that. In this planet also. In Western countries there are many places. "Don't care for anything, what is sinful life, what is going to happen. Let us enjoy, that's all." This is their philosophy. "Let us enjoy, that's all." Materialistic point of view is like that. They do not know that we are eternal and we are responsible for our activities. That is knowledge. But they have no knowledge. They simply want to enjoy. They do not care for death also. Simply sense gratification. That's all. This is called dānava, dānava life. The scientist explain for so many varieties. They accept there are varieties. Why there are so many varieties of life?

Hari-śauri: They were simply approximating. They said from recent discoveries and examination of fossils and like this...

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Room Conversation with Director of Research of the Dept. of Social Welfare -- May 21, 1975, Melbourne:

Director: Not our clients all do.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they will do. If regular institution runs on with all facility... We get so many devotees come here, after some time they become dedicated devotees. The method must be there. This is... We are increasing; our movement is not decreasing. Just like we have opened a temple here. There was no temple, but we have got a nice temple. In this way all over the world our movement is increasing; it is not decreasing. I came from India alone in New York, 1965. So for one year I had no place to stay, I had no means to eat. I was loitering practically, living in some friend's house and some friend's house. Then gradually it developed, people. I was chanting in a Square in New York alone, full three hours. What is that, Tompkinson Square? Yes. You been in New York? So that was my beginning. Then gradually people came. You were in some club, what is that?

Madhudviṣa: California?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Garden Conversation with Dr. Gerson and devotees -- June 22, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Because even if you find somebody diseased, still, spiritual consciousness is not hampered. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, ahaituky apratihatā. Apratihatā means without any impediment. There is no checking. Just like in the Ganges water you will sometimes find the stool is floating there. But that does not mean the Ganges water has become polluted. It is practical. In Calcutta, in our childhood, I was taking bath in the Ganges with my father. Many gentlemen regularly takes bath in the Ganges. And the modern scientific method is: all the garbage, throw into the river. So we were taking bath, and here is some stool floating. So we used to drive away the stool and take bath. The stool is unable to pollute the Ganges water. You will find in India still. The advanced gentlemen... "The dirty water," they say, Ganges water. But you will find practically, that anyone who is taking regular bathing in this dirty water, he is healthy. You will find. It is very healthy. No disease touches him ordinarily. Of course, the body is susceptible to disease, but generally, those who are taking regular bath in the Ganges water, they are not diseased. You will find it practically still. So as the stool floating in the Ganges water cannot pollute the Ganges water, similarly, a devotee, even if you find scientifically that he is crazy or he is diseased, that is not impediment.

Morning Walk -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: He can go to Māyāpur.

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: They produce fruit so big, these palm... They are palm trees, they are not coconut.

Jayatīrtha: No, they're not coconut palms. Just regular palm trees. They have some kernel or something, palm kernel. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...killed the Gardhabhāsura in the palm forest. The fruit is so tasteful but the cowherds boy could not enter the forest on account of this demon.

Brahmānanda: Which demon was that?

Jayatīrtha: Dhenukāsura.

Prabhupāda: Dhenuka... Not Dhenukāsura. Gardhabhāsura. Dhenukāsura also, they come?

Brahmānanda: That was that ass.

Prabhupāda: Ass, ass, yes.

Room Conversation -- June 26, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: So what can I do?

Devotee (2): Well, you can make statements on certain of these things so that when they hear them, their ignorance will be dispelled.

Prabhupāda: Then we have to hear both of you. We have to hear both you... There will be regular court, and we shall see.

Devotee (1): Not court, simply...

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Devotee (2): That would be fine.

Devotee (1): Okay.

Prabhupāda: Before me. You are saying something. They may say something else. So brothers together, we sit down together, and bring this...

Morning Walk -- July 1, 1975, Denver:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, I wanted to point out to you that the results...

Prabhupāda: No, artificial... Just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, he was fasting, but he was not weak. That fasting. And he who will fast artificially and become weak, "I cannot work," that is not required. That is called markaṭa-vairāgya. If you fast and at the same time you do not become weak, then that is recommended. And after fasting you cannot do a flat, fall flat, then what is the use of fasting? Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was fasting, but he was taking thrice bathing and offering obeisances hundred times. His regular activities was not stopped. And he was taking every alternate day a little quantity of butter. That's all.

Morning Walk -- July 1, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: Here also they say. Just like in Bombay, the Bandra(?).

Harikeśa: Ah, terrible.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What's Viṣṇujana doing? (break) ...Deity, I've never seen it. He gets up early in the morning, wakes Him up, cooks for Him, then we offer ārati, then bathing and dressing the Deity, sings for Him all day. He's so devoted to Rādhā-Dāmodara.

Prabhupāda: Svarūpa-siddhi, arcana-siddhi. By simply worshiping Deity one can become perfect. Arcana-siddhi.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's a great advantage of our bus. Now we just traveled for two days in a row from San Francisco, but we did not miss one ārati, we had six āratis, full prasādam. We took bath on the bus in our shower room. We had regular classes, kīrtana all day. It was undisturbed.

Prabhupāda: So why not one week with them? I am prepared. (end)

Morning Walk -- July 5, 1975, Chicago:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No preaching work? Should they go out for preaching?

Prabhupāda: No, those who are preaching, not for them. Those who are sitting idle, or they... (laughter) (break) ...has no other regulation, simply preaching. A preacher is so exalted. He hasn't got to follow any regulation. But don't take it. (laughter) And actually if one is busy in preaching work, that is first-class. (break) ...not my manufactured word, my Guru Mahārāja, that the... That Mādhava Mahārāja, when he was a brahmacārī, his name was Hayagrīva. So he was to go somewhere. So but he was sick. Guru Mahārāja was informed that he was sick and "Today is ekādaśī. He cannot take his regular meals." So Guru Mahārāja said, "No. Let him take immediately meals and go."

Morning Walk -- July 18, 1975, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Then wherefrom this electric energy is coming? Where is the generating house? You cannot say that electric ener..., so many electrical light, they have come all of a sudden, no. There is a regular generating house. So where is that generating house? What is their reply?

Bahulāśva: They have none.

Dhīra Kṛṣṇa: You may get some of them to admit that they don't know, but then they'll think, "No one knows." They will say, "Well, no one knows that."

Prabhupāda: No, because you are rascal, therefore you cannot say that everyone is rascal. You rascal, you do not know. But we know because we are not rascals. We know. Kṛṣṇa says, aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). So we know. You do not know, you rascal. But we know. Then what is the answer?

Morning Walk -- July 31, 1975, Dallas:

Prabhupāda: And who is advising CIA?

Brahmānanda: The president. Nixon used to use the CIA to... If he had any enemy, he would have the CIA investigate that man. He was using it for his personal political purposes. (break) ...testing. In the early 1960's they were testing the effects of LSD, and so they gave LSD secretly into this one officer's coffee drink. And he drank it. He did not know it was LSD, and he went crazy and committed suicide. So now this investigation of CIA has uncovered this information. So now the family of this officer, they are suing the CIA for millions of dollars. (break) ... regular business of breaking into foreign embassies. In New York and Washington they did over 1500 break-ins, photographing documents, stealing coding machines. Sometimes when they would break in at night into one embassy, they would meet agents of another country who also were breaking into the same embassy, and they would salute one another. (laughter) It's a regular business.

Prabhupāda: They will not kill each other?

Brahmānanda: No, they respected one another because they were both after the same embassy. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...black government is going on all over the world. What they will think of people's welfare?

Brahmānanda: They are all against us.

Prabhupāda: Simply political gain.

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

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."

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

Prabhupāda: They, śūdras are there. Give him his eating, and some hand, pocket expense, hand expense, regular. If one can eat, then he has no demand. So the laborer has to be given to eat sumptuously. "Eat and work, take some pocket..." They will be (indistinct). Not that you call professional laborer and you have to pay twenty-five dollars per hour. That is nuisance. They'll drink. That's all. And not that everyone should have nice house. Why? What is the use? Go in the village, live simple, produce food. That's all. Eat. Why this electricity and three-hundred story building and...? And then you don't produce anything, eat fish. "And let me eat..." Artificial. It is very easy to take the animals in the city and slaughter. A little vegetable and milk, they are satisfied.

Morning Walk -- October 3, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: Britishers were advertising outside India that "Indians are uncivilized. Therefore we are making them civilized. Therefore we should stay there. Don't object." Because United Nations, they were asking, "Why you are occupying India?" So they used to forward this argument, that "These people are uncivilized. We are making them civilized." (laughter) Now, how there should be Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose? Therefore they used to suppress always. Everything Indian wanted to do, they would suppress: big businesses, this mining... They would suppress. This Morarji, Sumati Morarji, her father-in-law started that... He had to face so many impediments from the Britishers to start the shipping company. Formerly there was no shipping company, Indian. Now, before that, there was shipping, not shipping company, but navigation was there from India to Rome, Greece, Turkey, there was regular business of spices and fine cloth. Later on, this large-scale shipping industry, that was done by the Europeans. So when Indian wanted to start, they would supress. The Tata iron industry, he had to face so many difficulties. Formerly, even if you wanted to bring some iron frame, it would come from Sheffield.

Room Conversation with Bill Faill (reporter) -- October 8, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: This is...? Yes.

Faill: That's you.

Prabhupāda: Yes. If you read these books and write regular articles on the basis of my talk with you, it will be actually great benefit to the public.

Faill: Well, I'm about the only person in Durban, I think, who tries to write about this at all.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is the duty of the journalist to give real knowledge to the public. That is the duty of the journalist, not to give some hodgepodge idea without any effect.

Faill: I can't be bothered with profit (indistinct). I do a weekly science column, but it's more mysticism than science. I try and cover everything. Anyway, I won't keep you any longer.

Harikeśa: We're leaving at 9:45 A.M. on Tuesday.

Faill: 9:45.

Harikeśa: A.M. on Tuesday morning.

Faill: That's fine. Well, I'll try and get a photographer out and just get the group with you when you're catching the plane.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. Yes.

Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 :

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So then the point is that they criticize that how we can preach such a civilization to the Western countries if even it's not working in India today. Although theoretically it's perfect, practically it's not working.

Prabhupāda: No. Practically, because you have preached your culture in India; therefore they have lost their own culture. The Western, the Britishers were for two hundred years and they preached. Their policy was to kill the Indian culture. Because that report of Lord McCauley, after studying Indian situation, the report was to the Parliament that "If you keep India as Indian, then you will not be able to rule over them," so therefore there was regular policy to kill Indian civilization. And because they were on the governing power, they could do it. Therefore India lost its own culture and victimized by the Western culture. This is the position. Just they are learning how to eat meat, how to drink wine, how to dress them with coat and pant, how to go to the hotel, illicit sex—these things are…

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Imported.

Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 :

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Tea?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Nobody would drink tea, no family. We have seen it. And for drinking, for drinking tea, drinking wine, regular propaganda was done. There was a tea taxes committee. Men these foreigners, they began to grow tea in India in the beginning for exporting to Europe and America… Later on, they began to pay some tax to the government. That was known as "tea taxes committee." The tea taxes committee, in order to popularize drinking tea, they used to hold stall, just like here in park and public places, and they would prepare very tasty tea and distribute free.

Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 :

Prabhupāda: Oh, you… Nowadays you pay somebody, and he will do anything. So they appointed this Jhinna. He found that he is a very, intelligent lawyer. He was in the Congress. So there was dissension. There must be. So once this Jhinna was to be the president of the Congress, and the Patel, he frustrated. So Jhinna became angry, and at this moment the Britishers took it. He was a very intelligent barrister. So he instigated that, "You form a party, Muslim league. And whatever money is required for propaganda, we shall pay." So regular subscription was raised from all big, big British companies, mercantile, to pay him: "Whatever money, you organize the Muslims against the Hindus." And he did it.

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: How they got freedom?

Cyavana: They had to fight.

Prabhupāda: Fight?

Cyavana: Yes, they had to fight.

Prabhupāda: Regular violence?

Cyavana: Oh, yes. Very violent.

Brahmānanda: They would go into the farm... The Europeans owned all the farms. And they would go in vans with these knives and just cut everyone in the farm.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Cyavana: They cut everyone up into small chunks.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Brahmānanda: They cut them into pieces.

Cyavana: Into small pieces.

Prabhupāda: Accha?

Morning Walk -- November 2, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: ...brain.

Brahmānanda: That's an accident. That's an accident.

Prabhupāda: Accident. All accidents make symmetrically so beautiful.

Harikeśa: So in the beginning only it was an accident. Then it became regular, after that first accident.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So in the beginning let us kick. Then things will be all right. (break) Bhagavad-gītā says in the beginning? Hm? What is the beginning?

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

Prabhupāda: Ah. Bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 7.10), very good. Thank you very much. All these plants begins from the seed. That seed... Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the seed." So how it is accident? Every plant has got a particular type of seed. You cannot change it. You take two seeds. It will grow as it is; it will grow as it is. Not that by accident it will grow like this and it will grow like this, no. Rose seed will grow rose tree, and mango seed will grow mangoes. Where is accident? The seed is there. Simply rascals.

Morning Walk -- November 2, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: That was also. If Mahārāja Bhārata... It was punishment and reward also. Mahārāja Bhārata, although he became a deer, he remembered that he was such and such exalted position but "I became attached to the deer and I forgot my regular duties." Mahārāja Bhārata, he became so much attached to the deer, he forgot his regular duties. Therefore he was punished. But he remembered that "I was in such exalted position. On account of my attachment to the deer I have fallen." Therefore he rectified himself so that in his next life he became completely silent so that "I may not fall down," Jada Bhārata. This association, material association, is so dangerous, so he remained just like a dull madman. That's all. He was talking with nobody; he was not mixing with anybody. Whatever one would do, he did not protest, but his knowledge was full.

Morning Walk -- November 17, 1975, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Earth comes in front of the sun. Then it becomes sun eclipse.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So, but why, if the movement is regular, then the earth come regularly.

Dr. Patel: But there are several movements also. The movement of the earth, sun, and moon.

Prabhupāda: That means again escaping.

Dr. Patel: All harmonic motions...

Devotee (5): Many shooting stars...

Dr. Patel: Things should be thought scientifically.

Prabhupāda: What is the scientifically if you cannot say how many movements are there?

Dr. Patel: All the movements that the heavenly stars and other things are going on in a particular way.

Prabhupāda: No, you do not know what are the movements. You therefore say there are several movements, but you do not know what are these movements. That is not scientific. To avoid the explanation, if the scientist says that there are several movements... But you explain what is that movement? According to our śāstra there is no individual movement. The whole system is moving, making center the polestar. That we can see at night. They have... Star and planet, they have no separate movement. They are fixed up. Just like this tree. There are so many leaves. The tree is moving, so the leaves and twigs, they are moving, not that the leaf is moving.

Morning Walk -- November 20, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Dahi. So dahi is nothing but milk, but you cannot call it milk.

Dr. Patel: But he was a non-mudri-patha(?) brāhmaṇa and I think his father was not a priest but regular man.

Prabhupāda: Your daughter?

Indian man (2): Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So, where is your son? Huh? (Hindi)

Dr. Patel: That was the case with the, this Nanesvara, Santak Nanesvara(?), that his father once became a sannyāsī, and then he came back and had a gṛhastha-āśrama with his wife before he was ordered by his guru...

Prabhupāda: That is the case with Vallabhācārya also. He became sannyāsa, then again back, guru.

Morning Walk -- November 21, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh, Ranganath, yes.

Mahāṁsa: And one day one of our regular devotees, he went to see him and said, "What about in America there are so many people, they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa?" So he says, "In America also there are many fools." So he is blaspheming like this, how can we cooperate with such people?

Prabhupāda: No, we cannot cooperate. But if there is meeting we can prove them that they are fools. (laughter) That's all. (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. Jaya.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 20, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Oh. Then Brahmānanda... I asked Brahmānanda. He was in charge. I asked him that "Why don't you print more?" I understood that he has got the potency to sell more. So print in regular way, in that way we arranged. What is that press?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, mimeograph.

Prabhupāda: Mimeograph. I was printing. Yes. Then he inquired this Dai Nippon, many place. At last he said that "Unless we print twenty thousand, they will not take up this work." I said, "Immediately take it." From three thousand to twenty thousand immediately. At that time they were giving us ten cent or less than.

Sudāmā: Ten cent. It was around ten cents.

Prabhupāda: So in this way. Then how you'll increase?

Jayapatākā: Now you can sell whole sets.

Morning Walk -- February 10, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: I think there was a Vaiṣṇava meeting inaugurated by Mahārāja Maṇīndrānandī. You are referring to that. (break) When I was visiting, I used to sit on his couch. Yes, like... Guru Mahārāja was sitting on the couch, so I took him as ordinary gentleman. So then nobody asked me that, that "You are sitting? Get down." No. Nobody asked me. Then I was seeing that all other big, big disciples, they are sitting down. So then I began to sit down. Neither Guru Mahārāja told me, neither anybody told me.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What kind of a... It was a regular couch...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...or a cauki?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Not cauki, couch. That padded couch, bench.

Hṛdayānanda: Sofa.

Prabhupāda: Sofa, sofa, yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, boy. You were a young man at that time.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- February 11, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Fasting tomorrow or...

Prabhupāda: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Regular...

Prabhupāda: Simply worshiping Varāhadeva. Keśava dhṛta-śūkara-rūpa, jaya jagadīśa hare. That take.

Jayapatākā: Between 8:50 and 10:00 we should break the fast.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is that called parāyaṇa?

Prabhupāda: Eh? Parāyaṇa.

Hṛdayānanda: There's a very famous lecture you gave, Śrīla Prabhupāda, one day on a Varāha-dvādaśī, where you sang Jaya Jagadīśa and then you explained it. A very wonderful lecture.

Jayapatākā: And the day after is Nityānanda's āvirbhāva.

Prabhupāda: Oh, then half-day fasting.

Morning Walk -- March 13, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Rāmeśvara: They all accept bribes or they do some illegal business themselves with the criminals they capture.

Prabhupāda: Yes, regular... Every criminal has got organization to bribe the police. And the police does not take directly, and some in-between man, agent, he collects from the criminal and gives to the police. In India this is going on. I know that. A via-media man, he makes fortune. Yes. Whatever is collected, ten percent he takes, and balance is given to the police. There is a confectioner in Delhi. He is selling jalebi. You know jalebi?

Devotees: Yes.

Morning Walk -- March 13, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Then? What action is taken?

Guru-krpa: Nothing we can do.

Pañcadraviḍa: That is their business. They take from the thieves because they are the biggest thieves, and then they split. This is regular practice.

Guru-krpa: There's one devotee who was in the Detroit temple who used to be on the police force, and he told us everything about how they are all cheaters.

Mahendra: In America also sometimes they'll arrest someone who is selling illegal drugs. Then they'll arrest him, then they'll seize the drugs, then they'll take the drugs home and they'll sell them to make money.

Yaśodānandana: Sometimes they'll use it themselves.

Mahendra: Sometimes they use it, right.

Madhudviṣa: In New York there was a big scandal. There was ten millions dollars worth of drugs confiscated from a boat, and they put it in the police lockup, and then it was gone.

Prabhupāda: In Navadvīpa... You have heard the name of Vamsidāsa Bābājī. So sometimes, when his things were stolen, the disciples will cry that "It is stolen." So he said, "Why you are bothering? One thief gives; another thief takes. That's all. Who gave the money, he is also thief, and who has taken away, he is also thief. So why you are bothering?" One thief gives; another thief takes.

Morning Walk -- March 13, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Sometimes I myself read my reviews.

Devotee (1): This man here, Śrīla Prabhupāda, he has just recently, Dr. Bardwell Smith... He's a professor. He has just recently written a letter to us that he's going to bring his students. He's in charge of an India tour program for students in India. He's going to bring his students on a regular scheduled program to Vṛndāvana.

Prabhupāda: Yes, invite them.

Rādhāvallabha: Madhudviṣa Mahārāja, if you can keep everyone from banging into those... They break very easily.

Prabhupāda: So why not make a small booklet of all these, thin paper, so that we can send.

Rādhāvallabha: We need very much also a permanent display building in Māyāpur. This exhibit cost almost four thousand dollars.

Prabhupāda: Yes, have immediately.

Rādhāvallabha: Jaya.

Morning Walk -- March 15, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Then why do they protest when they are eaten by others?

Pañca-draviḍa: (aside:) You'll have to add to the regular cooks...(?)

Siddha-svarūpa: The greatest difficulty in our preaching in Chinese will not be their receptiveness but our inability to see them as living beings rather than seeing them as Chinese. The Americans.... In a sense, anybody who is in the bodily conception at all is going to see them as Chinese rather than living beings, so we'll have a tendency to be prejudicial from the very beginning, think of them as very low. So...

Prabhupāda: No, we don't think anyone as low.

Morning Walk -- March 18, 1976, Mayapura:

Gurudāsa: They have something in regular cars that if it hits, it won't break.

Hari-śauri: It shatters.

Gurudāsa: And in the cars of big men they have bullet-proof glass. (break)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, the devotees.... Śatadhanya was asking if there could be a group photograph on the grass this morning after class? For five minutes?

Prabhupāda: (break) .... that we are killing vegetables, but actually we are not killing. They are already dead. Hm?

Morning Walk -- March 21, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: That is my contention.

Trivikrama: They say the moon is bright, just like if a cloud is in the sky, it appears very white and bright because the sun is hitting it. But the same cloud, if you bring it into the room, it's just mist.

Prabhupāda: But cloud is not always existing. But this brightness is always existing. Cloud is sometimes appearing, sometimes disappearing. The moon brightness is regular. How you can compare with cloud? When you compare, there must be consistency. Analogy. Analogy means similar position. Otherwise, analogy has no meaning.

Haṁsadūta: Here's Jayapatākā.

Prabhupāda: Ah! (break).... Our Lalitā Cācā wants to do? You met him recently?

Jayapatākā: Oh. So his point is...

Prabhupāda: Does he want to do something or simply speculate?

Jayapatākā: He says that he wants to do something and so does some of his people.

Room Conversation -- May 1, 1976, Fiji:

Prabhupāda: So same thing: if the pilot is not expert, then goes down to the lowest, finished. Adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. If the pilot is third class, instead of going up, he goes down, and everything is spoiled. So everything on the pilot. The machine is not important. The machine can go up if the pilot knows how to do it. And the machine can go down. Actually, it is happening. This landing point is very dangerous. If the pilot cannot handle very nicely, immediately smashed. The crash takes place while going up and coming down, generally. That is due to mismanagement of the pilot. When in the sky it is regular speed and balance, it is going nicely. There is no crisis. All crises take place while coming down and going up. Leaving the land and coming the land. I have seen sometimes, they clap as soon as they.... (Prabhupāda claps his hands. Devotees laugh) "The danger is over." So ūrdhvam and adhaḥ. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. So in this way, you have to place the subject matter, that the living entity, the soul, is the important thing within this body. Because he's struggling. On account of his ignorance, he's struggling. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). This is his position.

Morning Walk -- June 7, 1976, Los Angeles:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, well it's a bunch of notes they mail out on a regular basis. It's really poisonous. Pradyumna has been investigating. He got a bunch of their notes photocopied. The one thing I've noticed about the people that are involved with this, two features I particularly have noticed. One of them is that they don't go out on saṅkīrtana. Everyone I've seen...

Prabhupāda: Then everything will be finished. Preaching will be finished. In this sahajiyā party, then preaching will be finished. Siddha-praṇālī.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What does that mean, Śrīla Prabhupāda, siddha-praṇālī?

Prabhupāda: Siddha-praṇālī is nonsense. They have manufactured a siddha-praṇālī.

Rāmeśvara: (break) ...the initiation that you are given your siddhas, your eternal position.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There are some very strange notes. You should see those notes.

Rāmeśvara: Yes, I've read them all already.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You did?

Prabhupāda: They have learned it from these Rādhā-kuṇḍa bābājīs.

Garden Conversation -- June 9, 1976, Los Angeles:

Arnold Weiss: So your chances are very, very little, and God, of course, understands this.

Prabhupāda: No, chances are very little, and chance is immediate. Ordinarily, the chance is very little, but if you accept what God says, immediately... Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated,

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ
(BG 7.19)

So by regular process, it will take many, many births, bahūnāṁ janmanām. When he is actually jñānavān, then he surrenders to God, and he understands vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: (BG 7.19) "Everything is Vasudeva." Sa mahātmā sudur... So if we are intelligent, we can take this verse seriously, that "Although it is very difficult to understand Vasudeva"—it takes many, many births to understand this fact—"but if one has to come to this point, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19), why not do it immediately?" That is intelligence. So if we surrender to God immediately, the thing is very easy; it is a task of one minute only. But if you don't do that, then it is difficult. Go on, birth after birth, birth after birth.

Morning Walk -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:

Rādhāvallabha: The cells increase, the cancer cells increase, and they take the place of the regular bodily cells, but they themselves are worthless.

Rāmeśvara: And the only idea they have for curing cancer is to cut out the diseased area from the body, remove that part of the body.

Devotee: Kill it with X-ray.

Rādhāvallabha: Yeah. They also try to bombard it with radiation, and that has its very bad effects. Their hair falls out. They get burns, sick.

Hṛdayānanda: Miserable condition.

Rādhāvallabha: Yes.

Rāmeśvara: Many modern sociologists, they are predicting that in twenty or thirty years the population will increase so much on this planet that the cities will be very, very crowded, and there will be many, many new problems: no room for so many cars and not enough food, not enough housing. They predict very, very.... And then the result will be rioting. So many people will not have enough food and good places to live that they will...

Prabhupāda: So why don't you go back to home, back to Godhead? (laughs) We are trying to save them. Why you are rotting in this problem? (out of car) That reporter?

Rāmeśvara: "No obstacle."

Room Conversation -- June 15, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: Not necessarily.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: As they do in Melbourne, in the summertime?

Hari-śauri: They have it in January down there, because they get a better attendance and everything. It's a lot nicer.

Prabhupāda: It is now winter there?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes, wintertime now. Middle of the winter now. Very cold.

Prabhupāda: So better summer is all right. Then they can make ratha regular.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. (end)

Interview with Professors O'Connell, Motilal and Shivaram -- June 18, 1976, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: There are many Christian church we have converted temple. They sell for want of customer. And we purchase, we increase customers. But customer of the same place. That is the beauty. These customers, they are not brought from India. But formerly they were not coming here, now they are coming in crowd. In Los Angeles we purchased.... You have been in Los Angeles? Now we have got a regular colony. About one dozen big, big houses. So that was a church. Nobody was coming, they sold it to us. Now it is always crowded. This church, they were not going to sell us. But (laughs) under circumstances it came to us. We wanted to purchase it, but the proprietor would not sell to us. They were charging very big price. So we are prepared. Still he'll not agree. Now we have purchased less price. (to devotee:) What is the history?

Devotee: Well, the previous owner didn't want to sell it to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. They said they'd prefer to burn it down. (Prabhupāda laughs) One Indian gentleman who is a prominent businessman in Toronto purchased it in trust, saying that he was representing some Indian social group. So he purchased it in trust. Then the chairman of the committee of trustees who were in charge of selling the church noticed some tilaka on Viśvakarmā's face. He had a hat on so his śikhā wouldn't show. When he saw it was Hare Kṛṣṇa, he became very disturbed.

Room Conversation -- June 18, 1976, Toronto:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: His son was killed, isn't it?

Prabhupāda: His wife was a regular prostitute, and she killed her child, and on this shock, he took poison and died.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He killed himself, oh.

Prabhupāda: Naturally, he became shocked, that "This is my family life—the wife is prostitute and son is killed. What is the value of my life?" This was his spiritual realization. Just see. (laughs) And he was made the chief, and one of the supporter was Śrīdhara Mahārāja.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Vāsudeva Śrīdhara?

Prabhupāda: No, no. He was made chief. Guru Mahārāja did not make him chief. But after his passing away, some of our Godbrothers voted him chief.

Morning Walk -- June 6, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: India, everywhere they'll be received very nice.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Prasādam distribution has now been started as a regular part of the program. And they did one program in a town called Dalialama. Immediately two monks and one British hippie joined the party.

Prabhupāda: Two monks means Buddhist monks?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Possibly. And he mentions in the last two weeks after we left Vṛndāvana we picked eight devotees, so they must have more devotees by now. The emphasis on their program he mentions is to make devotees and responsible preachers to carry on the Indian mission. And then he says that we've been advertising.

Prabhupāda: Advertising?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Like this. He says "I want to make one banner and poster: 'Now you can join the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. Travel all over the world preaching Bhagavad-gītā. All expenses paid. Free food, lodging, etc. No qualification necessary. Apply ISKCON.' " It's like army recruiting.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) No qualification.

Room Conversation -- June 28, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Rādhāvallabha: Then a thousand-armed Viṣṇu on top of Mandara Hill? They want to know if they should show Him on top of the mountain like that.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That's all...

Rādhāvallabha: When we did Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva, there were some arms that you wanted transparent. You just wanted the four main arms looking regular. So all the other arms should be transparent except for four?

Prabhupāda: No, it is mentioned. It is mentioned. No.

Rādhāvallabha: It just says "a thousand arms." So just paint like that?

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Rādhāvallabha: And then they just want to know... One more question on this, that remnants of the poison from Lord Śiva went to the scorpions and snakes.

Prabhupāda: Yes, you give this.

Arrival Room Conversation -- July 2, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Not outside. Not like England, they have to import from... This is a very good example. Just like salt, we require. A little salt will increase the taste. But because it is absolutely necessary for eating, salt—everyone eats salt, nobody can avoid salt—it does not mean I shall eat too much. If I take this whole salt pot and put into..., "It is very good," that is foolishness. Similarly, sense gratification, so long we have got this material body, we require little. But because it is tasty, let us take it, whole pot, that is mistake. This is going on. This foolishness is going on. Sex life is good; simply take sex life, go on and spoil your whole life. That is going on. If everything is accepted in regulative principle, little salt, that's all, that's very nice. But as soon as you think "It is very nice. Let me take simply this," then it is spoiled. That is wanted. We don't reject anything but accept in a regular way. Flesh eaters? All right, you want flesh? "No, I want flesh, but I want this big cow." Why not less important animals? There are so many other animals. The goats are there, the lambs are there, the hogs are there. Take them. Why Kṛṣṇa says go-rakṣya? It is a very important animal. It will give you brain substance, this rasagullā. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says go-rakṣya. But this rascal has no knowledge. The cows give us milk, very nutritious. "Oh, eat the whole cow. Then all nutrition will come." This is their intelligence. Rubbish civilization. Why Kṛṣṇa has recommended go-rakṣya? He never said that other animal. If you are fond of eating flesh, you take other animals, not the cow. Give protection, take milk from it, and prepare nice preparations, that will be good for brain, for your mind. Apart from... There is no question of religious sentiment. From practical.

Room Conversation -- July 2, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Pradyumna: Every year, before, last year, year before, year before, Caitanya Math, only, not...

Prabhupāda: Nobody goes.

Pradyumna: No, only their Math people, and some people they invite from Calcutta. But the regular people all come in to our place.

Prabhupāda: Sometimes we went to Mādhava Mahārāja's temple?

Hari-śauri: In Vṛndāvana.

Prabhupāda: In Vṛndāvana. Who was there?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Empty. Completely no one.

Hari-śauri: They didn't even have any of their own men living there.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They had to unlock the Deity.

Prabhupāda: And that is on the prominent roadside. And our temple is off. Still, so many people are coming. Neither there were inhabitants nor their outsider, visitors. Gate was closed, we had to open and then enter. And he constructed temple at least for the last twenty years.

Room Conversation -- July 9, 1976, New York:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Pālikā wants to ask you something.

Pālikā: Would you like to take fruit now, or prasādam as regular?

Prabhupāda: No, no, I have taken breakfast. So Bali-mardana Prabhu, doing all right?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Those are your servants' quarters, and the kitchen, and there's also a dresser in your bedroom.

Prabhupāda: There is any closet with lock?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes. This closet here is a walk-in closet. Small room with a lock. You also have a cabinet that locks. It's a big walk-in closet.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's nice. So I shall again stay in New York? Nice place.

Ādi-keśava: From this window here you can see the Empire State Building and all the big buildings in New York.

Prabhupāda: Oh, very nice.

Evening Darsana -- July 11, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Now you were referring to the Vedic principle, but that does not mean you have to open slaughterhouse. But these rascals are opening slaughterhouse. You think it is Vedic principle? Suppose it is recommended that animals should be sacrificed in the Vedic ritualistic ceremony. Does it mean that you shall open regular slaughterhouse? Just as the Christians say that Jesus Christ ate fish, therefore they are right in opening big, big slaughterhouse? Maybe Lord Jesus Christ ate fish in some awkward circumstance, but that does not mean that he is recommending to open slaughterhouse. In the Ten Commandments he says, "Thou shalt not kill." When there is absolute necessity, there is no other food, that is another thing, but if there is sufficient other foodstuff, why should you kill? They are not even human being, those who are animal killers. Vinā paśughnāt (SB 10.1.4). Those who are animal killers, they are not even human being, what to speak of religious system. Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-'bhirāmāt ka uttamaśloka-guṇa (SB 10.1.4). If you are animal killer, your God consciousness is finished. You'll never be able to understand what is God. Then your life is finished. This life is meant for understanding God, and if you are animal killer, then your God understanding is finished.

Conversation After Interview with Religious Editor, Associated Press -- July 16, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Salary? Yes. He was getting in America six hundred. (laughs) Getting double.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: And he will get a lot more and more. He will get a lot more. And he is..., we have our regular programs, he brings people from business, we all bring people, and the prasādam and chanting and lecture. It's very nice.

Prabhupāda: And so Nandarāṇī is also working?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: She is happy. She, for a while she taught at a karmī school, from that school...

Prabhupāda: She has got experience.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes, she's very good.

Prabhupāda: Both of them are very intelligent. And Nandarāṇī is more intelligent than her husband. (laughs) I know that.

Interview with Trans-India Magazine -- July 17, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: They do not know what is progress. That I was talking with your Associated Press, press reporter. Just like they do not know that their material life means they are in the prison house for being punished. They are so dull headed they are taking the activities of punishment as regular life. A man is put into the prison house, and his engagement is breaking the bricks. So he has forgotten that "This breaking of bricks is not my business. I am meant for living freely outside the prison house." So these people, less intelligent people, they think that this material life of working hard day and night, just like the hogs and dogs, is general life. That is due to their ignorance. In the Bhāgavata it is said, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1), that this human form of life, although we have got this body, and the hog has also got the body, the hog is working day and night... Perhaps you have seen in Indian village, the hog is loitering in the village. His only business is where to find stool, and eat it. And as soon as he eats, he becomes strong in sense, and then sex. The hog has no discrimination of sex—either mother or sister or anyone. So this sort of life, working day and night for stool, and then as soon as the body is strong, find out sex, never mind whether mother, sister or anyone... This is not human life; this is hog's life. Do you think it is human life?

Interviewer: No.

Room Conversation -- July 31, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Let them do that, befool others. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās (SB 7.5.31). Because others, they are blind, this blind man, whatever he says, they believe. They will say "Perhaps ten millions of years ago there was life, perhaps." These things are going on. But we know every planet is full of living entity. There is regular life and there are streets. The streets are paved with pearls, corals, in Svargaloka. We have got information. And what is their information? Scratching some sand and bring it, that's all. As if sand is not available. But we give information there are planets where the pavements are with pearls. Go and bring some pearls. There is the ocean of milk. Bring some milk from there. And then we shall understand that you are making some research. Simply all over the universe dry sand? And here the population is increasing. Just see. We have to believe all this. Everything is by nature vacant and all people and animals are here. And we have to believe that. Hmm. Read it. They are exposing more and more about their nonsensical scientific inquiry.

Room Conversation -- August 2, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: The classes should be regularly held. Those who are engaged in the field work, then let them work, but woman or others, they should hear in the class. They should attend.

Bhagavān: There is regular class for everyone in the afternoon after prasādam.

Prabhupāda: That's nice. What they are saying now? (kīrtana heard from downstairs)

Bhagavān: Downstairs? "Haribol." People cannot understand how just by chanting enthusiastic kīrtana so many problems can be solved.

Prabhupāda: Yes. What they understand, all rascals? Wasting time. Going to the moon planet, going to the Mars planet. Why? What you will gain? Still they are going. Simply spending money. In Bengal it is called ostādi. Ostādi, in English? One who places himself as very intelligent leader. What is called in one word?

Bhagavān: Presumptuous?

Prabhupāda: Presumptions?

Bhagavān: Presumes he's something that he's...

Prabhupāda: No, it is a very nice word.

Room Conversation -- August 22, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa baḍo doyāmoy. Because we want eating, so He is giving His mercy through eating. Eating nobody will refuse. So by eating he is being favored by Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. You understand Bengali? Kṛṣṇa baḍo doyāmoy, He's very merciful. Koribāre jihvā jay. We are accustomed to eat, go to the restaurant, go to the hotel, go to here and there, at home and so on. Simply eating, eating. So this is jihvā lampaṭa. Prostitution of the tongue. Just like a woman prostitute is not satisfied with one man. Similarly, our tongue is like a prostitute. It is not satisfied with simple foods. Sometimes here, sometimes there, sometimes on the street, sometimes on the restaurant, sometimes a hotel. Regular prostitution. It is called tongue prostitution. There are prostitution of three things: prostitution of the tongue, prostitution of the belly, and prostitution of the genital. Three kinds of. Udara-upastha-vegam. Jihvā-udara-upastha-vegam (NOI 1). Straight line. So to stop this prostitution is to control the tongue. The tongue prostitution means he wants to eat varieties of foodstuff. Kṛṣṇa is so merciful, "All right, you eat varieties of prasāda." Then tongue prostitution is controlled and naturally the belly and the genital controlled. Kṛṣṇa baḍo doyāmoy koribāre jihvā jay. To own victory over the tongue, He has given varieties... Therefore all nice things should be offered to Kṛṣṇa and then take prasāda. They will be benefited.

Room Conversation -- September 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: No, no. In Montreal went...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, you came from Vancouver... From Seattle.

Harikeśa: You came from Vancouver. With one gentleman.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: With Shasti-mai(?).

Prabhupāda: Yes. So there was hard struggle. It is not that so easy for... In 1965 to '66, 66-67, regular hard struggle.

Haṁsadūta: Yes, I know that's a crisis.

Prabhupāda: You know that. Hard struggle. So Kṛṣṇa gave us some facility. Now we have got some framework. Do it very cautiously. Unnecessarily exhausting what we... sato vṛtteḥ sādhu-saṅge. That is Rūpa Gosvāmī's line. We should be very honest and live with sādhu, those who are devotees. Tāṅdera caraṇa-sebi-bhakta-sane bās. First of all our mission should be how to serve the Gosvāmīs.

Garden Conversation -- September 7, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That is natural. Just like when I go to Calcutta. Therefore a sannyāsī is forbidden to live in his native place. There will be attraction. Caitanya Mahāprabhu never returned to Navadvīpa. (break) ...no striking six o'clock. Did you mark it?

Hari-śauri: I never hear him ring it. At least the one in the daytime. I think evenings he rings it.

Harikeśa: I heard the four o'clock.

Prabhupāda: He is not regular. That means he's another lazy fellow. All lazy fellows.

Harikeśa: He sits out here and he sleeps. He sleeps on the steps. I caught him last night.

Hari-śauri: When I was here before, sometimes I would go up to the caukidāra at night. They used to carry this big spear. A pole with a big sharp point on it. Metal point. And I would take his spear and stick it in his ribs and then he would wake up, "Oh." And then he would smile.

Prabhupāda: We have to maintain some paid...

Harikeśa: We've had so many caukidāras here and not one of them has ever... (end)

Room Conversation About Gurukula -- November 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Hindi, Sanskrit, English compulsory.

Bhagatji: That's all. Then, afterwards we can make other, just elemental mathematics, arithmetic or just that, afterwards, when the regular studies go in the (indistinct). Now (indistinct), these three things. By learning Hindi they will (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: And the government also will like that, that foreign students...

Bhagatji: If they can understand the language and they...

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, Hindi is essential. It is not difficult. The same principle as Sanskrit. Reading and writing, that's all.

Jagadīśa: So far as the financial situation, I've discussed with Bhagatji and it seems that the best idea is to open a separate gurukula maintenance account with co-signers Bhagatji and Rūpa-vilāsa, so that... Because there's so much...

Prabhupāda: So then some of them, they are getting money.

Room Conversation -- November 15, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Not.

Mr. Saxena: Cidananda is the in-charge of that institute, Divine Life Society. There is another Yogesvarananda. There is Upaniketan trust. They are having three years' course for regular yoga. And there is some (indistinct) Mahesh Yogi, transcendental meditation (indistinct) samādhi. I lived there for fifteen days, tried to get something out of that. Everywhere I found there is no... We are after peace. There is no peace there.

Devotee: Prabhupāda, you say that religion is the law of God. So that means there can only be one religion.

Prabhupāda: Yes. God is one, (indistinct) for everyone. (indistinct) Yes.

Devotee: So all others are just contaminated.

Prabhupāda: No, if they follow the rules, God, God said that "You just surrender unto Me."

Devotee: So natural laws.

Prabhupāda: This is the religion. God says that "You surrender unto Me." This is religion. So if one does not know what is God and where to surrender, then where is religion? Is it wrong for God to say that "You surrender unto Me"? Can you say like that?

Room Conversation -- December 7, 1976, Hyderabad:

Haṁsadūta: I sent all the men here because Mahāṁśa promised that there would be a program lined up but there is no program. That's why they're just... Now they all want to go, and if they can go I can send them. They are ready to go. They don't want to stay.

Prabhupāda: So?

Mahāṁśa: The problem is that the programs I didn't arrange because the devotees were not regular in coming. I didn't know when they were all coming. So if I arrange a program that means my men...

Prabhupāda: But therefore the meeting is here. Do here now.

Mahāṁśa: Yes, now it can be done. But I couldn't do...

Prabhupāda: So it can be done. Why can you...? What? When it will be done, do then.

Mahāṁśa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Don't make future promise. You do it immediately. Make program. But settle up when it will begin, when it is right. Here work is going on. That Mṛtyu, he cannot... No? Mūrti. So he cannot manage without him?

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1976, Hyderabad:

Haṁsadūta: Shall we begin right here? We have this little place...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.

Haṁsadūta: I have a set of Gaura-Nitāi's with me from the bus, but They're smaller.

Prabhupāda: So immediately install. Immediately. Yes. And have regular kīrtana and ārati. Deity must be there. That will be our engagement. That's all right. Enthusiasm. Real thing is enthusiasm, utsāhān. Dhairya, patience. And...

Mahāṁśa: Determination.

Prabhupāda: Determination. Yes. "I must do it." And here if you make determination, everything is there. Everything is there. Such a vast land, and capital Kṛṣṇa will give. Land, labor. Labor is there. So simply organization required, that's all. Then everything is all right. Make use the production. First of all eat yourself as much as you... And then trade. Get money. People will be surprised at the organization. And there are twenty thousand men all round?

Mahāṁśa: No, that is... Just in very near villages there's about eight thousand.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. So if you can make one thousand person interested, then you'll be successful. So you can engage some worker for cutting the rocks.

Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona:

Prabhupāda: Our men, they can prepare rasagullā, samosā, kacuri.

Mr. Malhotra: Now this Bombay center, when I visited Girirāja he showed me, and the restaurant, that vegetarian restaurant which will be coming up, that is good. (break) ...I mean is it regular new films are being made or only one or two films have been made so far?

Girirāja: We make more films.

Hari-śauri: There's another one just coming up now which explains the philosophy in more detail. The films were to show general activities, that was The Hare Kṛṣṇa People. The new film was to show the farming scheme that Prabhupāda set up in New Vrindaban, and many other farms we have now. And there was one other film to show how the books are produced and then delivered to the public. So gradually more and more are coming out.

Mr. Malhotra: You know one thing I have found that there is spotless cleanliness in the centers. Whereas in our temples here in India, even when we go to Hardwar and Hrishikesh and all these, the temples, the outer cleanliness, not proper emphasis is given by the management.

Prabhupāda: I stress on this cleanliness very much. If they keep unclean, I chastise them like anything. (laughing) They have learned this art. I always say, "Cleanliness is next to godliness."

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Roof Conversation -- January 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: 10th night means?

Mr. Gupta: By Calcutta Mail, or there's a special leaving for Allahabad. There's a special train. We are running Kumbhamela specials.

Prabhupāda: This one.

Mr. Gupta: This one is a regular train. This is Varanasi Express.

Dr. Patel: A special must not have first-class. Has it?

Mr. Gupta: Special has first-class.

Dr. Patel: That special will be better than.

Mr. Gupta: No, it won't be because it leaves on 10th night and it will only go to Naini. It won't go to Allahabad.

Dr. Patel: Isn't it faster...

Prabhupāda: And it changes. You have to change again. From Naini you have to change.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...in Vṛndāvana. And try to organize this Gurukula as their world attraction. That will be your success. Simply teach them nicely English and Sanskrit. And our books are there. And regular habits: going to the Yamunā in procession, timely get up early in the morning, attending class, clean dress, clean bedding, clean room. Śikhā-sūtra. The Vāmanadeva gave this description. Where is that book?

Jagadīśa: I don't know. Pradyumna may have taken it.

Prabhupāda: There were two books. Woman... Girls should be taught how to become faithful wife, how to learn nice cooking, cleansing, dressing. Simple method. There is no objection of their becoming scholar, but that is not necessary. They have got natural inclination to give service by cooking, cleansing, dressing. Cleanliness is the first necessity. That is hygienic, spiritual, and calm, quiet. India has got special facility to remain clean. Only in this country you can take thrice bathing. In other countries... Easy there. In your country there is hot water. There is no difficulty if one practices. I think our men have such practice. But this cleanness is this taking bathing at least twice. That keeps a man very clean.

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

Prabhupāda: Road is nice.

Gurudāsa: It's being improved. In some spots it's nice. But because it's on sand they have to always keep it wet and they put metal plates down. They're trying to do it very well.

Prabhupāda: There is a Māghmela committee. One magistrate is the head. A regular committee for managing this Mela.

Gurudāsa: We have contact with this committee.

Prabhupāda: And where is governor's camp from our?

Gurudāsa: I don't know exactly, but it's in the same island. I'll find out.

Prabhupāda: No, there is... Our governor is Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29).

Dr. Patel: All the Britishers were organizing this Mela, Kumbha.

Prabhupāda: No, in... They were taking... The committee... I said that, "We have committee?" This is British time. One magistrate is the head and assistants, so many.

Conversation and Instruction On New Movie -- January 13, 1977, Allahabad:

Prabhupāda: Every day. And that is little, simple prasāda. Little kittri would satisfy them. They're village people.

Rāmeśvara: So they have to regular source of income.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And so long there is no income, I shall supply food or money.

Rāmeśvara: This year I think I can spend some time developing this record. I'm sure we can make money.

Prabhupāda: Yes, make money.

Rāmeśvara: With very little manpower.

Prabhupāda: And send... Send grains. Send grains, food grains, and we shall utilize it in all our temples and farm projects in the beginning. Then they'll... Naturally they'll produce. As soon as they become little interested in our scheme, they'll give service.

Conversation and Instruction On New Movie -- January 13, 1977, Allahabad:

Rāmeśvara: All the devotees will appreciate this then. That the records now, the money is going to be used for food relief.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And we can increase. The same thing (indistinct) in the farm, in the village, "Come on, any number, I shall feed you. Come here, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and take prasādam." And we shall increase the quality of the prasādam. They will be very much pleased to come and chant. That I want. I am interested in these rascals (indistinct). Fighting amongst them. What can we do? You can go for some time, see what is the reason you have come. (indistinct) ...elderly person, he will come. (indistinct) younger brothers (indistinct) but that he has no power to do. Misunderstanding there will be, after all it is the material world. You go and see why (indistinct). I used to think like that. In all our temples the prasāda distribution should be so random (?), that within ten miles nobody should remain hungry. There are many persons in India, they are half time hungry. So if you distribute prasādam, "Come over here. You are hungry, take prasādam. If I cannot supply daily, I'll supply at least two days, three days weekly." And they're coming. You have seen Māyāpur (indistinct). A big prasāda distribution hall. Regular two thousands are coming (indistinct). And Hindu, Muslim, they're sitting down.

Conversation and Instruction On New Movie -- January 13, 1977, Allahabad:

Prabhupāda: Oh, (indistinct) we can distribute every day.

Hari-śauri: Let them come every day.

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is (indistinct). Otherwise (indistinct). Let them eat. They can eat.

Hari-śauri: If they get a (indistinct) successful and they get regular amounts...

Prabhupāda: It will be successful.

Hari-śauri: Then they could increase that.

Prabhupāda: It will be successful.

Rāmeśvara: I think we can make a million dollars a year.

Prabhupāda: Oh yes.

Rāmeśvara: After it has been developed.

Prabhupāda: And purchase grains. (indistinct) purchase books.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Naxalite means...

Gargamuni: Terrorists. Communists.

Prabhupāda: Regular dacoits, thieves, rogues. "Pay me; otherwise kill you." And if you don't, kill you. That's all.

Rāmeśvara: That's the trend, then, everywhere, because unemployment is increasing.

Prabhupāda: And especially in your country it will be dangerous because these blacks, if they don't get employment, they will create havoc, these blacks. And they are not civilized. They want money, and if they don't get money, then they will create havoc.

Gargamuni: Money and liquor.

Hari-śauri: Yes. If they do get money, they just buy it.

Prabhupāda: Money they get. But they can live. But there is no culture. They want liquor. So these rascals do not know how we are making human civilization. They do not see it, that without any fixed income we are maintaining such a huge establishment all over the world, without any fixed income. How we are doing? We are not thieves, we are not rogues. We are all gentlemen.

Room Conversation -- January 26, 1977, Puri:

Prabhupāda: "You first of all give so much blood. So much give me, and then..."

Gurukṛpā: Yes. And charge you fifty dollars.

Prabhupāda: Regular business. It is very difficult to consult with a doctor.

Gurukṛpā: And I saw the dentist. He tried to ruin one of my tooth so he could do work on that also and make more money. He tried to damage the teeth.

Prabhupāda: Money is the only aim. And they will talk all nonsense and make experiment, especially in the Western countries. Here also they have got now money-making sight. Lawyers also. Any... I have seen in our relatives, big, big rich men. The brothers may sit down and make some... My father-in-law did that. They sat down, and they were two brothers, and divided his property and got two days. But those who are rascals, they go to lawyer and continually meeting—his man, his man. In this way the whole property is sold. And they get out with this. That's all. I have seen so many cases. Then the property division means there is nothing to divide. Everything is sold, and the money was taken by the lawyers as their fees. I have seen so many cases. These real estate men? Real estate? They also. So many times they complicated our men. You know that?

Room Conversation -- January 27, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: And at the time I shall tell you. Not any of the same thing. (chuckles) Everyone wants to cook for me.

Satsvarūpa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: But this girl, (laughs) she travels all over the world, spending her own money or society money?

Satsvarūpa: Society. She's the only one who's actually regular that is doing it good.

Prabhupāda: No, she is very responsible. Whatever I say, at least she tries to do it best. That is her qualification. Nei, everyone is doing. Nobody's...

Satsvarūpa: Yes. Nanda-kumāra wanted to do that.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Nanda-kumāra, as a sannyāsī, he should better preach. I have no objection. It is up to you to decide. I don't give much credit to the scientists. I give them credit as far as they deserve. It is not that I don't give them credit. Why shall I not? But they deny the existence and they say "We shall conquer over nature, and we shall make according to our necessity." These rascals I challenge.

Room Conversation -- January 27, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Guest (1): He can do japa

Prabhupāda: No, no. It doesn't matter. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa always, the medicine is there already. Then it will rectify you automatically. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Where is the loss? It is open for everyone. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam, kalau nāsty eva (CC Adi 17.21). Especially in this age it is very difficult to... But if you take to this harer nāma, then gradually ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Everything will be cleansed within your heart and you'll understand. You take to this immediately. Somebody is giving prasāda?

Satsvarūpa: There's is regular distribution.

Prabhupāda: Go and take prasāda. Jaya. Go and...

Satsvarūpa: Yes, everyone is taking

Prabhupāda: Go and take prasāda. Prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate. Our propaganda is "Please come here, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take prasāda." That's all. Is that very difficult task?

Guest (3) (Indian man): Whether the scriptures have real potency?

Prabhupāda: Yes. All scripture has got. And we are having our members' building and library, you can come and read. We are trying to give you all facility. You should take it and be perfect.

Room Conversation -- January 27, 1977, Puri:

Satsvarūpa: When you say the creation is a mercy, the only mercy is...

Prabhupāda: Mercy means there is regular propaganda to give this intelligence.

Satsvarūpa: Not simply that you suffer.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Satsvarūpa: The fact that we suffer, that in itself does not make us...

Prabhupāda: No, suffering is already.

Satsvarūpa: That does not make us intelligent.

Prabhupāda: Even there is no creation, you have to suffer, because you are eternal. So some millions of years there is no creation and you'll have to lie down—no activity, just like sleeping. Suppose you are sleeping for one million year. Is that a very enjoyment, sleeping for many millions of years? Again you get the light. That is chance. Again you are created, either as Brahmā or any nonsense. But you see the light. Creation or no creation... "No creation" is still suffering. Creation is suffering, but "no creation" is still more suffering. Just like everyone is working very hard, but in Sweden there is no day. Somebody committing suicide. It is a great suffering. Otherwise how do they commit suicide. Is it not?

Room Conversation -- January 27, 1977, Puri:

Prabhupāda: That means he is going to learn. He is not learned. That is another word of rascal.

Satsvarūpa: He's new on the scene, so don't expect too much, but he'll soon know everything.

Prabhupāda: What is new? History, whole history, is the same. Your forefathers, his forefathers, never have done that? Why it is new?

Satsvarūpa: Well, they say there's been regular improvements, medicines...

Prabhupāda: What is that improvement?

Satsvarūpa: Medicines have done away with so many diseases.

Prabhupāda: What is that? Disease... Does it mean there is no disease? You die by this disease or that disease. What is the improvement?

Gurukṛpā: They say that people used to live much longer, that they live longer now.

Prabhupāda: So what is the use of living longer, a tree is living longer, five thousand years. Does it mean that it is important life? A tree is standing for seven thousand years. There is a tree in San Francisco.

Room Conversation -- January 28, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Gurukṛpā: Yes. There's that many people coming. I could not believe. So many people. And just a regular weekend. We need one way in and one way out.

Prabhupāda: Big road.

Gurukṛpā: Yes. So many people coming, all respectable people.

Prabhupāda: Our gateways, you mean to say.

Gargamuni: This year we've noticed that more respectable people are coming, well dressed, from the areas.

Prabhupāda: That, er... Behind our new house, that Muhammadan wanted to sell that land. But if he wants to sell at our price, not his price, we can take it.

Room Conversation -- January 29, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Just like here it happened, Hindi and English. That enviousness is always there. I have seen in Montreal. All the officers, they are speaking in French. They won't talk in English. Airport. Purposefully. And there was fight, regular fight between these French speaking and English speaking, riot. People are so foolish. So it is bilingual. In everything, English and French. If you put one notice, it must be in English and French, as here (chuckling) they in the provincial language, Oriya, and Hindi, state language, and English for outsiders-three languages. You'll see in the railway station the local language and the Hindi language and English. Actually people take advantage of the English language and little more from the Hindi. Local language nobody knows. Just like we do not know what is Oriya.

Room Conversation -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Pṛthu-putra: ...sheik. And they say that when the sheik is teaching them the spiritual understanding from Koran, they can have..., he's like the link between God and themself, and they can have direct contact with God from inside. So... And they say what Muhammad said, that was no prophet after him. So they always asking from which prophet we are following. So one day I told Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And he accept it more or less because I explained to this person... He was a professor in Cairo University. He was a Sufist himself, so he was much more open than the regular Muslim. And I explained to him that Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared according to the time and circumstances to preach love of God. And he understood it, but he just didn't know Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So he said, "Then it's very nice. I can try to take knowledge of your philosophy," and he took the Gītā. He has the Gītā with him. So whenever I come back, he tell me, I always can go and give some discourses in the University, in his class. So I gave some discourses in universities, but sometimes I had to use some tricks. Like for example, once I gave a discourse in psychology department, explaining to them how the yoga system can bring you to different state of consciousness. And when I hint to Kṛṣṇa consciousness they were a little bit wondering what it is. Because unfortunately, due to their political situation, always in war with Israel and all these things, they're little bit...

Prabhupāda: Still war going on?

Pṛthu-putra: Yes.

Morning Walk -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: ...obedient to God—that means offer sacrifices—then there will be regular rain. And if there is regular rain, any damn land is good for any purpose. Land has been made bad because there is no regular rain. They... Why the desert is? If there is regular rain, the desert will be also fertile. So it is gradually becoming desert. The whole world will be desert. No production. Suffer. Make your scientific research, godless. All rascals, full of rascals... (horn beeping—break) There is a proposal. You know that? Just see how great rascals they are. They'll import water.

Gurukṛpā: They have done that in California. They have piped water into the desert and made it the most fertile place.

Prabhupāda: Yes. What is desert? Desert means no water. There is no rain.

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Why? There are so many men. There is no saṅkīrtana?

Yogeśvara: Yes. It is far from the nearest city.

Prabhupāda: But within the farm there is no saṅkīrtana?

Yogeśvara: Regular temple activities are going on.

Prabhupāda: Saṅkīrtana is there.

Yogeśvara: There is once a week a party going out.

Prabhupāda: No, not going out. I mean to say in the temple.

Yogeśvara: Inside the temple. Oh, yes. Inside the temple regular programs are there.

Prabhupāda: So why outside? There is no sufficient men? But when I was there I saw so many men.

Yogeśvara: Wherever you go, thousands of people will follow.

Hari-śauri: They were not all from the farm. They were from everywhere.

Prabhupāda: Then not many devotees are there in the farm?

Room Conversation Varnasrama System Must Be Introduced -- February 14, 1977, Mayapura:

Satsvarūpa: Introduced starting with ISKCON community?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriyas. There must be regular education.

Hari-śauri: But in our community, if the..., being as we're training up as Vaiṣṇavas...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: ...then how will we be able to make divisions in our society?

Prabhupāda: Vaiṣṇava is not so easy. The varṇāśrama-dharma should be established to become a Vaiṣṇava. It is not so easy to become Vaiṣṇava.

Hari-śauri: No, it's not a cheap thing.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore this should be made. Vaiṣṇava, to become Vaiṣṇava, is not so easy. If Vaiṣṇava, to become Vaiṣṇava is so easy, why so many fall down, fall down? It is not easy. The sannyāsa is for the highest qualified brāhmaṇa. And simply by dressing like a Vaiṣṇava, that is... fall down.

Room Conversation Varnasrama System Must Be Introduced -- February 14, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Actually it is brainwash, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), but it is for the good. People are suffering with these dirty things within the brain. We are washing them. That is brainwash actually.

Satsvarūpa: "Indian Brain Research Association, Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta. Gentlemen: The Hare Kṛṣṇa kīrtana mantra used in meditation or chanting of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa has been practiced not only by the Vaiṣṇavas of India, but by most of the Hindus as a regular religious and social practice in Hindu families. Millions of Hindus practice with sublime devotion the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. We are not aware of any case where such practice has resulted in any detrimental effect to the health or mind of anyone. We can submit that the worshiping of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, as being practiced in West Bengal, India, does not differ from that of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra chanting of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. And as such, either of them cannot do any harm to the devotee or to the observer. Further we can add that the rhythmic dance and musical (Bengali:) svara in Hare Kṛṣṇa kīrtana mantra may have profound beneficial effect on a distorted human mind. These practices do not have any relation with brainwashing, although the word seems to carry no scientific meaning at all. Statement by Professor Ajit K. Mytee. Yours faithfully, J.J. Ghosh, President on behalf of the Indian Brain Research Association."

Prabhupāda: It is good certificate. And University of Calcutta. So you publish this.

Room Conversation Varnasrama System Must Be Introduced -- February 14, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: And New York temple is going nice?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think very nicely, yes.

Prabhupāda: People are coming regular?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh yes. We get on Sundays not less than six or seven hundred people come every Sunday. And...

Prabhupāda: Indians and Americans.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. About, say, half and half.

Prabhupāda: That's good.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Good turn out.

Prabhupāda: That's good. Similarly Los Angeles, and other...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Who will not accept such nice prasāda? They cannot get in ordinary restaurant such nice prasāda.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And we give them as much as they can eat. There is no limitation on quantity.

Prabhupāda: They are very glad.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Some of them come for thirds and fourths, regular customers.

Brahmānanda: Then they have a cart that goes on the street and keeps it hot.

Prabhupāda: Distribution.

Brahmānanda: Yes. I went to see it. Regularly people are coming. Even the taxi drivers.

Prabhupāda: Here also they are selling. They are paying sufficiently, khicuṛi and other, and they prepare very nice. This should be continued, prasāda distribution.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They say, "Prasādam is our secret weapon."

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes. Yes. They say?

Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Many people are understanding now how we are defeating the enemy with prasāda. People become addicted.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Some devotees, I've noticed... Sometimes some weak devotees, they leave our movement but still, in New York, even after leaving, they have to come every evening for their regular meals in the restaurant, because they are addicted to prasādam. They cannot do without it.

Prabhupāda: What do we supply in the restaurant?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Restaurant supplies two or three sabjis...

Prabhupāda: Two, three.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: At least. Then puris, cāpāṭi, then samosā or pakorā, kacuri...

Prabhupāda: Oh. (laughs) Sweet rice also?

Room Conversation -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: That restaurant, mostly for drinking tea and pakorā.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. And there's a few in the office area in Fort where they give you...

Prabhupāda: Regular.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...thāli. One rupee fifty, thāli.

Prabhupāda: Thāli?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Thāli. They give four small puris, three sabjis...

Prabhupāda: Oh. That is called... Oh.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...and a little rice and half a popper. But it's not very filling, and it's not very nice.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Not first class.

Room Conversation -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: They're organized.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, they're highly organized. They have regular newsletters.

Prabhupāda: (aside:) Yes, one spoon more. Take. (break) Very strong opposition. (chuckling) This combination in your country is costly.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Peas, puffed rice and cucumber.

Prabhupāda: Puffed rice is costly!

Hari-śauri: I don't think... Not so...

Satsvarūpa: But you can't buy it nice and fresh. They buy it in a bag, like you say, three hundred years old. (Prabhupāda chuckles) Puffed rice is...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's not like here.

Satsvarūpa: Stale.

Hari-śauri: They've never seen it like this, in this form, anyway.

Prabhupāda: You can learn how to make puffed rice. It's not difficult.

Room Conversation -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Now he is without wife, children, such irresponsible. That is also one of the complaints. That complaint is regular in your country. Nobody takes care of wife and children.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. Oh, one of the big complaints is about sex life, no sex life, except for children. Oh, they don't like that. That is very much complained on their part. "Why you are forbidding sex life?"

Prabhupāda: I'm not forbidding. Kṛṣṇa.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Well, in our Bible it doesn't say that."

Prabhupāda: "Your Bible, you take, but we have got our Kṛṣṇa. Dharmāviruddha-kāma. Then why you are taking contraceptive, rascal? You're killing your children. That is very good? Unrestricted sex, and when she is pregnant you kill. Are you human being or rākṣasa demon?" Challenge them like this.

Room Conversation with Adi-kesava Swami -- February 19, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Sex fair? What is that?

Hari-śauri: You can go, and they have sideshows, men and women having sex on the stage at regular intervals, and they exhibit all kinds of contraptions that you can use to pervert your sex life even more.

Prabhupāda: What they will understand about this Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Hari-śauri: There's not very much hope for them.

Prabhupāda: Help is for everyone, but if they remain stubborn to their own way of life, then it is not possible. They have to wash the brain. Otherwise it is possible.

Hari-śauri: You explain in the Bhāgavatam that everything actually is just an extension of the sex desire.

Prabhupāda: That's it.

Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- February 28, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Therefore I suggest. They are Vaiṣṇavas. They can take it and show an ideal state in the world. Then others may follow.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Every day in the radio, all Manipur radio, they have Caitanya-caritāmṛta reading at one o'clock. They read Bengali. One reads and another translates. It is a regular feature. And Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa. These are radio programs.

Prabhupāda: Just see. So why not? I may go or not go, but let the leaders take up this process to make Manipur an ideal state of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's already a lot of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. And they are coming from Babhruvāhana. Babhruvāhana is the son of Arjuna.

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

Gargamuni: When Your Divine Grace went there, Śyāmasundara told me, they were also following...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gargamuni: So that is common. They do that with everybody.

Prabhupāda: Regular practice.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: The Russian government sent me a New Year's card this year. I showed you that card? The Russian government sent us a New Year's card.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I showed you in Bombay.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So I... What do you think, all GBC? He should be restricted in that way?

Rāmeśvara: There's no harm in being cautious.

Prabhupāda: Cautious we must be in every action. That is another thing, but for canvassing business, why one should be restricted?

Harikeśa: There's no question of restriction.

Room Conversation -- March 24, 1977, Bombay:

Girirāja: Nicely prepared. And the people who came, there weren't so many. We hope more will be coming from Friday. But they were very interested, well-disciplined, respectable people. So we had some sitting area also. They each got nice puri and sabji and halavā.

Prabhupāda: Regular ārati is going on?

Girirāja: Yes.

Karttikeya Mahadevia: Two āratis.

Girirāja: And everyone appreciated the Vaikuṇṭha Players. And there were nice reports in the newspaper.

Prabhupāda: In the newspaper there is report?

Girirāja: Yes.

Room Conversation -- March 26, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: You want to do that, then do it. I don't mind. Every week, you can... At least...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. That means that we will have to send out regular invitation every week on a regular program to our life members.

Prabhupāda: It is all right, you do it. We have got so much subject matter for speaking.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So there will be an initiation on Rāma-navamī.

Prabhupāda: Rāma-navamī is upavāsa up till the... Go to observe fasting up to the evening.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So moon.

Prabhupāda: Sunset.

Room Conversation -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Bhavānanda: Very hot.

Prabhupāda: No, Simla is not hot. This Srinagar is not hot. I know that. I went there. I know. When I crossed, there was snow on the road. So when Guru dāsa will send his report?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: As soon as he meets Dr. Karan Singh. I told him to make detailed arrangements and give detailed report. You are eager to go there, I think.

Prabhupāda: Not very eager. I was eager only that if I simply get regular appetite, then the..., I can get some strength to work, that's all. So ask them to give me little orange.

Bhavānanda: Our only concern is that in the traveling to get to a place where you may get some strength—may not—that you will lose strength in the traveling. Without a guarantee.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That's a fact.

Bhavānanda: You would like some orange, Śrīla Prabhupāda? Anything else?

Prabhupāda: A little salt.

Morning Conversation -- April 11, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: This unnecessary expenditures like Sanskrit department and art department, this should be curtailed. We require money for Bhaktivedanta Institute.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "4) Every BBT division must make a monthly BBT report showing the income and expenditure and reviewing Press activity. All forms must be stated in US dollars except the Indian statement, which should also be stated in rupees." One of the reasons for this, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is that the only two, or I should say, the only three BBT divisions, or four, that gave regular reports was English, that was Rāmeśvara; Spanish, Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja; German was Jayatīrtha; and then Harikeśa. But the French were not giving any kind of regular statement. They have never given any statement.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, Bhagavān said he didn't have the necessary accountants. He gave a number of reasons. But the BBT Trustees rejected all the reasons and said that now there has to be a regular statement monthly. Similarly from India, there was no regular monthly statement given out to the other trustees. So now every month all the trustees must send a regular statement." 5) The Deity worship book will be printed by Jayatīrtha dāsa without BBT funds." This is that book. I forget the Sanskrit name, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Devotee: Hari-bhakti-vilāsa.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. So Jayatīrtha wants to print it on his own. Means he doesn't want to take BBT funds. So the trustees felt that that was very good, since funds were scarce; he does a nice printing. He said that he would take responsibility for printing and distributing it. Because it is a very limited edition, it's not going to be sold to the common people, just to devotees.

Prabhupāda: No. Few copies.

Morning Conversation -- April 11, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: But he was going to print it at Los Angeles.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I'm not sure if he's printing these... I think he is not printing a Sa-vijñānam Journal. He's printing some other booklets. But this regular journal, which comes out regularly, will be printed in India. "8) The scientists' book, Life Comes from Life, will be printed by BBT India, 5000 copies and paid for by BBT US. 9) No brochure will be printed for individual standing orders at this time. Rather, a selective market should be concentrated upon." This is in regard to Tripurāri Mahārāja's trying out some standing orders door to door in homes. So we decided that the BBT will not print any kind of special brochures at this time, but that he should first of all see what the market is like and make some experiment before we spend money.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Room Conversation -- April 13, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Girirāja: He's asked us to have a column in his newspaper every week for questions or answers, so that the readers can send their questions and then we will give our answer. He will pay. He wants to make a regular weekly feature. It's called The Bombay Times.

Prabhupāda: Newly started?

Girirāja: I don't know how old it is, but now they're making a big push to make it popular.

Prabhupāda: At least one day or two day in a week important men may come here, live here. You hold meeting in that auditorium.

Room Conversation with Ratan Singh Rajda M.P. 'Nationalism and Cheating' -- April 15, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So they are hankering after for improving. Everyone is hankering. So let there be a demi-official, a regular institute to teach people the principles of Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Bas. Don't distort it. Don't amend it. As it is. What is the objection?

Mr. Rajda: I can't find any objection.

Prabhupāda: Bhagavad-gītā is accepted, and so far I understand that when Morarji was going to be arrested, he said that "Let me finish my reading of Bhagavad-gītā." I read it in the paper.

Mr. Rajda: Yes, he was saying.

Prabhupāda: So he... He's a devotee of Bhagavad-gītā, and there are many others. So why this teaching should not be given to the whole world?

Room Conversation Meeting with Dr. Sharma (from Russia) -- April 17, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (2): If it goes to the top people let it go, let it go. But who has to make the attempts? Not regular society. The government only can do it. It's a private society.

Dr. Sharma: No, no. Private society can do it. Private society can write a book, they can take it to the government, they can get it in its function in the embassy in Moscow, where it is to be given to some of the people there in which the cultural society exists, so-called religious or cultural or cultural society. We can approach them as well and introduce some books there.

Guest (2): And that means Indian government has to accept first.

Dr. Sharma: No, it has nothing to do with the Indian government accepting. When once we request somebody in the cultural society, and the Indian embassy governs as a function, and we deliver lecture and we invite some of the Russians, we will give it to them also.

Prabhupāda: We can send some of our scientist disciples to prove scientifically there is God. If you can arrange, I can send my scientist disciples.

Morning Talk -- April 25, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...said that "This is our mission. Now whether you'll cooperate?" We cannot make any compromise. (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's going to have to hold regular kīrtanas and ārati.

Prabhupāda: You have to teach them. But so far the young boys who were there, they were very much impressed.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But they won't change their lives, I'm sure. They...

Prabhupāda: Why not?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're impressed to the point of hearing, let's say, yes.

Prabhupāda: If they hear more, they'll change.

Morning Conversation -- April 30, 1977, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? I told you that we have improved the quality of the composing. So this is a new style of composing. It is about... They have a new alphabet, cleaner. They are using better art paper. And I have shown it to our production manager. He also says the reproduction of it would be much better. I have improved the quality of art paper on which they are doing the art proofs. So I just got this one made, and I wanted to show it to you. We are experimenting with two types of composing. Now, this takes in more words, but what we will do at the time of printing, we will shoot it and it will become small, like the regular book, and this way we can get in more space. And this...

Prabhupāda: How many lines?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This is about... Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty, twenty... Thirty-three. But it's also little broader. It's a little broader than the others, thirty-three lines.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Still looks like there's a lot space.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, that's okay because when it is shot it will be reduced even further. This is... You shouldn't go by the space. It's already bigger than a normal size page. But when it is... It'll be shot by the camera and reduced.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But relatively, it looks like there's a lot of space here.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. You can make it even more, but then it's going to become very small. It is all done proportionately. This is another sample. This is about thirty-five lines. One, two, three, four, five, six...

Prabhupāda: This is better composition than the former.

Conversation Pieces -- May 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Viśvambhara is not our regular disciple.

Jayapatākā: Shouldn't be included.

Prabhupāda: Then he has to accept sannyāsa from me.

Jayatīrtha: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: He should know...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Become initiated.

Jayapatākā: Trustee must be initiated disciple.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

GBC Meets with Srila Prabhupada -- May 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: When I order, "You become guru," he becomes regular guru. That's all. He becomes disciple of my disciple. That's it.

Satsvarūpa: Next we have a question about the BBT. At present, no translation work is to be published without your seeing and approving it. So the question is, is there any system for publishing works in the future that you may not see? For example, we've heard suggested that the Padma Purāṇa or the Ṣaṭ-Sandarbha may be translated. But what would the system be to insure the paramparā if you would not personally see these translations?

Prabhupāda: That you have to examine expertly.

Srila Prabhupada Vigil -- May 28-29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: There is no philosophy, no science, nothing at the temple. A small Deity, small.

Jayapatākā: Smallest. Even that, there's not regular bhoga or prasāda distribution, nothing. The people there, they came and asked me that "Why you don't establish, do some saṁskāra? You establish your mandira here." I said, "You tell the man here to give to us. Immediately I am putting one chada(?) on this nātha-mandira and distributing prasāda weekly, five hundred people." They surrounded, that man said, and practically everything less than physically grabbed him. They were yelling at him, "Why you are not giving?" Says, "If you don't do, then we'll make our own committee and give."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Do that. They are simply... They can do.

Morning Conversation -- May 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That is one thing that Prabhupāda's concerned with.

Gargamuni: Oh, yes. Yes, that we have to talk about.

Prabhupāda: Then there must be regular prasāda-making and offering...

Gargamuni: Then no court can take away those rooms because there's worship of a deity.

Prabhupāda: So thik hai?

Indian man: (Hindi) (Hindi conversation)

Gargamuni: And we can put some stone plaque, that "This place is a holy place."

Prabhupāda: I think there is already.

Morning Conversation -- May 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Vacate? What you will do?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What you will do with that building?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: We will have devotees stay, and it's a regular... It's a holy place.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Not a... If you're going to get that building, then you rent it to people, not to devotees. There's no need for devotees to rent it.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Well, the upstairs we can rent to people, and the place where Prabhupāda lived could be a pilgrimage.

Prabhupāda: As soon as you rent, it become botheration.

Morning Conversation -- May 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Encourages?

Hari-śauri: Yeah. The distribution has increased.

Prabhupāda: Then why don't you dress like European, half foreign dress and half hair? Who is that foreign and European and gentleman? What is the use of wig? Keep regular gentleman's hair. There is no need of saffron dress. If by ordinary dress you can sell more book, there is no need of saffron dress. So what is the time now?

Gargamuni: 9:30.

Bhavānanda: Kīrtana, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Bhavānanda: Kīrtana?

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Bhavānanda: Would you like to have kīrtana now?

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...come directly, brāhmaṇas sometimes brahmacārī, gṛhastha. That will impress. (break) ...hodgepodge. Respect is no. Ideals become a leader. He'll do. He'll do. There must be some strong men. Tilaka always must be there. That is our great standard. Kaṇṭhī-mālā. Every fifteen days you should be cleansed. (break) (indistinct) Don't be in all this (indistinct). Go on very nicely. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita Gadādhara Śrīvāsa... (break)

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

Svarūpa Dāmodara: No, this will be "Bhaktivedanta Vijñāna Conference." That includes everything.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That you can...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I have taken that idea because in the United States there is a conference called Garden(?) Conference, and I want to develop this in the future as a regular feature of our movement, organize this conference all over the world. We'll title as "Bhaktivedanta Vijñāna Conference," and it involves all sources of knowledge. Just like Garden Conference. They have a meeting in Boston, in Harvard, in chemistry, and Garden Conference is in all fields, in physics, chemistry, the humanities. It is very respected all over the academic world. So we also wanted to generate a spiritual scientific conference along these lines.

Prabhupāda: Bhaktivedanta is spiritual.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So is that title sound not so attractive, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Yes, but they may not take it seriously.

Morning Conversation -- June 23, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Here you'll find many of...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I remember in the Rādhā-Govinda Temple in Jaipur, oh, the monkeys, they lived there as regular citizens practically. And they're very friendly there. They come up and they hold their hand out.

Prabhupāda: That Kṛṣṇa was giving the monkeys. Monkeys were pet, not as enemy.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Kṛṣṇa treated the monkeys as a pet?

Prabhupāda: Friends.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Friends.

Prabhupāda: He was giving butter. In the forest playing with them.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Imitating also.

Prabhupāda: Playing. If you give them to eat something, they become friendly.

Conversation with Surendra Kumar and O.B.L. Kapoor -- June 26, 1977, Vrndavana:

Dr. Kumar: No, I tell you, there are people... You see, if you tell them that "Come on, we shall spend a lakh or two lakhs of rupees on this temple. Are you agreeable?" they will say, "No." I have that experience. Why? Because if a temple is not in good condition, they go out, meet people and say, "Look here, this is the condition of the temple. Could you not donate something?"

Prabhupāda: No, I tried. Rādhā-Dāmodara Temple, I have tried.

Dr. Kumar: It's a regular source of business for them. And if the temple is renovated, that source will stop. It is in their interest that the temple may never, is never renovated so that...

Surendra Kumar: They can continuously beg over.

Dr. Kumar: Continuously beg.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You want me to read this, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Room Conversation with Mr. Myer -- July 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: But by decreasing expenditure, you save money. That is real saving.

Mr. Myer: No, (indistinct) rupees is not the savings. At present the excess in expenditure only will come, as it stands now. So we have to find a regular means. It's very possible if some of the...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's saying that whatever the case is, more money is being spent here than is being made.

Prabhupāda: So save it. First of all save it. More money, to increase, that is not difficult for us. We go to beg, "Please give us." We can get.

Akṣayānanda: So the idea is to save it.

Prabhupāda: Real thing is how to save it. In business circle they say, "To earn money is not difficult, but to spend money is difficult." That is intelligence. To earn money is not difficult because we do not earn. Whatever Kṛṣṇa gives, we take it. But if Kṛṣṇa's money is not squandered, misspent, that is intelligence. So we have to see first of all present... I know that. So much money is squandered. Just like the other day. To secure one eye glass... It is four annas' worth. We have spent at least twenty rupees. In this way our money is being squandered.

Room Conversation with Vrindavan De -- July 6, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That's all. And one tin box. (laughs) Give up this mistaken idea that "If we get some large sum of money from our father, then we shall be happy." That is not... That is wrong idea. Happiness depends on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You can take advantage from your father that you may not live uncomfortably. That's all, that much. That I am making sufficient arrangement. In your present position you'll never be disturbed. Now try to become happy by advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is required.

nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti
na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam
asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ
(SB 5.5.4)

Pramattaḥ. These persons are mad, pramattaḥ. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa mattaḥ. Mattaḥ means mad, and pra means still more, more than mad. Kurute vikarma. They are engaged in so many nefarious activities—black market, white market, stealing, burglaring, so on, so on. Vikarma. Idam adya mayā labdham idaṁ prāpsye punar dhanam. This is asuric thing. If one can squander away crores of rupees like Harendra Singh... Suppose if I give you each one lakh of rupees, how long it will take? You can squander away in one day. Take some regular income. Be comfortably situated. Advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bas. That is happiness. In your whole life you'll never be disturbed for economic condition. That I am arranging. That's all. That "I am suffering for money." No. It will regularly. Is not that scheme? So what is next Mukherjee? Hyderabad (Hindi) It will be great service to Kṛṣṇa.

Room Conversation about Grhasthas -- July 17, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: There it can be done. Just like you have four rings, and hang it, and very slowly.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: After They're installed, can They still be taken for... Sometimes They have special festivals. Is that all right? Because They've always traveled. They're not like a marble Deity. It's different. (pause) Your translating work is becoming a very regular thing now in the afternoons. Everybody I write to, I tell them that you have doubled your translation work, keeping with the doubling of book distribution. We got quite an encouraging letter just now, a full report from Dhṛṣṭadyumna Mahārāja about all the different things in...

Prabhupāda: Get this fan.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Fans? Encouraging report from Dhṛṣṭadyumna Mahārāja about all of the things that he's in charge of. It's very nice.

Prabhupāda: In New York.

Room Conversation -- July 19, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Anyway, it is all ci... It is a Communist manipulation.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're still in jail.

Prabhupāda: Some books you have brought for selling?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, these are just advance copies. They'll be coming by regular mail.

Prabhupāda: Some books are ready or not?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I just brought these with me.

Prabhupāda: Hindi books are selling now.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They have a big stock of 1.1, all the other Hindi books.

Prabhupāda: So I am very much pleased that we have got some nice Hindi books.

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

Prabhupāda: So it was taken from our temple to seaside?

Gaurasundara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: A long distance.

Gaurasundara: Yes. All through Waikiki. Very many people are in Waikiki, the tourists and regulars.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Very good.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is Gurukṛpā Mahārāja there?

Gaurasundara: I didn't see him.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, Ratha-yātrā has been performed. This is good news. Thank you. (break) Each standing order is for eight hundred rupees, seventeen books. So four thousand. So how much it becomes?

Dr. Kapoor: These boys are doing very good work. How much enthusiasm they are putting in.

Prabhupāda: There is two, three groups working in the Communist country. So we are getting very encouraging report, especially for Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So what is the price of four thousand sets at eight hundred rupees?

Room Conversation -- August 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Devotee (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda, you always called Back to Godhead magazine the backbone of Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. You have many times said that the Back to Godhead magazine is the backbone of Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. So it is my ardent desire that the Hindi Back to Godhead should be made a regular monthly.

Prabhupāda: Why don't you make?

Devotee (1): There are printing and distribution problems.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We had a big stock of our old issue. We had printed seventy thousand of that. There's only few thousand left, and we have a lot of...

Prabhupāda: If you have got distribution problem, then you...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And we have a lot of small books which we have just printed. So I wanted the small books to be cleared out. Like in Germany and France also they don't do Back to Godhead every month. They do it every few months so that they can get the books out.

Prabhupāda: It doesn't matter. Every month, if we regularly publish, we get some postal (indistinct). That's... If you every month publish some in certain date, you get very cheap rate for posting. That... All right. So a good thing... (break) Very good boy. So Gaurasundara, if he joins there, it will be still more brilliant for both of them. Because you have got the talent. You are not to be taught. You can teach others how to make dolls. And profusely make this doll exhibition from Bhāgavata. Yes. There's no need of reading book. They will see and understand Bhāgavata. Everywhere, in every branch, you see how many tourists you attract. Do all these things. Kṛṣṇa has given all assistance: money, men, endeavor. Now utilize it properly. Just see how nicely they have made. Nobody will understand this is doll. As if actual photograph.

Room Conversation -- August 10, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhaviṣṇu: Yes. Then we can export the books also into West Bengal.

Prabhupāda: Yes. In this way organize these two places with the courage of an Englishman and the heart of a Bengali mother. And we should ventilate in the papers that this Indian investment of American money is not American money. It is my money. I have written books, laboring whole night. The American boys have cooperated with me by printing, by distributing, and the money was received by selling the books. So the books are mine. I have given to the society. So I have done business, regular, in foreign countries. I have earned money and spending the same money in my country. It is not American money. It is my money. I have done business. That's all. It is a credit for Indian son so to do such tremendous business and bring money for investing in his own country, from the national point of view... Why the...? The Americans are not claiming that this is their money. They are my disciples; they are cooperating with me. Actually it is a business. I have done business, I have earned money and brought it at home to spend. Everyone does. They should not misunderstand that I have stolen money from America and brought it. It is fair business. That's all. Ventilate this. They are under impression that the American government is supplying, the World Bank is supplying. Nobody is supplying. I am earning money by business, by my hard labor.

Room Conversation -- October 9, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Plain.

Devotees: Jaya.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Regular strawberries. Just now?

Prabhupāda: Later on, little. What is the benefit of strawberry?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What is the benefit of strawberry?

Abhirāma: They're like grapes, similar.

Prabhupāda: Hm? Hm?

Haṁsadūta: I don't know the benefit of strawberries.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What nutritional benefit does strawberry give? Tejiyas says they have sugar in them, so it gives good energy.

Prabhupāda: Where is Tejiyas?

Hari-śauri: Right here, at the bed, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: You are coming from Hyderabad?

Tejiyas: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Room Conversation -- October 11, 1977, Vrndavana:

Girirāja: I had a very wonderful meeting with the chairman of the bank. And he's ready to do anything to satisfy us and keep our business. So he said that he was going to get rid of the man who is on this counter, Mr. Gupta, and give us some more young, dynamic, cooperative person to be in charge over here. And we completed the formalities for transferring the fixed deposits to the main branch, and he assured me that it was a completely routine transaction and that if the local people tried to do anything to stop it, that he would himself personally see that it went through smoothly. So I gave them the certificates. It was not necessary to sign them. We just gave the certificates, and they gave us a receipt. And they're going to endorse the certificates. So they are payable from New Delhi instead of from Vṛndāvana, and then we can go and collect them. And the chairman also called the assistant general manager. He was also very nice and very sympathetic. So he's going to come on Saturday, and he's going to look into everything, all the difficulties here. And I said that he could bring his family and they could take prasādam. So they're all going to be coming on Saturday at about eleven o'clock. I had submitted a letter with eleven things that we wanted. You know, we want the hours to be regular, we wanted a new person here, we wanted our interest on time—just a list of different things. And he said that there's no problem, and they're just ready to do whatever we want. They gave the impression that they would dismiss any number of people here that were giving us trouble. But I said that I thought that the main person was this Mr. Gupta, and so they said they would replace him. It was very good. But still, even if there are improvements here, I think it's better to keep the fixed deposits in New Delhi.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Room Conversation -- October 12, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: He instructed hospitalization.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, hospitalization.

Kīrtanānanda: Ultimately, whatever he says we have to do if we're going to accept him. But he's also very understanding, and I think in your condition there may be no need for hospitalization. We need to get some regular care established. There was to be a regimen for recovery.

Prabhupāda: No, that I have already explained. I don't want to go to hospital.

Kīrtanānanda: So that is not necessary. (Prabhupāda coughs heavily) (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Jayapatākā Mahārāja has come from Māyāpur.

Prabhupāda: Come here. (heavy coughing) Mucus is generating, either you take milk or fruit juice. I have given my opinion in that correspondence. And he's a qualified man. If you want him, then somebody may go to him and talk.

Room Conversation -- October 13, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Make me centered.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Make a loan from Los Angeles to the BBT, and the BBT will repay it with the regular bank interest. Is that all right? Had you given power of attorney, now that the MV trust has approved it, Girirāja and I can sign on your behalf. See, we'll never sign on our own. We only sign after we get authority from the respective committee or from Your Divine Grace.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Why did you not go there?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: See, the scientists did not come on time. They did not come on time. They came late. The conference was to begin at ten, but it began at noon. I mean I don't think it's... The main point is that the devotees will start to attend probably the afternoon session, because it will be on a more regular schedule again. This was just a very irregular... Even the scientists... There was only thirty of them in the conference, because although more than that have arrived, they haven't yet settled into their quarters. This first... The first lecture is a little like that. Everybody's getting settled in.

Prabhupāda: I do not know what to say.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I don't know what to say. The devotees should all attend the conference. I think that's the point.

Prabhupāda: Not necessarily. But where (whether?) the conference is going on or Bhagatji's feast is going on? This is perplexing me.

Room Conversation -- October 18, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The main thing, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is that you get some strength. You were sleeping so much, and you weren't getting any better. The sleeping is necessary, but you shouldn't sacrifice. In order to sleep you should not sacrifice those things which give strength and which take away this disease. You have to get strength, get rid of the disease, and be able to rest nicely. That we have seen, that the kavirāja's medicine is not so effective, neither simply doing without any medicine is so effective. We have not tried allopathic medicine, because within a day or two you always stop it. Whenever you take for one day, then you say, "No more." I think that this... If you want to get better, you have to take some cure. No cure—that is not good. And switching from one thing to the other, that is also not good. Why not follow some series of cure, regular, and stay with it for some time? We're not going to let anything severe be done. That's for sure. And Dr. Ghosh has come very long distance, and this other doctor he is taking the help of is supposed to be very expert doctor. So in such a critical condition, why not take the help? What can be gained by again changing to this Vanamali? Just because there was a little inability for sleep, why should you give up all of the, you know, regimentations which they're prescribing? Just like sometimes...

Prabhupāda: No, they say "You drink this, drink this, drink this."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But Prabhupāda, unless you drink a...

Prabhupāda: No. That's all right, but the drinking forcibly, that is a great botheration.

Room Conversation -- October 20, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They were planning, in my... I talked with Girirāja about this. They were thinking "Here is an old sannyāsī, Prabhupāda. He has many foreign disciples, he has money. Let us get the money in fixed deposit. Then if he should pass away, then somehow by trick the money will be kept here and we'll never let them take it out." That was their plan. Therefore whenever Prabhupāda suggested that Gurukṛpā would sign, co-sign, "No, no," they would never allow. Their plan is that Prabhupāda would pass away, and all the foreigners would be there, and they'd never let them take it. When I showed them this power of attorney, they had a great shock. They were shocked how this had happened to them. I think this was their plan. Very deceiving type of people. Because they are here in Vṛndāvana. All their money is from fixed deposits from āśramas. So they know how to do this business of keeping the money. Now everything is clear. The money is there in Delhi. The Delhi office is not like that. They're businesslike. And we can keep dealing them, but on regular accounts. None of these fixed deposits. Not now. They "Now you must gain their confidence again." We told them, "We have nothing against you. But you deal properly, then again we'll deposit. But deal properly in a businesslike way." We have nothing against them. Punjab Bank is a good bank. Anyway, it's settled now, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It's finished. I wanted you to know that it's been successfully completed due to Girirāja's good efforts. Girirāja went to Bombay. His parents went with him.

Prabhupāda: You said this Trivedi is worse than him?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Well, one thing we could say in favor of the kavirāja delay in coming is that if he had come, then he might have given some medicine right away. But this way, your body has been given a chance to rest from that other thing that you had taken. By not taking medicine for two days now, it's good. It's made... The body will become a little more regular. If he had come, naturally he would have wanted to immediately prescribe some medicine. This is not bad, to give the body a rest after such strong medicine. How much did Prabhupāda drink today? The stool-passing has stopped?

Bhakti-caru: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Better that you don't drink any more tonight, Śrīla Prabhupāda, except a little bit of miśri-jala or some little bit. Then by tomorrow you should be more normal again. Anyway, our activities are going on—parikrama, kīrtana, Bhāgavatam.

Prabhupāda: Can I go to Calcutta?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, I still feel a little confident that we could take you there, but... I mean just like we carry you in the palanquin and you don't have any difficulty, so airplane is like a big palanquin. I mean, you know, there's so many of us, eight or ten of us. I can't see that there could be any difficulty. Of course, I still think the kavirāja is going to come. I have faith in Śatadhanya Mahārāja. I think this is simply Kṛṣṇa's test for him. I think the kavirāja will come. The nicest thing will be if the kavirāja treats you for some days, and you get some benefit, and then he takes you...

Prabhupāda: (?) Yes.

Room Conversation -- November 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's called Preaching is the Essence. "His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda." It says, "Compiled by Rāmeśvara dāsa Swami and Śubhānanda dāsa Brahmacārī." It says, "A note of explanation. Every word of the text of this book is taken directly from the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, founder-ācārya of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. The text appearing in boldface type is Śrīla Prabhupāda's translations of verses from the Vedic literatures. The text in regular roman type consists of excerpts from His Divine Grace's summary studies and purports. Contents in brief: 1) The mission of the Lord—to give all living entities the benediction of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. 2) It is the duty of the devotee to preach." Each one of these subjects, then they give verses or purports.

Brahmānanda: All about preaching.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In other words, a devotee can use this book to learn these verses which substantiate the following points. These are the points. "3) Preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the highest welfare activity. 4) Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be distributed to everyone without restriction."

Prabhupāda: How many copies?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This was printed strictly for the devotees, two thousand copies only.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You got one letter, Śrīla Prabhupāda, from the BBT Library Party in America. I won't read it all, but just to sum it up... That Readings in Vedic Literature by Satsvarūpa Mahārāja, that book, remember, that I read some parts of to you? Readings in Vedic Literature Satsvarūpa wrote? It's a short book? That book is becoming very much accepted in university courses. Many, many classes are using it as a textbook, which means that automatically thirty to fifty copies are purchased at a time. And all over the country now, as the Library Party travels, at each college one or two courses use this book now each semester. It's a regular textbook now. Now that they've introduced the study guide to the Bhagavad-gītā, they expect the Bhagavad-gītā will also become a regular textbook more and more. Actually this is a... The Library Party reports that this is a great future for these books, is that gradually all of these books will be accepted as textbooks, and they will be made mandatory reading in college courses, which means there will be huge sales year after year. Another thing which they're beginning to sell very widely, Śrīla Prabhupāda... See, first the Library Party went to every university in America over the last four years and sold standing orders of the Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Now they're going back this year and starting to sell textbooks, text orders. They've done standing orders, now they're going to the same colleges and they're approaching the professors and saying, "Here's a book for your class as a textbook," which means that the teacher orders thirty copies at a time. So they're beginning to do this now. And they're also beginning to sell the movies. Yadubara's movies are being taken. In each school one or two people are renting these films or purchasing these films as well as slide shows. This is called audio-visual media. The Library Party is starting to sell a lot of the movies and the slide shows as well as tape cassettes. Music courses, for example, want to order tape cassettes of Your Divine Grace singing bhajanas and playing the harmonium as part of a course in Indian music, for example.

Prabhupāda: How many of you are going to Māyāpur with me?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We are going, ten-ten on the plane and another four or five on the train. Say fifteen altogether.

Page Title:Regular (Conversations)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:23 of Nov, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=174, Let=0
No. of Quotes:174