Amazing (Lect, Conv, & Letters)

Expressions researched:
"amaze" |"amazed" |"amazement" |"amazes" |"amazing" |"amazingly"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:

Devotee: "Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, do not understand him at all (BG 2.29)."

Prabhupāda: Hear about the soul, (for) the general people, it is amazing. Still, in the modern society, which is so proud of scientific advancement, so far soul is concerned, it is amazement. Nobody understands, still. And those who are hearing about the existence of soul, some of us also in amazement. It is a mysterious thing. And even after hearing... Just like some student. There are many students, they are reading Bhagavad-gītā, which confirms from the very beginning the existence of soul, but still, Bhagavad-gītā they are reading daily, they cannot understand what is soul. Amazement.

Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Niṣkiñcana means a great personality who has become completely freed from all material consciousness. He is called mahīyasām. He is also great, the great soul. So unless one takes shelter of the lotus feet or the dust of the lotus feet of a great personality who has no material affection, nobody can understand what is God. Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ (SB 7.5.32). As soon as one understands the spirit soul and the supreme soul... That can be understood only when one is taken shelter of a great personality freed from material contamination. This is the version of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Otherwise, it is amazement. To understand about soul is amazement. To understand about God is amazement. So Vedic injunction is therefore that if you are at all serious to understand tad vijñānam, that science, transcendental science... Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). The Veda says, "Then you must find out a bona fide spiritual master." Tad vijñānārtham, if you are seriously interested. Go on.

Devotee: 30: "O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body is eternal and can never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any creature (BG 2.30)."

Lecture on BG 2.28 -- London, August 30, 1973:

Devotee:

āścaryavat paśyati kaścit enam

āścaryavad vadati tathaiva cānyaḥ

āścaryavac cainam anyaḥ śṛṇoti

śrutvāpy enaṁ veda na caiva kaścit

"Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all."

Prabhupāda: So we shall discuss tomorrow. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 4.2 -- Bombay, March 22, 1974:

Just like we cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God, general people. They do not know, because they have got blunt senses, material senses. Even in material world, we are seeing the sun every day, but we do not know how big it is. Or even if we see this motorcar... A child sees: he sees that it is automatically going, without any horse. He's amazed. But one who can see, he knows that there is machine, there is brain. So this is our position. Even to understand material things we are not perfect. Our senses are not perfect. How we can understand God? That is not possible, because we have got defects. Our senses are not perfect: I cannot see perfectly. I cannot smell perfectly. I cannot touch perfectly. I cannot hear perfectly. So many defects. I commit mistake. I become illusioned. I accept something for something. In this way, our position is very imperfect.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Ahmedabad, December 14, 1972:

So for, by standard knowledge, by understanding Vedas, that is standard knowledge. Still, although they are siddhas, still they do not understand Kṛṣṇa. Just like karmīs, jñānīs, yogis, they have taken to standard knowledge. That's a fact. But still, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. The Māyāvādīs, the impersonalists, the speculators, they cannot understand. They are surprised, that "How Kṛṣṇa can be the Absolute Truth?" Even a, a great scholar, Dr. Radhakrishnan, he's also amazed. He says that "Bhagavad-gītā is mental speculation." And when Kṛṣṇa says on the Ninth Chapter... He writes commentary. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). He says that "It is not up to Kṛṣṇa, but the fact which is within Kṛṣṇa."

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:

So one should not be, I mean to say, amazed simply by realization of impersonal Brahman. There is further business. Brahmeti paramātmeti. Just like we are experiencing daily the sunshine. So if we become satisfied with the sunshine only—"Now we have come to the light"—that is not perfection.

Lecture on SB 1.5.8-9 -- New Vrindaban, May 24, 1969:

They are not given any importance. "Well, as..." Ābrahma-bhuvana-stham. Ābrahma. For a devotee, as Brahmā is also living entity, a small ant is also living entity, all Kṛṣṇa's parts and parcels. They have no quarrel with anybody. As Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel, we offer respect to everyone. So not that they are amazed with the greatness of a living entity. He thinks that his greatness is due to Kṛṣṇa's favor. Because Kṛṣṇa said in the Bhagavad-gītā, yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ tat tad eva mama tejo 'ṁśa-sambhavam. Nobody can become great unless... Just like the sunshine. The sunshine, what is the sunshine? It is simply a partial reflection of Kṛṣṇa's brahma-jyotir. Similarly anyone who is great in the estimation of this material world, there is some Kṛṣṇa's favor. That's all. Yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ tat tad eva mama tejo 'ṁśa-sambhavam.

Lecture on SB 1.15.27 -- New York, March 6, 1975:

That is." "Why you are crying?" "No, as soon as I take this Bhagavad-gītā in my hand a picture comes before me that Arjuna is sitting on the chariot ordering Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is carrying out his order and driving the chariot. So that makes me amazed. Therefore I am crying, that 'How Kṛṣṇa is merciful, that He accepted a menial service for His devotee. He is so kind.' " Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately embraced him: "Yes, brāhmaṇa, your reading of Bhagavad-gītā is perfect." So it doesn't matter whether one is illiterate or literate.

Lecture on SB 5.6.7 -- Vrndavana, November 29, 1976:

So Māyāvādīs are attractive. They are very educated. They can put things in jugglery of words. That capacity they have got. So people become amazed, and almost everyone... So therefore they are not very much pleased with this movement, that "Kṛṣṇa is God." We are preaching, and all full of Māyāvādīs, they are thinking, "What this nonsense is doing? Kṛṣṇa..." They think Kṛṣṇa is māyā. Viṣṇu-kalevara māyā. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7).

Lecture on SB 6.1.31 -- San Francisco, July 16, 1975:

So one point is very important. People are sometimes amazed, "Where is the soul?" Now it is clearly said here, hṛdayāt: "from the core of the heart." Therefore soul is existing within the heart. And the Paramātmā is also existing. The yogis, they want to see. Although they are, Paramātmā and jīvātmā, sitting side by side, and He is dictating, but on account of our foolishness we cannot see Him, neither hear Him.

Lecture on SB 7.9.42 -- Mayapur, March 22, 1976:

Nature is working not independently—by the direction of Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Whatever is going on by the wonderful activities of nature... People are amazed by seeing the wonderful activities of nature. But behind these activities there is the direction of the Supreme Personality. Therefore Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva is addressed here, bhava-sambhava-lopa-hetoḥ.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 9, 1972:

Yoga siddhis, they are simply material arts. Just like one example is given, that aṇimā siddhi, aṇimā siddhi means to enter into the stone. So we see in the Western countries they are boring big, big hills and entering in the stone. So that aṇimā siddhi is being possible, is made possible by modern scientific research. So all the siddhis, aṣṭa siddhi, aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti, prākāmya, īśitā, vaśitā, these all siddhis are material. They are not spiritual. But people do not know what is spiritual perfection. They become amazed by seeing some magic by these yogic arts. They're simply material arts.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 3.87-88 -- New York, December 27, 1966:

Similarly, in the Upaniṣad also, we find that the Supreme Lord is hidden within the brahma-jyotir. The exact verse I forget just now. It is stated that "Please remove this cover so that I can see You actually." So within the brahma-jyotir there is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So ordinarily people are amazed with simply brahma-jyotir. They do not go deep into the matter. So ullaṅhita-trividha-sīma-samātīśāyi. God is beyond the limitation of our thinking and philosophical speculation. Sambhāvanaṁ tava parivraḍhima-svabhāvam: "Your very grave and confidential activities, it is very difficult to understand by ordinary men." Māyā-balena bhavatāpi niguhyamānam.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-146 -- Bombay, February 24, 1971:

So they have also demand. They are trying to get some material perfection. Just like flying in the sky or walking on the water—these things are very wonderful, and people are very much amazed. If you can walk on the water, so many followers you will get immediately. That is a wonderful thing for common man.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.29 -- San Francisco, January 21, 1967:

If you say, "This is greatest," oh, the sun planet is creating the sunlight; therefore sun planet is greatest, not the sunshine. So we are captivated, tribhir guṇamayī, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. We are captivated by the greatness of the three qualities of nature or the energies of God. And we do not approach God. That is our difficulty. We are simply amazed by seeing the wonderful activities of God's energy. That's all. But we do not approach God. Therefore we are less intelligent. One who does not approach God (and) simply is captivated by the display of His energy, they are called śakta. Śakta means appreciating the strength or the energy of God. That's all.

General Lectures

Lecture at Art Gallery -- Auckland, April 16, 1972:

Prabhupāda: First aphorism is athāto brahma jijñāsā. Greater thing. We are engaged in smaller thing. We become amazed when we see a small sputnik is flying in the sky, and it is trying to go to the moon planet, and we are giving all credit to the scientist, and scientist is challenging, "What is God? Science is everything." But if you are cool brain, then you will see that now, in comparison to the sputnik, there are millions and trillions of planets and stars, big, big planets like sun planet, which is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this earth.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: Yes. That doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. After one day of Brahmā there is devastation. So Brahmā lives for one hundred years according to his calculation. So each day there is devastation. So so many devastation passes in one month of Brahmā, then such twelve months makes one year, and such hundred years will be. So there is no calculation of devastation, how many devastations. In Brahmā's one day it is calculated 5,400 Manus are born in one month of Brahmā. So our calculation is like that. We are not very much amazed of hearing millions and trillions. It is nothing. In our historical reference is billions and trillions of years. They are nothing.

Philosophy Discussion on Edmund Husserl:

Śyāmasundara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Similarly, these so-called scientists who does not see God behind this nature, they are just like the same child. They are simply amazed with mother's activities, mother nature. That is called śakta. The worshipers of Goddess Kālī and Goddess Durgā are like that. They simply see the supremacy, the wonderful activities of the mother. But when he is grown up, he knows that "My mother has a controller, has a husband, who is my father."

Śyāmasundara: But these philosophers, especially Husserl, because there is so much confusion and chaos in the world of philosophical thought, they wanted to start from the beginning, from zero knowledge, from wiping everything away and beginning over again. So first of all they started with the phenomenon, because that's what you can see first, just like if you were a newborn child. Then they began...

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Dr. Karan Singh, -- November 25, 1971, Delhi:

Dr. Singh: You have a temple?

Śyāmasundara: Oh, a very big temple.

Mālatī: But it's not... Every day there's people from not only the Indian community, which you know is very large there, but everywhere. (others talking-indistinct) And they're beautiful. People are always amazed. And all the jewelry and all the mukuts and all the dresses, we make them ourself, and people are amazed. They are so beautiful. They have very big smiling faces and they're very shiny.

Prabhupāda: Next time when you go to London...

Dr. Singh: Yes, I'll definitely visit. I requested you to send me the list of your centers because I travel constantly throughout the world. And wherever I go, I can always look up the thing, and if I find a center there, I can drop into the center.

Śyāmasundara: Every city.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 1, 1972, Sydney:

Sudāmā: He's losing money.

Śyāmasundara: Someone has built in front of him.

Pradyumna: He had view over whole city. This was the biggest building, I think, and he said he had view everywhere. Now someone built one right up, right next to him.

Bhūrijana: In the United States, the most amazing thing is that everyone is envious. The general population is envious of the hippies because they all want to do that. The ones who are working so hard, they want to be the ones who are just getting fed and do nothing and enjoy sex. But then when the hippies have it, they say bad things about them.

Prabhupāda: What is that? I could not...

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 28, 1973, Jakarta:

Prabhupāda: No. There is business only. Why there should be restrictions? Everyone does so, beginning from Vivekananda, Aurobindo, everyone. Aurobindo also used to say that you haven't got to do anything, you simply think of me, just like Kṛṣṇa says: "Simply think of Me." (indistinct) (break)

Devotee (3): One man came here, a haṭha-yogī, so-called haṭha-yogī, and he was putting water in his nose and cloth in his stomach and all twisting this way, going under water, and they were all very amazed and many people came to see. Just like the circus.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And then they say "I will make you perfect man, whatever you like you can... You become my disciple, give me some money."

Devotee (3): And enjoy.

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Why it is not coming now, rascal? I kick on your face with boots. Why it is not coming now?

Karandhara: If it happened before, it should happen now.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: And it is so amazing that people believe it.

Prabhupāda: That means fools.

Brahmā: The blind leading the blind.

Morning Walk -- April 28, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Handling every day. Still they'll not. Dog's obstinacy. That's all. They're seeing practically, that the material energy cannot work independently unless the spiritual energy joins. So how they can expect the whole cosmic manifestation, which is matter only, has come out automatically? We are practically seeing, a very nice car, Cadillac. But if there is no driver, what is the use of that car? A computer machine. Unless the man knows how to work it, pushes the button, it does not work. So practically we are seeing that without superior energy, the material energy does not act. Still they'll not believe it. Therefore in this wonderful cosmic manifestation, there must be handling of a superior energy. And that they do not know. They are amazed with this material arrangement. Just like a foolish person is amazed by seeing the mechanical, big machine. So many parts. But another person knows that, however wonderful machine it may be, unless the operator comes and pushes the button, it will not work. This is intelligence. Therefore who is important? The operator or the machine? So we are concerned with the operator, Kṛṣṇa, not with the machine.

Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course -- May 17, 1973, Los Angeles:

Kṛṣṇa-kāntī: The doctors are marveling at the complex nature of the human brain. They are amazed.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. But they are rascal. It is not the brain that is working. It is the spirit soul that is working. The same thing: the computer machine. The rascal will think that a computer machine is working. No. The man is working. He pushes the button, then it works.

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

Prabhupāda: Then you become pure. You become pure.

Revatīnandana: Yes. Yes.

Jesuit Priest: That's very interesting.

Revatīnandana: I just met a gentleman who told me exactly that. Just a few min... He's a businessman here in London. He's about forty years old. And three months ago, he decided, because he learned, heard this from us, he decided to become a vegetarian. And a few weeks later, I talked to him. He said, "You know, it's amazing the difference in my consciousness." He says, "I have become a completely different man." Yeah, he told me that.

Prabhupāda: Well, yes...

Morning Walk -- August 30, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: Therefore the gentleman the other day was asking, "How is that you say electricity?" Oh you were not present that time? Because we have translated there is no need of sun, there is no need of moon, there is no need of electricity in the spiritual world. So when he heard the word electricity, he became astonished.

Śyāmasundara: He thought the word did not exist at the time?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

David Lawrence: Yes, I must admit I was amazed at that reference, reading that yesterday.

Prabhupāda: That frog philosophy is going on. Dr. Frog. He's simply calculating the well, that's all. How there can be Atlantic Ocean? That is frog philosophy. You know frog philosophy? Yes?

David Lawrence: Yes.

Morning Walk -- August 30, 1973, London:

David Lawrence: Miracle.

Prabhupāda: What do they know? They do not know anything.

David Lawrence: No, no. I was absolutely amazed to read an article...

Prabhupāda: This is Vedic knowledge. So you'll get everything perfect. Therefore, how there can be any history? That is the difficulty. We are speaking everything, of the spiritual. Therefore, it is sometimes very difficult for the gross materialist. They are so dull-headed, they cannot understand.

Room Conversation with Officer Harry Edwards, the Village Policeman -- August 30, 1973, Bhaktivedanta Manor, London:

Prabhupāda: Portugal, yes.

Śyāmasundara: It's quiet and sunny there. So he wants to go and chant and read. He's beginning to read Kṛṣṇa Book now. He said, "I've had it here so many years. I even wrote the foreword, but I've never read it. So now I began to read it." And he reads every day. He's into the Fourth Chapter now.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Śyāmasundara: Yeah, and he says he's completely amazed by it, how wonderful it is, Kṛṣṇa Book.

Harry: Very nice, yeah.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

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

Prabhupāda: They must neglect because foolish, they cannot solve. They're rascal. They cannot solve. They're simply pleased with some what is called, temporary success. That's all. The ultimate success is not the... Professor Einstein, he was very big scientist but he could not solve his death. He was to die.

Hṛdayānanda: Boy! That's amazing.

Prabhupāda: He has to die. He could not solve his death and he's a big scientist. What kind of scientist is that?

Hṛdayānanda: Boy!

Prabhupāda: The real problem remain unsolved.

Devotee: ...death is blindness.

Morning Walk -- December 10, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Therefore the best education, scientific advancement, is to recognize God behind everything. That is perfection. We are canvassing, "Accept God, accept God." But if the modern scientist, philosopher, they present, "Yes, here is God," by calculation, then people will take it more seriously. "Oh, the scientist is saying." That is wanted. We are fighting with the scientists and others because they do not accept God. That is their fault. Otherwise, they are friends. They are giving more stress on the physical laws, nature, but they do not know under whose indication the physical laws are working, the nature is working. That they do not know. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ. It is the... In Vedic literatures it is said, chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā. The nature is working just like shadow, shadow of God. Just like master says, "Go there." Immediately the servant goes there. The servant is not independent. by the indication of the master, goes there. So that is nature. And because the arrangement is so perfect... Just like you said, "Out of season, the flowers came out." So they cannot explain. The arrangement is so perfect that God desired, "Now there, let be these flowers," and nature immediately produces. The arrangement is so perfect that these people, they cannot understand. They become amazed, "How it happened?"

Morning Walk -- December 13, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: By false egotism and being a rascal, he is thinking like that. And because everyone is under that impression, therefore we say generally, "Rascal. Rascal." People may be amazed, "Why this gentleman says everyone rascal?" But prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni, vimūḍhātmā. Bhagavad-gītā it is said, "Anyone who is thinking that he is boss, he's a rascal." (break) ...Scientists struggle is that he wants to stop the action of prakṛti, nature. That is his foolishness.

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

Prabhupāda: They did not like it?

Jagajjīvana: No, they did not like it, the officials. So then we started to leave, thinking, "Well, rather than cause any trouble, we better leave." So then the people, they wouldn't let us leave. So then the leaders there, they were forced to put us on stage. And so we chanted on stage with big microphones and thousands of people came to listen, and then we taught them how to chant Nitāi-Gaurāṅga, and they all chanted. Nitāi, Nitāi, Gaurāṅga, Gaurāṅga. It was very amazing. And then we distributed books and we lectured. (break) Their Lordships Gaura-Nitāi have come because of that chanting, Deities. (break)

Prabhupāda: If the chanter is sincere.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 27, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: No, he has... I mean, delivered. I was not able to understand for many years this one. Ūrdhva-mūlam... (break) ...and this illusionary shadow.

Prabhupāda: This is maintained by Vedic injunction. Just like people are very much attached to fruitive activities. They are attached to that. They do not want to go beyond. The karmīs. Karmīs, their whole ambition is how to go to these heavenly planets. He does not know that what is the benefit of going to the heavenly planets? He does not know. Therefore he is amazed by the chandāṁsi, Vedic chandāṁsi. Yām imāṁ puṣpitāṁ vācam, veda-vādinaḥ. So they are especially attached to these Vedic...

Chandobhai: Injunctions of action.

Morning Walk -- April 4, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Small particle is important.

Prabhupāda: Ah. Therefore those who are materialistic persons, they are amazed with the huge body of this universe. But Arjuna is saying that "On account of Your entering..." As this body has developed on account of entering, that minute particle or spiritual spark, similarly, there are innumerable universes. All these universes, they have developed. (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa, Jaya. (break) ...Kṛṣṇa's entering as Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṇu. That is explained in the last chapter.

Morning Walk -- April 24, 1974, Hyderabad:

Akṣayānanda: Yes.

Mahāṁśa: They just speak very big words so that the language looks very nice, but people don't understand a word what they are saying.

Prabhupāda: (Prabhupāda talks meaningless words, imitating the rascals; devotees laugh) They go on speaking like this. And people, "Oh, how amazing!" Simply give some grammatical form and talk all nonsense, people will appreciate. Jugglery. This is called jugglery. The Māyāvādī paṇḍitas also do that. All the Māyāvādīs are against me, because I am talking about Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and they screw their own meaning by jugglery of words. So they are all enemies. The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, smārta-paṇḍitas, all of them. (break) ...has constructed a śiva-liṅga temple.

Mahāṁśa: Śiva-liṅga.

Prabhupāda: Śiva-liṅga. You have seen Śiva-liṅga?

Mahāṁśa: Yes.

Morning Walk -- April 29, 1974, Hyderabad:

Devotee: They are attracted by wonderful things such as Sai Baba. He is doing so many wonderful things. People...

Prabhupāda: That is, means rascal. He does not see Kṛṣṇa's wonderful. If you want to see wonderful things, why don't you see the more wonderful things? But they are foolish; they are captivated with small wonderful things. That means less intelligent. Just like small children, they will be amazed by seeing small wonderful things, but his father will not be. What is the amazement, wonderful thing, Sai Baba has done? If he is creator of gold, then why he is doing business of incense? You know that? He has a big incense business exactly like us. He can create gold? Why there is incense business? (break) Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to give to His mother some gold when there was need of money. "Mother, I got this gold. So you can utilize it." The mother would think that "We are poor men, we have no gold. Wherefrom this boy brings gold?"

Room Conversation -- June 5, 1974, Geneva:

Yogeśvara: There was a story in Time magazine last week. Everyone was in a big flurry about it. An airplane crashed in the Andes mountains, and they were stranded way up in the mountains for eighteen days without any food. So there were maybe fifty people on the plane and only eighteen survivors. So because there was no food they ate the bodies. They ate the dead bodies to survive. Then, eighteen days later they were saved. A plane came and picked them up and brought them back. So people are very, very much excited, "Oh, what is this amazing occurrence, that they ate human flesh?" But every day they are eating...

Prabhupāda: Cow's flesh. When it was?

Yogeśvara: This was about... Now it is almost a month ago, one month ago.

Prabhupāda: Where it was?

Yogeśvara: In the Andes mountains?

Room Conversation with Russian Orthodox Church Representative -- June 13, 1974, Paris:

Karandhara: He's the head of the church but he cannot... He feels he's not qualified to discuss spiritual matters.

Bhagavān: Once last year a man in London, a professor in a religious school, said the same thing, and you said that according to our Vedic philosophy, if a teacher doesn't know something, he should step down. And His answer was, "I can't do that." (Prabhupāda chuckles)

Paramahaṁsa: It seems amazing that such fundamental questions, they remain mute, such people like this, who are supposed to be qualified to bring other people out of their distress.

Karandhara: That's why the church now has lost everyone, because even its leaders are saying, "I don't know anything. I'm just fumbling around like everyone else. I don't really know anything definite."

Prabhupāda: Still, he is leader?

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Hanumān: They don't speak English.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Oh, you don't understand English.

Hṛdayānanda: (Spanish)

Hanumān: They're just amazed looking at you.

Guest (6): (Spanish)

Hṛdayānanda: They said they are simply here feeling your presence, and they realize that you're very busy, and so they are simply feeling love for you.

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much.

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

Prabhupāda: It never becomes old.

Tripurāri: No.

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) Yes.

Devotee (9): Sometimes, Śrīla Prabhupāda, when we give someone a book we tell them that there's eighty volumes, and they... They just... They're amazed that there's so many books.

Devotee (5): Sometimes they'll say, "I already have a book." Then you show them another book. "I've got that one." Then you show them another book. "Well, I've got that one too." Then you say, "Oh, come over here. Let me show you the new one. This just came out." (laughter)

Śrutakīrti: This is this boy's son.

Prabhupāda: Oh, your son?

Morning Walk -- May 7, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: If you surrender to God, then you become perfect.

Amogha: They seem to like everything about our philosophy, except when we explain very clearly that everyone is sinning and under the control of lust and that we must become free from lust. Then they become disturbed because they don't know how to do this, and they want to disclaim it. Just when I was saying that in one class, they all understood very clearly by examples that we are all controlled by our senses, and this microphone speaker came on for all classes, interrupting my speech, and a voice announced in the Catholic school, "Would all the students whose parents purchased tickets for the wine-tasting festival tonight please report to the office," and they all began to laugh because they were embarrassed, because they could see that actually they were engaged in sinful activities. They are also very amazed when they see your books. Sometimes we take ten or fifteen books-Bhagavad-gītā, and ten Śrīmad Bhāgavatams, Caitanya-caritāmṛta—and we line them all across the front wall or desk, maybe fifteen books. And I begin by saying, "I'm sorry there's only a few minutes to talk, because our Bible is very big," and then I explain, "This is Bhagavad-gītā, and then Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam's sixty volumes. Caitanya-caritāmṛta-twelve volumes." And they become very much amazed that this is our..., beginning of our Bible. (break) What can we say to Communists to attract them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Prabhupāda: To make their Communist philosophy perfection. That your Communism is not perfect. By Kṛṣṇa consciousness you can make it perfect. Take for example that you are sympathetic to all living beings that they must eat. But why you are eating animals? They must eat also. Why don't you allow them to eat? That is you defect. We allow everyone to eat. Not only human beings, but also animals, birds, beasts, they should live comfortably and without any disturbance, they must get their food. That is our Communism.

Morning Walk -- May 16, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: No, he made a plan to kill Rāmacandra.

Amogha: Rāmacandra made a plan?

Prabhupāda: No, Mahīrāvaṇa. And in that plan he was killed. (break) That is Indo-European civilization. The kings came from India, and he developed. Therefore it is called Indo-European civilization.

Paramahaṁsa: The scientists and the archaeologists are very amazed to find the structures, the buildings that they had in their civilization. They can't understand how they were built, such huge pillars and gigantic stones. They don't know how they were put into place.

Prabhupāda: Similarly, the Jagannātha temple is also like that. They suggest that they manufacture, and then they surround with sand, then further manufacture. And when it is complete the sand is taken away. Otherwise how it is put into...? The sand is stacked just like this. The temple is being manufactured, and the sand is thrown all side, and when it is finished, the sand is taken away.

Morning Walk -- May 21, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Therefore I am asking.

Madhudviṣa: Kṛṣṇa is doing it. He is taking the water from the sea and putting it up in the sky, and it becomes very pure.

Prabhupāda: Millions and millions of tons water taken and distributed. Why their scientists so proud of their achievement? What they can do?

Madhudviṣa: Hm. It is amazing. There is no factory in the sky to purify the water. Simply by the evaporation of the sun, the water is held up in the sky, and immediately it comes down pure.

Prabhupāda: And it is stored on the mountain head and it comes down. Eternal supply. Whole year's supply through the rivers, huge water. You have seen that, what is name, Niagara Falls?

Madhudviṣa: Yes. You have seen? (laughter)

Morning Walk -- May 28, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Where?

Guest (2): I've seen your pictures many times in the books.

Bali-mardana: In your books.

Prabhupāda: Oh, you have got my books?

Guest (2): That's amazing. For the first time I can see you really.

Gurukṛpa: You have got our books?

Guest (2): Yes, I have got some at home, and I read some of them too.

Guest (1): What do you say about the weather or the sun or what... You just were talking before she interrupted.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Weather is changing. Weather is changing. Śītoṣṇa, it is called śītoṣṇa. Sometimes it is cold; sometimes it is hot.

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

Girl: Metaphysical conference, psychics.

Yogi Bhajan: Metaphysical, psychics, intuitives, people who can perform things. They are all in God. I was surprised last night that A to Z, everybody talks about God, and none of them understands that the God is right in them. So I was one among them. It did change the whole thing. I honestly believe that it was very good for me to come. If I would have gone to the equals, where if I find some equal, it would not have done any good, you know. They all know what they know. We all know that what we know. But it was amazing that people liked it, people talked, people asked questions, people... Whatever I could share, I shared. But in the evening I was surprised. There were two hundred people, beautiful, seeking some way or the other, and looking for certain things for their life. So my only idea was that I have never worked less than these five, six days. It was very boring for me. There was no work. But I liked it. At least, I could share with them; they could share with me. First they were all doubtful what a yogi is, what a yoga is. I said, "Well, it is... After all, they were not asking me a yogurt. So there is a safety. So people, when people see you they hate you, they find you are different, that you taught something which you taught. They don't like it. They don't want to hear it. And gradually, gradually, gradually, it brings them to understanding. So I, my personal request, and on behalf of all those who are coming, I would like you to visit us if you possibly can and...

Prabhupāda: Give some prasāda.

Room Conversation with Dr. John Mize -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles:

Dr. John Mize: No, I do not.

Prabhupāda: That "I am simply amazed how you have converted drug-addicted hippies to become servant of Kṛṣṇa and the humanity." That is his puzzling. But the method is so nice that it automatically becomes. Therefore we are stressing on the method.

Dharmādhyakṣa: In other words, Śrīla Prabhupāda, without practice of the method, it's very difficult to understand the philosophical concepts.

Garden Conversation -- June 25, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: So we can talk in details.

Bahulāśva: We showed Dr. Judah the press and all the books, how they were published. He was very impressed.

Dr. Judah: Yes. You seem to... You have, it would seem, the very latest knowledge of technology. They're doing these things by means of computers, you know, and all of the very highest technology. In fact, technology that I haven't seen in many publishing companies, and I have looked at a lot of publishing companies. And this is the most advanced technology I have ever seen in publishing. (laughter) It's amazing really.

Devotee: Beware, it'll do you in. (laughter) No, we can use it for Kṛṣṇa. That is the important thing, as long as we're using it for Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: This technology is also Kṛṣṇa's energy, material energy. That is Kṛṣṇa's energy. And when the material energy is utilized for Kṛṣṇa's energy... I will take there. You can distribute. So, I can take your leave now? I have to...

Morning Walk -- June 29, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: You are waiting for getting that life. Wait a few years more. You will get that life. Yes.

Brahmatīrtha: One scientist recently did a study on mosquitoes. They found out that all mosquitoes do is have sex and eat. And he was lamenting, he said, "Oh, these mosquitoes..."

Prabhupāda: Sex and eat.

Brahmatīrtha: That's all they do. He was amazed that they have so much sex life, mosquitoes. So then the scientist he was lamenting. He was thinking, "Oh, these mosquitoes, they probably do not enjoy the sex life." And he sounded as if he wished he was a mosquito to find out.

Prabhupāda: Yes, mosquito, flies, I have seen. Even the sparrows. Sex life is the center of happiness in this material world. In all forms of life. That is the only.

Morning Walk -- July 5, 1975, Chicago:

Ghanaśyāma (Bhakti-tīrtha): I've just come back from England, myself and another boy who was doing library work there. We went there after India, the festival. And so many very important schools all around the world, that are known all around the world are taking your books. Our last day was one of our most amazing days. We went to the Indian office library, the British government. Because they have colonized India, they have so many books on India. This was the largest library like that in Europe. And the librarian, he looked at our books and he says, "Yes, we should have all of these." So right on the spot he ordered standing orders, one copy of every book. That same day—this was just three days ago, two days ago—we went to the big...

Prabhupāda: That is Aldridge, Aldridge?

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

Father: Well, we're very pleased with him and we always have been. Thank you for helping him find happiness. It's something which he was able to find through your order. (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Thank you. They are very good boys.

Father: What's amazing to me is where you get the strength to keep the pace that you have. Can you tell me how you do that? (laughter) I am some years your junior, and I have difficult pace, keeping up.

Prabhupāda: The process is genuine, the process which I recommend and they follow. Then it is sure.

Morning Walk -- October 6, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the fault. Exploitation was their policy. Whole European, the France, Holland—go some other country and exploit. They were doing the same thing in America also. Therefore America rebelled. Washington was Englishman. Still, he rebelled. He separated. Independent. A small country and bring money from the whole world—this is their bad policy.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: It's actually amazing how they colonized.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: It was actually amazing to think how they colonized almost...

Prabhupāda: They were obliged to do that. In the country there is no food, no shelter, nothing. Therefore Hitler's determination was, "I shall make this shopkeeper nation again fishers." What is called? Fishermen. "I shall ruin their empire." So he did it. But he also became ruined. He did it. He ruined the Englishmen, but he also became ruined, finished, Germany finished. But Germany will be able to rise again. Englishmen will not be able to.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Why is that, Prabhupāda?

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

Prabhupāda: And our books are being appreciated, Europe, America, by big, big professors, universities. They are giving us standing order, even in Oxford University. What is that, Oxford University?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I was just in London a while back.

Prabhupāda: No, that letter is there?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I don't know if I have the one from Oxford. This is from Harvard. We just received this telegram from Los Angeles, Prabhupāda. "Amazing success from your library party—one hundred and fifty-two standing orders sold in just seventeen days of September in New England. Thirteen standing orders at Harvard. These books are very much being appreciated in America."

Prof. Olivier: These are for the sets.

Morning Walk -- October 17, 1975, Johannesburg:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: By this chanting...

Prabhupāda: That is the amazement. That is the amazement of Professor Judah and all others, that "How it is happening? There is something in the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement."

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: This is good propaganda with the governments also. This is good way to get the governments to support our movement more and more, isn't it?

Prabhupāda: The government never objected to our movement. Never. I never met any objection from government side. Neither even Christian priestly side. I never met any objection. They understand that "He is doing something."

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Only from your Godbrothers. (laughter)

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 18, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: That is not possible. Although he gets little fractional authority to puzzle others that he has become God.... Because people are fools, if he can produce little gold like this, they will be immediately amazed: "Oh, how powerful he is." They have no capacity to understand. If God is meant for making gold, why not worship the God who has made already millions of gold mines? Unlimited. There is no limit. Why this paltry god? They have no such knowledge. They are amazed.

Hari-śauri: They have to go to so much trouble as well just to achieve that little flickering...

Prabhupāda: Very, very great trouble. You have not seen the yogis? Of course, there are some.... But still, they have to undergo very severe processes for achieving this yogic power. And a devotee, they kick it, that "What is this nonsense?" That is devotee. "What is this nonsense? What shall I do by producing gold?" And I never tried for making gold, but is there any scarcity of gold? I never tried for that, how to make gold. That Sai Baba is showing some magic power. What of the Maharsi? Maha.... He was also after some yogic power.

Morning Walk -- January 20, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: This Khanāra Vacana. She was... I think so... I don't know whether... She was the wife of a great, a very big astrologer.

Jayapatākā: There was nine ṛṣis of one rājā, and then she was the daughter of one of those ṛṣis.

Prabhupāda: Oh, maybe, daughter or wife.

Jayapatākā: Wife of a..., also.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's amazing how everything is so scientifically analyzed in the Vedas. The Westerners...

Prabhupāda: Therefore we say "perfect." Śruti-pramāṇam.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Even to the point of knowing about a certain amount of rain coming at the end of a particular season and how that indicates about the administration.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes, everything. Daṇḍa-rājā puṇya-deśa.

Morning Walks -- January 22-23, 1976, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda? There's a... I was telling. We were talking this morning that in America they have a custom. The children, when they eat a dead, like a bird or something, a turkey. There is one part, I think it's the breastbone. So the children, after one of them finishes eating the breastbone, they both hold, each hold one end, and they break it, and whoever has the biggest part... Each one makes a wish. Whoever gets the biggest part, they think that their wish will be fulfilled. So this is a rākṣasa civilization. So I am only amazed how you were able to make such a big movement with so many, such rākṣasas as we are. That was what I was thinking, that we were the people who were doing that, and that you have delivered us.

Prabhupāda: And therefore people are surprised that "How this man is doing like this?" They are surprised. Everyone is surprised.

Morning Walk -- February 3, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Not viṣṇu-padāya. Viṣṇu-pādāya. (pronounces with long "a") The Prabhupāda and Viṣṇupāda, the same thing. Viṣṇu is prabhu. Prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ. They say like that? Who says that?

Sudāmā: Oh, that, how they are trying to understand your powers? Oh, yes, in one college I was lecturing in Kansas. Some students came to me, and they said, "We are amazed." They were disciples of this one bogus yogi. I cannot remember his name. And they were asking me, "How your swami, how your guru has got some power, we are trying to understand."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- March 12, 1976, Mayapur:

Revatīnandana: Yes, it's very nice. He has blue eyes and big black body.

Devotee: Blue eyes?

Revatīnandana: Yes. It's amazing. If you look closely you will see...

Pañcadraviḍa: The gopīs, they didn't like very much being instructed by Uddhava?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. That was dry for them. They asked Uddhava, "Bring Kṛṣṇa. We don't want you any more..." (break) What is his name? That...? Tapomāyā. Tapa... He never sees whether it is watered. He is in charge of agricultural department? Where is Jayapatāka? He never sees. One man should be in charge to see things are being done.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Each... What was that, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Each flat.

Morning Walk -- March 26, 1976, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: No, no, join or not join.... I mean to say that if I see that somebody has become dog next life, you cannot say not, he has not become a dog. You have no proof. (break) ...create a kingdom that you'll not be allowed to stay there in your kingdom, and by your action you have to accept another body. And what kind of body you are going to accept, you do not know. Therefore they deny next birth.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: It's just amazing, Śrīla Prabhupāda, how the eternal spirit soul can become so implicated in this material world.

Prabhupāda: Implicated by desires. We are desiring always, constantly. So the desire makes your next body. Every living entity in this material world is desiring how to enjoy. What is your question? Eh?

Morning Walk -- April 9, 1976, Vrndavana:

Devotee (1): Yesterday, Śrīla Prabhupāda, four or five people stopped me while I was in a bus during the day, and they would stop me and look at me with tilaka and etcetera, and say, "Why have you given up your Western life and taken to this life?" (Prabhupāda laughs) They were amazed. And then I had a Bhāgavatam, and I'd show them your picture, and I'd show them the Bhāgavatam and say, "Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59), a higher taste." And then they would appreciate. They would.... They were so impressed by your Bhāgavatam. They looked at your picture, and they'd go, "Yes, yes, you are right."

Prabhupāda: Yes, in my Preface I have written that: "What is the necessity of the human society?" This is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is required. It is a mistake to understand that we are trying to push on Hindu culture. Where is the Hindu culture? To become a gentleman is Hindu culture? It is for everyone.

Morning Walk -- April 15, 1976, Bombay:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Sometimes people are amazed that we've given up such sinful activities.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they should be amazed, because they are mental speculators.

Dr. Patel: You mean unconditional surrender.

Room Conversation -- May 2, 1976, Fiji:

Prabhupāda: Many? What you...? Many followers.... The philosophy you present, it must be followed by everyone. That is wanted. You have got, say, ten thousand followers. That does not mean success. Everyone has got some followers. This.... What is that? Guruji Maharaja. He has got also so-called followers. The T.M., he has got also some followers. Everyone has got some followers. But what kind of followers they have? That is quality. Everything has quality. Simply quantity is not. There are many Christians. Even up to date, some Christian fair or.... Many millions will come. What is the quality? Quality is all meat-eater. But Christian means he should not kill. Where is the Christian? So we have to test by the quality, followers. Not many followers, the quality of the followers. My Guru Mahārāja used to say like that, that "If I get at least one quality disciple, then all my labor will be success." He was saying like that: quality, not the quantity. By quantity if one is amazed, then he is also goru. By quality—what kind of followers? That is the.... From the very beginning my strictures are there, that "You have to follow this"—quality. If I were..., "No, you can do like Vivekananda. Yes, what you can, whatever you like," then I think quantity would have been very, very big. But I don't say. I make him promise before the fire, before the Deity, before guru. (break) That one moon is taken into account. Who takes account of the millions of stars? Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca tārā sahasraśaḥ. Quality.

Morning Walk -- May 12, 1976, Honolulu:

Devotee (1): Yes. But if I'm going to wake again, then why should I want to stop it? I go to sleep; I wake up.

Prabhupāda: No, but your waking.... You are going to wake up like a dog. That is the privilege. You sleep perpetually..., not perpetually, for seven months, and then you wake up as a dog. The body is changed. And go on barking. That you do not know. That is ignorance.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: That's amazing. You go to sleep in a human body, and you wake up in a dog body.

Prabhupāda: Ah, that's it. What is this conglomeration?

Devotee (1): (break) ...wakes up the next morning. I am not afraid to go to sleep because I know that I will wake up. So if I'm going to die and I know...

Morning Walk -- June 5, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: That I say, when people ask me that how many followers you have got in India.... They're wholesale.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The whole country.

Rāmeśvara: The whole country. Yes.

Hari-śauri: Yes. That man was amazed when on the plane when he asked me, he said, "How many members of your religion are there?" So I said, "Well, in India there are hundreds of millions." He couldn't imagine it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's what we should say, two million, like that. American, five hundred thousand. Why should we say five thousand?

Hari-śauri: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Before you were mentioning that we should start to try to get on friendly terms with some of these governmental people. Would that be done in the same way as they do in India? Just like we have so many government ministers that have become life members and things like that. Is that possible to do in America?

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

Indian lady: Sometimes these mystic powers, they use on human beings...

Prabhupāda: This is one of the mystic powers which amaze people, foolish people.

Indian lady: But they can use on human beings also...

Prabhupāda: What human being?

Indian lady: In their life or...

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

mystic power, and peo...

Prabhupāda: Four annas. (laughter) For four annas I'll have to try for four hundred years. Why mystic power? To show some jugglery—"How I can fly in the sky, I can walk on the water"—by this mystic power, they create amazement and become imitation God. Imitation God you can become, but you cannot become real God. That is not possible. That is warned. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). That's all. Asamaurdhva: "Nobody equal to Me; nobody better than Me." So why should you waste your time to become God? You cannot become actually. So why should you waste your time? Remain servant. Then you're actually.... Get this light. No, no that, inside. You can give me little pineapple juice. Is it possible?

Hari-śauri: Right now?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

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

Kīrtanānanda: Who did that painting?

Prabhupāda: I think that was done.... Everyone has done one picture.

Hari-śauri: That picture of Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva killing all the demon armies, it's a most amazing picture. He has about twenty arms.

Jay Warner: I do have one question. How can one establish faith in the principle of reincarnation? How can one come to believe in it?

Prabhupāda: Incarnation of God?

Devotees: Reincarnation, transmigration.

Prabhupāda: That is very simple thing. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Now, you were a child. That's a fact. Were you not a child?

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: Oh. Fuller's earth. That is wanted, Fuller's earth.

Mādhavānanda: Actually the previous owner of this house, he wanted to make this a restaurant, a very posh restaurant on the waterfront, and he applied for many, many months to get permission from the city. And finally he got it. So actually we have restaurant status here. It would be very easy for us to start a restaurant. People would come.... When people see the house, they are so amazed.

Hari-śauri: That would be a big attraction—a waterside restaurant.

Prabhupāda: Hmm, yes.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: Hardbound Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?

Pañca-tattva: Yes.

Prabhupāda: How did you sell so many? Unless you have got supernatural power.

Mādhavānanda: Kṛṣṇa empowered him.

Prabhupāda: Actually, it is not.... It is uncommon.

Mādhavānanda: Many amazing things happen when we are distributing books. People come up to us, and they say, "No, I will not take your book. I will tell you now that I will not take your book. If you want me to read your book, then I will read it, but I will not give you any money." And we say, "All right, please read it, please read the book and tell us what you think." And they say "All right." And we say "Oh, please give a donation." And they say, "No, I cannot give a donation." And we say, "All right, but please read the book." He says: "All right." "Oh, and give a donation." And they say, "All right, I'll give a donation." (laughter)

Prabhupāda: And you give the book?

Mādhavānanda: Yes. It is like magic. Kṛṣṇa is trying to help them also.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Mādhavānanda: Sometimes the karmī salesmen, they stand around to watch us distribute books. Because they are so amazed at our techniques of sale and distribution, they want to learn.

Jayādvaita: They become very respectful. They don't know anything about our philosophy, but they see how nicely we...

Prabhupāda: Good salesmen.

Room Conversation with Ambarisa and Catholic Priest -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Stansky: Your Grace, the thing that impressed me the very most at the temple in Los Angeles.... Now you must bear in mind that I am very, very steeped in Catholicism, I'm very steeped in the New Testament. So when I observed what was happening at the temple in Los Angeles, I was seeing the Book of Acts coming to life. Something that died three hundred years ago in the Roman church. In 300 A.D. it died. Since then there's been no such example. And I was just amazed wandering around because there I saw the exact, the Book of Acts. And I was impressed.

Indian girl: (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Room Conversation -- June 17, 1976, Toronto:

Hari-śauri: Otherwise, if they just come and...

Prabhupāda: It is very difficult to understand that our movement is spiritual movement, and they do not understand what is spiritual, the whole world. That is the defect. But still we are going on. That is Kṛṣṇa's grace. Otherwise, nobody understands what is the aim or what is the platform. (Some kids yell "Hare Kṛṣṇa" in disrespectful tones outside the room. Prabhupāda and devotees laugh)

Hari-śauri: It's amazing when you think how we're expanding all the time. It's really amazing.

Prabhupāda: It is Kṛṣṇa's grace. Therefore they take us as one of these Guruji and Babaji, like this, like that. But when they read our books, higher class, they understand the seriousness of it. They admit that this is India's original, traditional knowledge. Higher, higher circle, they don't want any imitation.

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

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They've never been there, though. Speculation.

Rādhāvallabha: They never take into any consideration there can be another form of life other than that which they know.

Prabhupāda: No, they are speculating. But why people are victimized by this speculation? That is the...

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: That's the amazing thing.

Prabhupāda: They have already failed in one speculation. They went to moon planet with some speculation. That has failed. Why they are given chance, another speculation?

Rādhāvallabha: Everyone believes that they went.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Rādhāvallabha: Everyone believes that they went.

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

Prabhupāda: He has got many institutes.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, it is in his name, Pasteur. He is a famous scientist. He was a chemist and biochemist, and he did this experiment in the 1860s. Now the flask... This experiment is called a "swan-neck" experiment because the shape of the neck of the flask looks like the neck of a swan. So it is the famous "swan-neck experiment." Now, at that time, it was quite amazing that even the so-called famous Greek philosophers like Aristotle, Plato and all these philosophers, even they believed that life actually comes from matter. They had all complete materialistic view of life, completely on the bodily concept. Now, at that time...

Prabhupāda: But Socrates did not believe like that.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is Vedic theory. That is explained in the Bhāgavatam.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: And here he has a nice quote, Pasteur. Somebody can read that?

Hari-śauri: Says: "Posterity will one day laugh at the foolishness of the modern materialistic philosophers. The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the works of the creator."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Dr. Sharma: And at the Belior Math in Belior Math Daksinesvara in Calcutta. But I find that by really chanting... I was crying to God, literally, at night, that "Find me the path again," and then I found your movement. And I find it, yes, it does make a difference. I was also amazed that evening when the first two days ago I was thinking I will ask you five ślokas of Gītā to give me. Out of that, you discussed four. And I was meditating on Hardwar, where I was born. All the time your face was appearing behind Ganges, and it was very strange phenomena. I do not know when I will be fortunate enough to have your darśana again, but in the meantime, I'm slowly... I feel that this movement you have done supernatural thing. Now, somehow...

Prabhupāda: That's a great certificate, because it is coming from you.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Really.

Hari-śauri: In the evening we had traveling kīrtana all around the city.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think this is enough, Prabhupāda? I'll tie it together now.

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Hari-śauri: Kīrtana, the reaction was amazing, people were dancing and chanting and waving, Prabhupāda was in ecstasy.

Prabhupāda: Very nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: New York climate is very nice. Sometimes now it rains a little bit, then shining. So just like Bengal.

Rāmeśvara: I observed that these devotees at New York, they've practically given up sleeping this past week to prepare everything for your arrival.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) They are so kind to me.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He said you have a nice car. That's good they like the car.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Ask why him don't you come here? (laughter) Why you are driving taxi? Come here.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's amazing how everybody is looking at us.

Prabhupāda: Now, formerly it was thirty-five, now it is

sixty-five?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Prabhupāda. Everything has doubled in price. This car is very ordinary, but it is because you are in it, Prabhupāda, that they are looking. Ordinarily it is not such a special car.

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

Prabhupāda: He has given advertisement for our books.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes, very favorable.

Rādhāvallabha: The amazing thing is that he's an impersonalist.

Prabhupāda: Impersonalist?

Rādhāvallabha: The man who wrote all of these articles, he's an impersonalist.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Here's a picture of him.

Prabhupāda: Oh, he's American?

Morning Walk -- July 12, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: No, they came there, Second Avenue.

Hari-śauri: Mukunda?

Prabhupāda: All of them.

Rūpānuga: That's amazing. How long were you there, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Here? About six months. Then when my things were stolen, then one boy was coming, his name was Paul Murray, he invited me that "You come to my loft." He took me to Bowery Street.

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

Prabhupāda: Because they are accustomed to the business of hammering the bricks from time immemorial, they think "This is the business. How is that this man is not engaged in this business?"

Hari-śauri: Even after he'd understood the analogy that the man was in the prison and hammering bricks, he was still thinking that "Well, shouldn't he still be hammering bricks?" He was asking that. He was still thinking like that. It's amazing.

Rādhāvallabha: He couldn't understand any of the analogies.

Prabhupāda: That is the karmīs. Even the Orissa politicians, they accused Caitanya Mahāprabhu, because the Orissa politician, it is a fact the Mahārāja Pratāparudra, the King of Orissa during the time of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he was politically very strong. At that time the Muhammadans were conquering different parts of India, but they could not enter Orissa or the southern India.

Morning Walk -- July 17, 1976, New York:

Kīrtanānanda: Kṛṣṇa consciousness what?

Prabhupāda: Catches on.

Hari-śauri: It begins by saying that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has had an amazing cultural impact on India in the last two years.

Prabhupāda: Stone houses or brick?

Bali-mardana: Stone.

Prabhupāda: Stone?

Bali-mardana: Yes. Now they cannot afford to make it like that.

Prabhupāda: In Jaipur still there are so many nice craftsmen, and they charge very little.

Bali-mardana: Jaipur.

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

Ādi-keśava: And the nice-looking vans?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Did the other two buses arrive?

Ādi-keśava: I know only of the two that are here.

Rāmeśvara: (break) ...were just amazed at the dancing of Lord Caitanya. How Lord Jagannātha would stop His car just to see. It says that Lord Jagannātha is maintaining the whole universe, so who can carry Him? Only by His sweet will for His own pastimes can He be moved. And the cart that moves Him is as tall as Mount Sumeru.

Prabhupāda: Potamkin..., and what was that in Washington, Potomyer?

Devotees: Potomac.

Room Conversation -- July 18, 1976, New York:

Hari-śauri: I think one or two were waiting until after Ratha-yātrā to give a report on the festival as well.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There were a lot of reporters, and they said that next year... They told us next year they're going to have full television cameras. We're going to have to erect a news, er... What is that called? Press, not a table, but a platform where they're going to put their cameras, and their reporters will sit above the whole crowd. They want to cover it, full. They were very amazed to see such a gigantic festival in New York itself. They never imagined such a thing in New York.

Prabhupāda: The Christians cannot organize. (laughter)

Morning Walk -- July 19, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: (belches loudly) What is this gas, oxygen? No. They put some gas.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Carbon dioxide. CO2. You should have seen it. It was literally completely filled. We put on a play. First we did a big kīrtana, after you left, very big, and many, at least a thousand to two thousand people were dancing. Then there was a play, and the people crowded to see that play of Kali, Sudāmā. Oh, they were amazed to see. Sudāmā was moving around, dancing, watching. They like that very much.

Prabhupāda: Sudāmā plays nice.

Morning Walk -- July 19, 1976, New York:

Hari-śauri: Like Gargamuni's, he showed you in Māyāpur.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So we had three of these set up, and many people were sitting in chairs watching the different movies.

Bali-mardana: It was amazing that one little generator was supplying all the power. This one little gasoline generator was supplying the power for all the sound and the various electricity things.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, there was no electrical hook-up; we did that with a gas generator.

Prabhupāda: Oh. And there was no sound, cutcutcutcutcut.

Conversation with George Harrison -- July 26, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: Oh, you have all arrangement there. That's very nice. How many acres?

George Harrison: It's about thirty-five.

Prabhupāda: Oh, very good area.

Devotee (2): Do you get (indistinct).

Mukunda: Yes, only five hundred pounds.

Devotee (2): Really? Amazing.

George Harrison: Five hundred pounds!

Mukunda: Yes, for four acres.

George Harrison: That's quite cheap.

Radio Interview -- July 27, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (Mike Robinson leaves) (break)

Hari-śauri: Actually he was quite intelligent, he was asking good questions because he was following the conversation. He was better than most of the interviewers, anyway. You're very expert. (laughter) You capture them and then you guide what they're going to say. It's perfect.

Harikeśa: I was noticing that, that when you finish speaking with somebody, although he's bewildered, all of a sudden he understands, and he becomes amazed. I mean that happens with me also. It's just, it's the most fantastic technique. You're so patient.

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

Harikeśa: Kālacānda means black, very black. Gaura means fair.

Prabhupāda: When Gauracand was called, a black negro came. So if Kalacand is called, who will come then? (laughter)

Harikeśa: There seems to be such an amazing repertoire of stories and analogies in the Bengali language, isn't there? So many.

Prabhupāda: In Bengal the, just like here, so many, black mixed up with white. In Bengal and Madras, so many Dravidian have been mixed up with the Āryan. Therefore in Bengal and Madras you'll find many black.

Hari-śauri: Dravidian?

Evening Darsana -- August 9, 1976, Tehran:

Ali: What I'm practicing now is that I'm battling against my nafs—the commanding self, as it's known in dervishism. And it amazes me, the way it acts, so mischievous, so dishonest, so many faces that I can only catch out very few, very few. It's always a bit late, after anger, I recognize the presence of anger.

Prabhupāda: Yes, any process you adopt, it doesn't matter, provided it helps you to the platform of loving God, that is approved. Because without coming to the platform of loving God, you cannot be satisfied. That is not possible. So you can adopt any process, it doesn't matter. If it brings you to the platform of loving God, then you'll be happy. We do not say that this process is bona fide, that process is not bona fide. We say any process you adopt, it doesn't matter, if it helps you to bring to the platform of loving God.

Evening Darsan -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Ali: Yes, that's right. My question is answered, but my confusion is still...

Prabhupāda: What is that confusion?

Ali: I'm amazed that... When someone tastes something, a nice fruit, something pleasant, he remembers, appreciates that, even in material world. How could someone see God and come from a source as powerful and lovable as that and then forget? How could he forget so easily and become so badly attached to this materialism? Why is it that we are so far? I know it's in due course to my actions.

Evening Darsana -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Ācchā.

Indian man (3): I had written to you, and I think Mr. Saurabha had forwarded my letter to you, to which I got a reply, and I was asked to come and meet you today. I just require to is it the right program of the right place or right tell you what I had in mind or perhaps have in mind? I have about thirty acres of land at Udaipur, in Rajasthan. I was trying to make a campus with studios, laboratories, and residential places for these producers, stars, casts, and things. When discussing with Mr. Saurabha I was amazed that some spare land which we had thought of utilizing for horticulture, we could better utilize it for cowherds to have say one hundred cows. I have been thinking, apart from this cowherd business, I have been thinking about this campus for some time back. And when I met Girirāja and we started getting more close together, association, I thought that why not should we have a temple of Lord Kṛṣṇa as the center from where we start the activities?

Prabhupāda: That's nice. We must have Kṛṣṇa, that's a fact. What is the next proposal? We have got experience. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also introduced this dramatic play, but the play was performed by a great devotee. So unless devotees are trained, this play will not be effective.

Meeting With Member of Parliament, Mr. Krishna Modi -- August 31, 1976, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Medical (indistinct) is free. Free medical service, education... (break)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: ...and in the offices of big, big professors and all, it looks so much lower than in America or Canada.

Krishna Modi: And in the comparison of India?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, in some respects I found them even lower than India. You'll be amazed... I visited all the leading libraries of Russia and Leningrad. Moscow University Library, all the big libraries. These libraries don't have any foreign exchange for ordering these books. They all want to order... They were begging me for free books. They said, "Why don't you give us a donation or exchange." They have a book exchange that if they give their books then we give our books. Each library gets such little foreign exchange allowance to buy books from abroad.

Prabhupāda: A taxi driver, he was asking some bhakshish.

Morning Walk -- August 31, 1976, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Only India. (break) ...every province they have got different dishes. Because the woman, they are trained up how to cook very nice.

Devotee: I even see these boys when I was in Chandigarh, in a dish next door to the temple we were starting there.

Prabhupāda: Woman is meant for that purpose, how to make nice palatable dishes.

Devotee: Just these young boys who were carrying the bricks every morning, they would prepare their own vegetables and cāpāṭis like this, and I was amazed to see this because you would never get anyone doing this...

Prabhupāda: Jaya. In Bengal there is a ceremony after marriage, bahu-bhāta. (?)The newly married girl, she shall cook, and all the relatives, friends, are invited and they appreciate, "Yes, nice cook." Then she is accepted as member of the whole family. Bahu-bhāta.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So is it not credit? We spend for God. We are servant of God. We want to see God gorgeously situated, and for us we have no comforts, we don't care for any comfort. We simply spend minimum just to keep the body and soul together, that's all. This is our principle. We don't spend a farthing for our sense gratification. This should be noted down if some case is there, this should be presented. We don't go to restaurant, we don't go to cinema, we don't spend lavishly for dress or something else, no. Neither for furniture (laughter). Eh? If you sit down in a, a pad is that faulty?

Hari-śauri: Then when they go to any of our temples, they're amazed because we don't...

Prabhupāda: We sit down, don't use any chair, any couches, unnecessarily, carpet. What expenditure? We have no expenditure for personal self. And still you are faulty? What can be done? We don't purchase any cosmetic, this clay tilaka is sufficient. We don't apply any pomade or cosmetic or ointment. Either for our girls or ourselves. We don't do that, we live very simply. After 15 days we shave, there is no use of cutting or decorating. Note down all these things. We have no doctor's bill even.

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1976, Hyderabad:

Mahāṁśa: So that was happening. Then the other thing is that these people, they are very innocent people and they are very superstitious also. So when they see foreigners, they immediately become a little afraid. And there is some kind of a complex that comes on them and it makes it very difficult for the foreigners to communicate with these people. This is what I have seen happening. It is very difficult to commu... Now this is what I have experienced since last two, three days also. When Tejas was trying to get this garden around here done, but the laborers could not get the message across. They were doing something else and then the blame was coming on me. I never instructed them at all for doing anything. I never took them away from the work at all. I was amazed and I was surprised to hear that I was accused of taking away the laborers from Tejas and put them on some other work which I had no concern at all. So this is what was troubling me today when I was thinking that "How is it that there was this misunderstanding which has caused anxiety in so many devotees?" So this communication gap is going to be a problem which has to be solved. And for that...

Prabhupāda: Oh, this is the explanation of the situation? You...?

Haṁsadūta: You experienced.

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1976, Hyderabad:

Mahāṁśa: Yes. That's how it would be, if we could get permanent laborers. That's another thing I experienced, that when these village laborers come, they come at nine o'clock, nine-thirty, they work at their own speed and then, at five-thirty, they see the sun. I was amazed how they find the exact time but they do it by the sun's movements. Exactly at five-thirty they will stop their work and go. But I have seen our laborers who stay here on our land, they work from five-thirty in the morning and they work all day, all the way to the night.

Tejas: There are some people here from the local village. They are working also nicely.

Mahāṁśa: Yes.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Yogi Amrit Desai of Kripalu Ashram (PA USA) -- January 2, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: They did not know what is truth, beginning from Vivekananda.

Yogi Amrit Desai: All the way, right. See, after you came... I was there in 1960. I started teaching yoga. But after you came I became fearless to teach bhakti and chant mantras. So now we have lots of bhakti in āśrama, lots of bhakti. And I paid that respect to you because I was afraid to give them because I thought, "They are Christians. They will not like so much devotion. They will misunderstand." But you have performed a miracle. God, Kṛṣṇa, has performed miracle through you. It's just very amazing, greatest miracle on earth. I just feel so strongly about it.

Prabhupāda: It is very kind of you that you give this statement. If we give genuine thing, it will act.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Girirāja: It has a very nice purport.

Prabhupāda: Find out that. Kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Parjanyaḥ...

Pradyumna: Oh, I know.

Prabhupāda: I've touched the slaughterhouse, brothel...

Hari-śauri: I just finished reading that Perfection of Yoga. It's an amazing book. Each chapter gradually leads more and more to the ultimate goal.

Prabhupāda: They were my beginning speeches in your country, in America. I was daily speaking in... So Hayagrīva has edited. Hm. What is the purport?

Pradyumna: "The basic principle of economic development is centered on land and cows."

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: I never expected. I thought that "Who will hear me if I say all this nonsense to them?" To them it is nonsense. Therefore they say "brainwash." They cannot appreciate.

Hari-śauri: There's never been such appreciation of one author's work before. It's just amazing.

Rāmeśvara: Even our own men are taking our mission more seriously now that these appreciations have come. They are understanding more how this is the only hope for the whole world, very grave work.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Not man, but the Westerners.

Rāmeśvara: Yes, Westerners.

Prabhupāda: Intelligent stock was there in India,

Rāmeśvara: Yes. So it's very amazing that the period in Europe called the Renaissance coincides with the appearance of Lord Caitanya.

Prabhupāda: Fifteenth century.

Rāmeśvara: Yes. So we're thinking that it must be because He came into this world, then everyone was blessed.

Room Conversation -- February 12, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Jayapatākā: ...go around that.

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Jayapatākā: Envious people just trying to upset. The Western devotees that come, they are amazed that all of the devotees that are here, all the families are living separate from their wives. No temple has achieved that yet.

Prabhupāda: Everything can be done by practice.

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

Rāmeśvara: At the Śiva-rātri festival in Los Angeles, at the end of a lecture I was reading these figures. We had about a thousand Indians who came to that festival in Los Angeles. When I read these figures they were so struck, they were cheering, "Jaya," and clapping. They were just amazed. And afterwards, outside they were coming up to me and folded hands: "We had no idea you were doing this work. Is there anything we can do to help your society?" as soon as they heard these figures. The leaders of the Indian American Association and all the Indian associations in LA were coming there, and when they heard these figures they were just offering their service.

Prabhupāda: And you did not send to the reporters and the...? No.

Room Conversation -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:

Bali-mardana: Over a thousand people. And then when they ate they came back for seconds and thirds.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Give them.

Bali-mardana: Everything. Puri, sabji, sweet rice. They ate the whole plate. It was amazing.

Prabhupāda: Please do that. Give them prasādam and ask them to chant. Bas.

Bali-mardana: And then there were many articles written in the paper that the Hare Kṛṣṇas, they have supplied very nice food freely for everyone and they said, "Oh, they are very good."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The thing is when they take prasāda, then it's very easy to get them to chant.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- February 27, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: In the meantime you overflood with books.

Harikeśa: (laughs) Yes. An amazing thing is happening now. Used to be...

Prabhupāda: They are delaying.

Harikeśa: No. I mean when we distribute books, it used to be that people would say, "Oh, this is Hare Kṛṣṇa. I want nothing to do with it." Now they say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hm. Let me see what is in this book."

Prabhupāda: Ah. Now they are... They'll, "Hm." That's all right. (laughter) No, if there is substance they will take it. They're intelligent persons. Yes. Simply by propaganda you cannot make them fool. I know German nation. They're intelligent.

Harikeśa: And in Austria the amazing thing is...

Prabhupāda: And by propaganda you can make anyone fool. Dāsa cakre bhagavān bhūta.(?) You know this story?

Harikeśa: No.

Room Conversation -- February 27, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Harikeśa: And so by your mercy I managed to drag him back by his hair one day, and I sent him and his wife to Austria, and now they are doing something amazing. They never spend even one penny. Everywhere they go, they beg as monks that someone should please give them a place to stay and something to eat, and they're begging gasoline and they're selling so many books, it's inconceivable. The bookstores...

Prabhupāda: German language. German language.

Room Conversation -- April 2, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And Bhavānanda Goswami of Māyāpur. (laughter)

Bhavānanda: (laughing) I was an avatāra.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And I have seen practically, even if they don't regard him as an avatāra, I was amazed, Prabhupāda, that people come and they ask, "Where's Bhavānanda Goswami?" And they look everywhere for him, and then they all bow down. He is famous. Simply because he performed strict cātur-māsya, so many people took notice.

Guru dāsa: He has descended to give you massage. (Bhavānanda is massaging Śrīla Prabhupāda?) (laughter)

Bhavānanda: I think this side is no longer sore.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Striking on the bone, so for an old man striking on the bone is very harmful.

Room Conversation -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: He knows about our movement?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I asked him first thing if he has heard, he said yes. And we gave him a copy of that Kṛṣṇa Consciousness is Genuine Indian Culture, which shows all our cultural activities, your Gītā. He said this booklet is very expensive, but we said we shall like you to read it. And we mentioned that your desire is that the leaders of this country become God conscious and then everybody else will become God conscious. And I gave an example of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. He looked very spiritual to us. He was very friendly. I was amazed that a man who has such....

Prabhupāda: He is practical also indoubtedly. He has no selfish motives.

Morning Talk -- April 18, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Māyāvādī. Otherwise he was a brāhmaṇa and learned scholar, God-fearing, everything.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, he's very well respected still.

Prabhupāda: In my paper I criticized him, "Scholars Deluded." I gave him criticism.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (laughs) Even then you were doing that. It's always amazing how, to me, you can practically, whenever you meet these big men, you kick them on the head and then you make them like it. Just like this lawyer. You told him, "This dog civilization..." Practically you were telling him that "You are acting like that." But still, he liked it. And at the pandal you were doing the same.

Prabhupāda: Still, the Chief Minister applauded.

Room Conversation -- April 22, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: "Any or other, take. Finish that business." Now I don't want. I don't care for them. Our temple is always crowded. My achievement is there. In the beginning I spent. Now every, all over India, they are praising me.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Architect of the Bhagavad-gītā boom." That's how they praised you in the newspaper yesterday.

Prabhupāda: That's a fact.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I was amazed to see how much you translated last night. You translated more last night than in months, almost two hundred digits. I think it was 190. I think eating these pakorās at night is giving you strength.

Prabhupāda: No, not that. Something must be eaten. I was feeling weakness in the evening. But what can I eat? I have no taste for fruits. Milk also, not very much taste I have got. Naturally I won't eat now(?).

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You have a taste for nim?

Prabhupāda: That is compulsory. Whatever little benefit is there in the leaf of nim... Still, I have got taste for nim begun(?). You like that? I think I shall take little, little milk.

Room Conversation -- May 2, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So they can swallow, big, big fish. There is immense space in the sea.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually the one in the Museum of Natural History in New York, they didn't even leave the skeleton. They recreated the body so it looks just real. We went with Bharadvāja and Rāmeśvara and myself for studying for the doll project. We were looking at how they made everything very authentic. It's amazing. They even have underwater scenes. Of course, there's no water, but it appears to be underwater by the way they make the diorama. So this evening in the... They'll be coming in to see you, the managers.

Prabhupāda: So let them begin the foundation.

Short Dissertations -- May 24-25, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Those British were very clever.

Prabhupāda: Artificially created a famine in India. I have seen.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So Bon Mahārāja was getting seven hundred rupees monthly. That's amazing. Your Guru Mahārāja had to send the money from India to the West. We... You're bringing the money, but for Bon Mahārāja he had to send the money the other way.

Prabhupāda: Every month, regularly. He was playing harmonium. And the report: "Swamiji is playing on harmonium." Therefore Guru Mahārāja became very much disgusted: "Call him back."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He said they had to serve meat.

Talk About Varnasrama, S.B. 2.1.1-5 -- June 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes. "Bring my money." The society was so nice, and everyone was happy, everyone. These Marwaris, especially, they are very good community. They... As family people, they know how to earn, how to become happy by family. I like these Marwaris.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, they also feel at home...

Prabhupāda: They're vegetarian.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. Sometimes I would visit Dalmiya-ji in his home. I was so amazed to see how happy his family life is. They have no...

Prabhupāda: Marwaris, they do know how to earn money, how to save money, how to become happier man. The worship is...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And they always have the temple in their homes. The women are engaged.

Room Conversation -- July 1, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Special feature of our temple, you'll see, younger generation, boys and girls from respectable families, they are coming. Did you mark this?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I did. I've seen generally throughout India that respectable younger people are attracted. They may not join fully, but they're attracted to our movement. One of the things that attracts them is the fact that there are Westerners who are sincere here, 'cause they want to imitate the West, and yet here are Westerners who are devotees. And they are amazed. They like that feature, that there are not only... There are both a mixture of Indians and Westerners. They like that. They feel that it is very..., that the Westerners must have come out of some, you know, intelligence.

Prabhupāda: And they are hearing the philosophy also. In the evening class they come.

Bhu-mandala Diagram Discussion -- July 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Explain there in bold and this picture.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, explanation can be... This book is the explanation.

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's amazing how Kṛṣṇa has made each universe. It's just like all the fruits. When you get a fruit, it's protected by a skin. This universe is very much protected, first by uninhabited land, then by huge mountain, then by golden land. And then only in the center of these dvīpas there are all the inhabitants and all the activities are going on, very much protected.

Prabhupāda: And they are going to the moon. (devotees laugh) I... So far I remember, the moon is also like the sun, that it is fire blazing, but it is surrounded by a cool atmosphere. Therefore it is soothing. I think there is such description.

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

Prabhupāda: That is expected. He's a good man. But...

Mr. Myer: And people have got very happy for his personal life. He's gets up in the morning and does the spinning, and he's dedicated... He's not even taking medicines or any type of... Very, very strict. He does not wear any cloth which he is not spinning. I don't know how he finds the time, but he is doing so many things. The people are amazed at his... It is very fortunate that he has come now. I think certainly they will all adopt some special... Because people has to come. Once they see the gurukula and Bhaktivedanta Institute coming up... Whoever's not in the gurukula, we're going to post there also... So you don't work the modern language. It is a university also. Perfectly represent special...

Prabhupāda: No, our books are more than university standard. If they simply can study our book, it is more than the course he was given. Tan manye adhitam uttamam. All right.

Room Conversation about Mayapura Attack Talk with Vrindavan De -- July 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Unless they are in hospital...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How could he be arrested? Right.

Prabhupāda: Bengal has become ruined.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're the only place in all of India that elected a Communist government. Everyone else was so happy to elect the new party. But they elected Communists. Most amazing.

Prabhupāda: Where is Vrindavan?

Devotee: He's resting.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You know, what I'm thinking is that that Mr. Arora, he wanted to go to Jyoti Basu.

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

Bhāgavatāśraya: We can make copies?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. Write Gargamuni. He'll send more. This is an important Encyclopedia of Vedic Knowledge reviews. Actually he got all of these reviews recently. That's amazing. It's amazing how many reviews they got. These are all from the months of May and June I think. Yeah. You want to hear some of them? "Minister of Education: 'Message: The ancient roots of traditional Indian life reach farther into the distant past than any other country on earth. What thousands of years ago culminated in education included the development in the student of all good qualities. In other words the pupil was ignited with a desire to learn and develop himself rather than strive for material rewards. From out of the great ages the ancients, headed by Śrī Vyāsadeva, have left us the timeless treatise of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the basis of all education.' " This is the Minister of Education, the Government of Maharastra. She's admitting...

Prabhupāda: Vedavyāsa.

Room Conversation -- October 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This one Dr. Sharma wanted to open a Gurukula account. So they told him, "You have no authority whatsoever. Bhagatji has no authority, Akṣayānanda has no authority, Gopāla... Only Prabhupāda has authority." The funny thing about this, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is that according to our memorandum, they're not correct. Actually, according to the memorandum, two members of the Bureau can pass a resolution to open an account. But the most amazing thing is they don't accept the Bureau. They accept something called the Governing Body, which legally in India doesn't have any weight. And when I tried to explain to them that there's a memorandum and there's a Bureau, they said, "We don't accept it. Everything is Prabhupāda, and he's the chairman of the Governing Body." When I told this to Girirāja, Girirāja just laughed and said that...

Prabhupāda: If Girirāja can deal with these men, then let him do it immediately.

Room Conversation -- October 4, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bhagatji: From Ceylon.

Haṁsadūta: Yes. It's an amazing coincidence. This woman prime minister of Śrī Lanka, she follows everything Indira does. When Indira Gandhi held elections, she also held elections. She lost; she lost. She's coming back; she's coming back. They're very friendly, two ladies running these two countries. Sometimes when preaching I tell the public, "What kind of country is this? The land of the rājarṣis and some lady is running the government."

Prabhupāda: Hm, don't touch politics.

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Elegant.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very elegant. All the scientists who are attending, they're dressed a little informally. But our men are very formal. They have the ties on. Everybody has a badge. All the people who are attending have a special badge mentioning the scientific conference's name and the individual person's name. That's in one place. Then in another room is the conference room. It was the room where we were going to have the bank there. Really big room with fancy backdrop. Some decorator has come and made a very fancy backdrop with a big... There's a long table and podium with microphones and very nice seats. In the dining hall all the seats have special white linen cloths over all the chairs. Very fresh looking and clean. And in the other room it's very cool. There's curtains so that the sun can't come in, and now there's a big yajña going on. Yaśodānandana Mahārāja and the Gurukula boys are inaugurating the conference by chanting Sanskrit mantras, and some of the scientists are... Actually they were very amazed to see how our men could chant like that. The whole building is first-class for this purpose. When we build this Bhaktivedanta Institute hall... It's the most wonderful idea to have this conference here, Śrīla Prabhupāda. These scientists, they're going to be converted to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I was certain of it by seeing these arrangements. They never could have... They're being tricked.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very good. And then our sannyāsīs look so nice. There's Akṣayānanda Mahārāja and Bhakti-prema Swami. They were both there, very nicely dressed, with daṇḍas. It's really... The whole thing is complete. They get to stay in a nice guesthouse. Then there will be building of Bhaktivedanta Institute Hall. All of these things are a complete arrangement. I think these men are surprised to see that how such a thing has sprung up, and they have not been aware of it before. And when they see these books, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that the scientists have written, I think that will floor these men. They will be completely amazed to see it. Normally, if anyone else dared to do such a thing as this, to prove by science that life comes from life, it would be a very immature attempt by some religious person, and it would not have very much weight. But here they are coming face to face with people who are actually scientists, and they will not be able to deny our arguments. I think that your Guru Mahārāja is very pleased with this program, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: I have given the ideas. Now you give the shape.

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:Your humble servants, the devotees in France." Pretty big distribution. Bhagavān estimates that they collected over sixty thousand dollars in one week. It's amazing. Seems like Kṛṣṇa is giving unlimited facilities to spread His glories, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We do not want liberation. We want to serve the purpose of the Gosvāmīs, in association with pure devotees. To stop birth and death is not our purpose. Tāṅdera caraṇa-sebi-bhakta-sane bās, janame janame hoy ei abhilāṣ. (break)

Room Conversation -- October 24, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Light? (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "...miserable condition. Without your mercy there is no possibility of escaping the degrading influence of this Kali-yuga. Most merciful lord and master of the devotees, we have no shelter other than your lotus feet. By Kṛṣṇa's grace the most wonderful Janmāṣṭamī celebration was held at the Cato Ridge farm āśrama in South Africa. The celebration included the opening of a new temple and prasādam facility." He sent a lot of pictures, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Amazing pictures.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Room Conversation -- October 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That we shall have in..., conveniently, not immediately. Immediately there is Bombay.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. (Hindi) And the mayor, ex-mayor, has given telegram. Where is that telegram? This is a telegram... It says, "Pray God, Kṛṣṇa, to give you long life to spread Indian culture in every nook and corner of the universe. Signed Raji K. Ganatra, ex-mayor of Bombay." He's very convinced, Śrīla Prabhupāda, about Your Divine Grace and this movement, because he traveled around the world and stayed as a guest at our temples, and he was amazed to see how this Indian culture had actually been transplanted and taken root in all of these countries all over the world. He could not believe it. He was so amazed and impressed. He said that he's seen genuinely that this Indian culture has been taken up in true spirit.

Hari-prasāda: This is the first movement that has started (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Room Conversation -- November 10, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: No, no, I cannot put you in anxiety. You have done so much. You have suffered in Māyāpur so much. I cannot put you in anxiety. So I shall do what you like. (Bengali) Lefthand, righthand. I cannot refuse.

Kṛṣṇa dāsa Bābājī: (Bengali)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I mean I'm amazed, Śrīla Prabhupāda. A half a kilo of milk you've drank today—no mucus, no stool, and that is wonderful. You could not have done this two weeks ago.

Bhakti-caru: Yes, when I told the kavirāja he got quite amazed. He told me, "Don't give any more milk. It might..." But Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted some milk now, so I'll give.

Prabhupāda: Where is kavirāja?

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Tusta Krsna , Beharilal -- Bombay 15 October, 1973:

News has come to me that you want to sell our temple to somebody else which I cannot believe. Even that you have been in charge of the New Zealand center, now you have taken it as your personal property and you have demanded from Madhudvisa Swami the price of the temple. This is all amazing to me. I do not know what is your decision. Tusta Krsna has already left and is in Hawaii with Siddha Svarupananda Maharaja.