BBT and spending

Expressions researched:
"BBT" |"Book Fund" |"spend" |"spending"

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- August 15, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: Maṇḍalībhadra, he is slow. So you translate.

Haṁsadūta: Okay. Because there are others, they are competent. I have others, they are competent.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Simply you check that they are not writing nonsense.

Haṁsadūta: Oh yes. That I can do.

Prabhupāda: That's all. And print it and distribute. And another thing. If you can print yourself, it is all right, But if you want printing cost from the general book fund, then whatever you sell you deposit there. You deposit and take, deposit and take, deposit and take. Then when, even if you have no money you'll get money. And then you deposit. But if you spend it, then you cannot expect from the general book fund.

Haṁsadūta: No, no. I'm already doing that with them.

Prabhupāda: Jaya.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 24, 1976, Melbourne:

Guru-kṛpā: Are they going to start on Māyāpura building this year?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guru-kṛpā: That is beginning?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Collect and spend. Collect and spend for Kṛṣṇa, that is nice. I am therefore asking them to print books. I have got so much in the Book Fund. Print books. Let there be books stocked and no money stocked.

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

Mahāṁśa: Some people I know, they said that yesterday the prasādam was not nice, and there was...

Prabhupāda: Not nice, it is not eatable even by the dogs. But you are less than the dogs if you (prepare) such thing. I was surprised. You allowed a sweeper to cook. I was surprised. We have distribution prasādam, not dog's food. Such rascals as here. You do not know. I do not wish to discuss anymore on this point. You have murdered the whole thing in two days. Now if possible, bring them, bring them first class prasādam, very palatable. Foodstuff means even one has no appetite he'll eat. That is food. Not that even one has got appetite, he'll forget. That is not food. So do like that and for money produce, use cane, sugar cane, rice. We shall spend for that. Don't spoil money, but do like businessman. He invests money, he gets a return. Spend it for Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. There is no question of becoming a miser. I never did it. When I have got that farthing, I want to spend it. Immediately spend. Oh, what I have made this BBT? Immediately 50% for printing, and 50% for spreading this. (indistinct) and understand what I want to do. So whatever is done is done, now do it very nicely. I want to see at least 1,000 men coming from the villages. There are 20,000 men here, you cannot attract them?

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But for Hindi books, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we find pricing is also very important. Because in Hindi and Bengali books, they cannot sell for more than a rupee or rupee, fifty. In English books...

Prabhupāda: So at what price you are selling?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This is costing us seventy-eight paisa. So BBT will sell it to the temples for eighty paisa, and the temples are free to sell it for one, one-fifty. So we're charging reasonable price, so we can go after quantity.

Prabhupāda: No, if it can be sold at two rupees, you spend little more. Yes.

Room Conversation -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Nice advertisement. Spend some money.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That will increase our prestige.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But we should advertise in America as Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, not Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: No, no. As Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Actually, we have to keep ourselves.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Advertise as BBT, because no connection with Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: If you have got excess money, you can advertise. There is no need of keeping money. Spend.

Rāmeśvara: Money will be excess after the Māyāpura Festival.

Prabhupāda: That's right.

Rāmeśvara: Between now and Māyāpura it's very tight.

Prabhupāda: Very prestigious papers like Time, Reader's Digest. Reader's Digest is the highest circulation.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, in the world. Śrīla Prabhupāda, the Sunday New York Times has a big section just on books, and that's the most respected in the world, their books section and their book reviews. That is very prestigious. All the leading people read it.

Prabhupāda: But wherever you advertise, it must be prominent. It must immediately come to the notice. You can spend little more.

Arrival of BBT Manager -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So these books are there?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Now I have everything in stock. We have everything.

Prabhupāda: And which we have not got stock you print here. Keep for sufficient stock, in this way. So I was asking last night that at least in Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, simply whatever collection is there, fifty percent print books and fifty percent spend for temple or for pushing on the books. No money available. Bas.

Rāmeśvara: That is always the situation. (laughing)

Prabhupāda: (laughs) As soon as there will be money, there will be headache and income tax, this tax, that tax. So keep always empty. Bas. Vigorously push, and whatever available, spend. Bas. Finished. How do you like?

Rāmeśvara: That is always our policy.

Arrival of BBT Manager -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: And if we have to take contribution, take ISKCON. They're free. But for Bhaktivedanta Trust there is no need of contribution. Then there will be exemption certificate required and so on. We don't want any contribution. If anyone wants to contribute, let him contribute to the ISKCON. They're tax free. And here there is no tax, no tax free. That's all. Print book and sell and spend. Follow this policy there and here also, and push these books. That is our main preaching. Somehow or other, it must go, from door to door, hand to hand. Then our preaching is successful. Anyone who will read, he'll get some benefit. That is sure, because such literatures are not available throughout the whole world. It is a new revolution to the people in general. Am I right or not?

Rāmeśvara: Definitely.

Prabhupāda: That's all. (laughs) Then do it now. And I shall spend all this money for advertisement. That's all.

Morning Conversation -- April 11, 1977, Bombay:

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

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Room Conversation -- October 15, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So, you arrange many printers.

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Never mind the price. Huge stock should be maintained. Why unnecessarily keeping in the bank?

Girirāja: Now we'll spend it all for printing.

Prabhupāda: I think in the BBT there are five, six lakhs.

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So why...? Turn them into books.

Girirāja: (whispering) "I think that in the BBT there's five, six lakhs. So why not transform it into books?"

Prabhupāda: Hindi books can be distributed all over the world.

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Similarly Gujarati, and English to Australia. Why money should be kept in the bank?

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: At least five thousand rupees business must be given otherwise... That's all.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Immediately there should be business. If a man spends nearly a thousand rupees for travelling every month, he must be making fifteen, twenty thousand rupees. But he is not giving any money at all to the BBT. So where's the one thousand rupees going that he's given? He couldn't be using it for...

Prabhupāda: So we have given in charge and now stop it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He was giving him travel money now for about two years. And he hasn't given any money to the BBT out of it so I, I really question. I'll talk with him further.

Prabhupāda: You deal.

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I told him, "Vrindavan, you're netting 800 rupees so for that 800 rupees you must be booking ten to twenty thousand rupees worth of orders."

Prabhupāda: So if he's not giving, then stop it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So I said to him if you're getting ten to twenty thousand, either, two things are happening, either you're not getting the orders, then what is the use of spending 800 rupees?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Or the other thing is that you're getting the orders but you're not giving any money to the BBT.

Prabhupāda: Then be satisfied with stipends, two hundred, three hundred, live in that house and then like that nothing wrong.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I have no objection to paying him if he was doing business but...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I just see he's not doing it.

Prabhupāda: I fully depend on your discrimination. I, if he's not giving bill then just stop it.

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: At least five thousand rupees business must be given otherwise... That's all.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Immediately there should be business. If a man spends nearly a thousand rupees for travelling every month, he must be making fifteen, twenty thousand rupees. But he is not giving any money at all to the BBT. So where's the one thousand rupees going that he's given? He couldn't be using it for...

Prabhupāda: So we have given in charge and now stop it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He was giving him travel money now for about two years. And he hasn't given any money to the BBT out of it so I, I really question. I'll talk with him further.

Prabhupāda: You deal.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, I know how to do this because I was doing the saṅkīrtana, so I know what should come from the money he's spending. It's the same idea as anywhere in the world. You spend, it's business, business, whether it's dollars or rupees. I'll try...

Prabhupāda: That man who has kept, he's working as assistant, he is plundering.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, I think so.

Prabhupāda: He's a foolish man.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Brahmananda -- Los Angeles 29 February, 1969:

Regarding the Back To Godhead scheme, the idea is that you pay $750 and receive 5,000 copies. Now you distribute this as you like. If you sell for 50 cents per copy, then it comes to $2,500, but I do not think it will be possible to sell them all at 50 cents retail price. So you appoint stores to sell copies, and you will get 30 cents per copy for these without fail. You are purchasing for 15 cents so even selling wholesale you make profit of 15 cents. If you sell 3,500 copies at wholesale price, then the intake is $1,050. If you are not able to sell all of the copies, then still you should have an income profit of at least $500, selling at wholesale price. If you make more profit you should do so, and I have no objection. But whatever you sell after the 1,500 copies sold retail is profit for your temple. What ever balance has not been sold will be distributed free, and you should apply for concession rates at the Post Office. In Los Angeles, we have already applied, and the postal charge will be about 3 cents or 4 cents per issue. So as far as I am concerned, I shall collect about $3,000 monthly. Out of this, $2,000 is to be paid to Dai Nippon, and I will keep $1000. Out of this amount, the postal charges will take about $300-400, and the balance $600 I shall spend for developing of the press department. So from Back To Godhead I don't want anything for my book fund. I simply want my books to be nicely distributed.

Letter to Gopala Krsna -- Hawaii 30 March, 1969:

Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter of March 21, along with a check for $75, Canadian, and I thank you very much for this contribution for the Deity. And also I am very much obliged to you that you are going to send me another lot of $250 for my book fund. Yes, my Guru Maharaja advised me to give more stress on publication work so most probably I shall try to concentrate my energy in this department very shortly. Perhaps you know that we are going to print BTG every month 20,000 copies, and maybe very soon we shall increase to 50,000 copies. If you kindly help me in distributing these books and literature, it will be a very great help for my missionary activities. You are working as sales organizer so you can think up this sales organization side by side, and if possible try to help. My next scheme is to develop the New Vrindaban scheme, and I require there millions of dollars. Immediately I have got about $25,000 worth of books or more. If you think of how to organize sales, then we can promote more and more books, and with the profit thereof, we can spend in so many departments. The people of the Western country, they are fond of reading books and by propaganda work we have to change their taste and divert them from reading all worldly literatures, to transcendental literature. Please think of this carefully and let me know if you can help.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Bhagavan -- Calcutta 19 September, 1970:

I am pleased to know that you have fully distributed your money to my Book Fund and BTG, and as you are experiencing, Krishna will send you more. We should know it well that Krishna is no poor man, and He can give us any amount at any time. Simply He is waiting to see that we will use it according to His desire. So the more we spend in His service, the more He will provide, rest assured.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Atreya Rsi -- Los Angeles 13 September, 1972:

Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter dated September 5, 1972, duly delivered to me by hand of Syamasundara., and I have noted the contents carefully. Regarding your questions, Seva Puja* means only for daily worship of deities. The building fund will construct, the book fund will maintain, and this fund is for daily expenditure of Seva Puja or worship of the deities only. So far your administrative duties as secretary of Mayapur-Vrndavana Trust Fund are concerned, that will be informed by you. For the time being, rents should be collected by Karandhara and sent to India. How it will be done I shall think over and let you know. As for the responsibility for proper spending, the man in charge or the president will be responsible in Mayapur and Vrndavana.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to All ISKCON Centers -- Vrindaban 14 March, 1974:

Please accept my blessings. Now that our ISKCON is growing into a huge, world wide organization, it has come to my attention that sometimes centers are printing my literature, taking collection and spending all outside the jurisdiction of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. This must not go on.

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Bombay 1 December, 1974:

Yes, we must invest our money in books and land, but no there will be collapse as you have anticipated. Everything will be adjusted by the grace of Krsna. From my own experience I have seen when first class rice was selling at 8np. per kg, and now that is being sold at Rs. 8. That means that it is 64 times higher, but still people are eating, and the man who lives in care of the footpath he is also eating. So the man in care of the foothpath, and the man on the 30th floor of the sky scraper, they are living and still the inflation is going on. Man-made laws cannot work any rupture in Krsna's plan. Better let us remain now under Krsna's shelter fully dependent, and we shall remain unaffected by all the man-made difficulties.

So concentrate on publishing books as far as possible, and sell, and spend the money accordingly. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated: sa gunam samatityaitan/ brahma-bhuyaya kalpate (BG 14.26) The devotee is transcendental to the material modes. On the whole I am very much pleased with your publishing extensively in the German language. It has given me great pleasure. One thing, for our books the words "Bhaktivedanta Book Trust" must appear on the spine of the jacket. Formally it was being done, and now it has been stopped. These things should always be there.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Gopala Krsna -- Los Angeles 21 June, 1975:

It is my habit to see that money is not being squandered. If money is spent unnecessarily, I feel very badly. You are collecting with great effort, and I do not like to see it spoiled. I am thinking that Guru-krpa's collections may be used for book publishing only. He can print books in Japan and send there to you for selling in India. From these sales, you can spend 50% on construction and 50% on Hindi publishing. And anyone who can manage such an organization, he can manage the BBT. But one must do it. It is simply a matter of organization. We can send you unlimited number of books. You simply have to apply your brain how to sell them. Then you will have plenty of money. This my mission you know started when I came alone to your country by selling my books, and still whatever money we are getting it is coming from the book selling. So it is already proven how important the book-selling is.

Letter to Ramesvara -- Bombay 7 November, 1975:

Please accept my blessings. I have received your report on the telephone to Harikesa. This is very funny thinking in our society that you want to spend for this boat, and that Tulsi das wants to take sannyasa because he is feeling sex agitation. First of all there is no sanction to purchase this boat from the BBT. We are not interested.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Pusta Krsna -- Bombay 10 January, 1976:

I have just sent you a telegram: "Yes Purchase Mercedes." For so long there has been contemplation to buy this car. But where is the car? We are spending crores of Rupees to finish this Bombay construction, but whenever I arrive at the airport, I am picked up in a borrowed car. What kind of impression is it to the members that we always have to approach them to borrow their car? Please get it. But one thing is that I have heard that you are taking the money from the BBT to pay for it. There is one story that a guru went to his disciple's home and was greeted very elaborately. When he enquired how was it possible for his disciple to afford such nice arrangements, his disciple told him: every-belongs to you. Later the guru saw that he had no money left in his bank account and he could understand that his disciple had spent all of his money. So whether you are also making such arrangements? I do not want to spend the books fund money for such things. If you can not pay for it, then Tamala Krishna says he will pay Ramesvara who can send you the money.

Letter to Ramesvara -- Calcutta 12 January, 1976:

In regard to Bhargava Prabhu, I discussed with Prabhupada and His Divine Grace asked me to write you. Bhargava is spending money of the BBT frivolously. He is taking and spending more than he is supposed to. Unless he gives very strict account of how he spends, he should be recalled. All money is collected under such difficulty, it should be spent only for Krsna. Srila Prabhupada said he was surprised to see how this boy comes everywhere he goes. Please do the needful.

...

Your servant,

Tamala Krsna Goswami

Personal Secretary

Seen:

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Letter to Ramesvara -- Mayapur 26 January, 1976:

America has the money, so this is co-operation between the blind men and lame men. This will be a good name to your country, that Americans are building such nice buildings. It will make good relations between India and America. The next chance I have for meeting with Indira Gandhi I shall inform her about how much foreign exchange we are sending. After receiving your encouraging assurance that as book distribution increases the amount BBT sends will also increase, we are now going to attempt the Kuruksetra project and the Jagannatha Puri project. For the time being we are spending in India, but eventually we will spend everywhere. This will greatly enhance the American's spiritual position.

Letter to Ramesvara -- Honolulu 26 May, 1976:

You have mentioned this Kingsport Press which is now printing our books in America. Where is this located? I am interested to know the details of several expenditures. Firstly, it appears from your report that the BBT is paying for 50% of the Diorama project. Why the BBT should spend money for the Diorama project? Secondly, I want to know how it requires $50,000 per month to maintain ISKCON Press as you have mentioned this on page 2 of the report under "Budget Projections." Concerning the need for a new larger warehouse for stocking and disbursing our books, why not use one entire floor of the new New York building. That will be very nice. There would be a warehouse on the West coast, and one on the East coast as well. The management should not be difficult as Tamala Krsna Goswami is going to make his office in New York and he will have a staff to assist him. Then we could avoid having to locate a new place in Los Angeles for the time being.

Letter to Adi-kesava -- Mathura, India 24 November, 1976:

I have studied all the letters and clippings in our support. It is very good. This is very important. By Krsna's grace, due to this apparent setback, now this Movement will become more prominent. Sometimes these tactics are also employed in military encounters. Temporarily retreating, then coming forward with stronger force than before. You may consult with Tamala Krsna and Ramesvara and whatever expenditure is required for emergency legal costs may be loaned from the BBT. We must spend for this purpose.