So it is not very difficult. Simply try to be in touch with the vibration. Where is the wrong there? What is the loss there? If you chant, just like these boys, they, you have seen the picture, they have taken it seriously. They are working in the field: Hare Kṛṣṇa. They are working in the factory, of incense factory: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Where is the wrong there? Why India is not taking this? If you work in your factory, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then what is the loss there? But you will remain always in touch with Kṛṣṇa, smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur. This formula is (indistinct). We shall talk so many nonsense things, but you are not, (indistinct), desiring to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is our fault. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Nāma rūpe kṛṣṇa avatāra. Kṛṣṇa is now descended in His vibration form, Hare Kṛṣṇa, this Kali-yuga. Kali-yuga, because we cannot do anything, therefore Kṛṣṇa has become very easily available in the form of His holy name, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is available.
Incense (Lect. and Conversations)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
You embrace Me, or kiss Me, or You trample down under Your feet, because You are a debauch, I know, still You are My beloved." This is pure love.
So that is stated here that love of Godhead, not for any purpose. Without any purpose. Ahaituky apratihatā... Apratihatā means without being hampered by any reason. "Oh, I cannot love Kṛṣṇa because I am very poor man." Or "I cannot love Kṛṣṇa because I have no education, I cannot study Vedānta." No. To love Kṛṣṇa, you don't require any material acquisition. No material acquisition will help. So if somebody says, "Oh, I have to bring fruit and flower at least, and incense to the temple, otherwise..." Yes. That is the sign of love. The sign of love is six, six. They are six in number. What is that? You give something to your lover, and you accept something from your lover. If you simply go on giving your lover, and if you don't..., your lover does not give you something, then there is no love. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. Everything is defined in the Vedic literature. Love means one should give and should accept also. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate. One should give the lover eatables and accept eatables from him or her. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca... You should not keep anything secret within your mind, and the lover should not keep anything secret within the mind. If these six kinds of exchanges are there, then there is love. And that love should be without any reason and without being stopped by any material cause.
You can do it. You can have a picture like this and you can chant with the tune. If you like, you can play the record and chant. That is very nice. So all worship is concentrated there. Here it is said that sādhu-bhaktānām saṅgena and īśvarārādhanena ca, and you have to worship. So if you make this process, then you become fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness wherever you live and whatever you are, and your life is perfect. And there is nothing objectionable. This picture, anyone can have. This picture or small picture, whatever you can. Like this way, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's picture, and offer Him little fruits and little flower and little incense, and chant and dance. Never mind what you are, what is your condition. Everything will come later on. Yena tena prakareṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveṣayet. Somehow or other you engage your mind in this process. Then everything will come automatically. You'll know. You'll know what to do. And there is spiritual master guidance. This is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Śraddhayā tat-kathāyāṁ ca. He is further explaining. Śraddhayā, with faith and devotion, śraddhā. Śraddha means faith and devotion. So this faith and devotion is the beginning, is the basic principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Adau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅga tato bhajana-kriyā anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. This is the process. So here it is also said, śraddhayā tat-kathāyāṁ ca. When there is a speech about Kṛṣṇa, or about Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So śraddhayā tat-kathā... (end)
General Lectures
Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says, "You become My devotee." Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ mad-yājī: "You worship Me." Māṁ namaskuru: "Offer your obeisances unto Me." Now, all these items, there is no expenditure, and anyone can do. Even the child can do. What is the difficulty? Factually our children, Kṛṣṇa conscious children, do that. The father-mother offers obeisances, and the child imitates—he also offers obeisance, bows down. So this offering obeisances to Kṛṣṇa will not go in vain. It will have effect. So it is inexpensive. It is very simple, without any loss. Suppose you have got a picture of Kṛṣṇa and you simply think of the picture, man-manā, and you offer a little lamp, a little incense, and if you don't offer, if you simply offer your respect, what is your loss? Is there any loss? (break) We are all businessmen. We calculate everything in terms of loss and profit. So there is no loss. That's a fact. But if there is any profit, why don't you try it? If there is any profit... There is profit. These boys, these European and American boys who are with me, there are hundreds and thousands of them... They have sacrificed their life. Unless there is some profit... They are not fools. They are not coming of foolish parents or foolish nation. Unless there is some profit, how they are doing? There must be some profit. So without any investment of your money, without losing your time, if you get some spiritual profit, why don't you take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? That is our plea. We are imploring everyone.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Interviewer: Do you have any of the other things you find in the inside of churches?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes, we have altars, we have pictures. We offer fruits, flowers, incense, and immediately, by combination of these things, there is some spiritual atmosphere, and there is chanting. So people enjoy it very nicely.
Interviewer: We're talking with Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta, head of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. If you have questions our numbers are 478-3456, in the East Bay 832-9707, in San Jose 272-1233. (break) A.C. Bhaktivedanta, International Society for Krishna Consciousness. What does the word Kṛṣṇa mean?
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is, means all-attractive. Kṛṣṇa.
Interviewer: Would you put those earphones on, Swami? (gives phone numbers again) Hello, you're on the air on KGO with the Swami.
Caller (Gargamuni): Hello, Swamiji?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.
Interviewer: What do you offer to Kṛṣṇa? That is, do you offer money in the sense of an offering in a Christian church or do you burn anything, for example, incense or could you explain this?
Prabhupāda: Yes. The flowers, incense, and fruits, the same thing. I have already explained that whatever He has described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says that "Anyone offering Me these things in devotion..." So we follow the same principle. So it is very nice thing. If the students follow, they can follow it individually. Even in his own apartment he can keep a picture of Kṛṣṇa and offer a lamp, a candle, and one, I mean to say, incense. He will feel tremendously spiritually advanced. And if he reads these books, his life will be changed completely. That is a fact. (break) And two boys, Kṛṣṇānanda and one German boy, is going there very soon. So, of course, we do not expect to sell English books in Germany very much, but maybe... (end)
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: This is the process going on in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. They become devotee, follow the rules and regulations, the prescribed method, you'll see God. You'll see constantly, twenty-four hours. Santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti, premāñjana cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). If you have developed such devotion and love for God, then you will see always God. Just like if you have got a child whom you very much love, you'll see the child always in front of you, always. It is due to love. Similarly, you have to develop love for Kṛṣṇa and you'll see Him. He can be seen by love, not by your method. He is not under any method, but He is under love. So you have to develop love and then you'll see. (aside:) There is no flavor. Is it any flavor?
Martin: It's very faint.
Devotee: Mexican incense.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Devotee: Christian incense.
Prabhupāda: So all science of God is described in Bhagavad-gītā.
Devotee: This morning you said that Kṛṣṇa is the original scientist because..., because He is a scientist then we can have our science.
Prabhupāda: Yes. The, ah... Do you accept it He is the original scientist?
Prabhupāda: Twenty. And about two hundred somewhere. And in America you know the expenditure. We are living in the best part of the city. But we have no source of income. We take some books, some incense, but there is no guarantee that it will be sold. So it is not a book of technology, general demand—Kṛṣṇa book. So if somebody's kindly interested in Kṛṣṇa, he'll purchase. So we are living in this way, depending on Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa's supplying all necessities. We have got seventy thousand dollar expenditure per month. So this is practical. We don't try for getting any job or any business. Depend on Kṛṣṇa. But our main business is to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness and follow the rules and regulations, chant sixteen rounds, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So we are... There is no problem for us. To collect seventy thousand dollars and spend every month, do you think is very easy job? A big government is concerned, or a big company, to collect seventy thousand dollars and distribute it again. It is a big problem. So how... We are increasing our centers. Practically every month, two, one, two. And we have got huge expenditure. But Kṛṣṇa is supplying. So we should see the example, be confident, depend on Kṛṣṇa and then everything is all right. Kṛṣṇa is powerful. He's omnipresent. He knows better than me. Our business is to satisfy Him. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So we are preaching this, that "You take to Kṛṣṇa. Surrender to Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa said. The same thing we are saying. We are not manufacturing it.
Sumati Morarjee: And then will give you in Indian High Commission all details.
Prabhupāda: Another, another is that we get some incense imported from Hong Kong.
Sumati Morarjee: I know. So what is that incense?
Devotee: Punks, punks.
Prabhupāda: Punks.
Devotee: Just a rink.
Sumati Morarjee: Can you show me.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Sumati Morarjee: Show me some.
Prabhupāda: Show, show, spiritual...
Sumati Morarjee: I know, we also use that incense, but uh, I don't know the name of it.
Prabhupāda: So, kindly get them carried from Hong Kong to Los Angeles.
Prabhupāda: They are doing little business because gṛhasthas, they require money. All right, do some incense, this, that. Not very big business. If one is expert like Arjuna or Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, that is different thing. Just like this Advaita, he was given in press. Now he sees that "I can work anywhere I want, so I can get money. Why I should waste my time?" He neglected. That means viṣaya attracted him. He thought, "I am qualified boy. Why I should waste my time with this press?" Therefore he went away. He sacrificed Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and now he's getting some money he's satisfied. He's thinking that he has become a big man.
Devotee: Ātreya Ṛṣi went to see them in New York the last day, but they wouldn't come.
Prabhupāda: Both, (indistinct).
Devotee: Yeah.
Prabhupāda: They are getting money from other karmīs, so why they should come? They are thinking that "As family man we must make money." Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair , huh? House, land, children, friends, money for increasing their illusion. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). (indistinct) He does not know that he is being finished, and he's thinking that "I am making profit." Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāta. This rascal, he's being defeated. He does not know.
Prabhupāda: Yes, and she'll cooperate. And write letter for permission for carrying our motorcar and incense.
Devotee: Yes, and inform Gurudāsa...
Prabhupāda: She has already agreed, that, ah, what is called? Punks? The punks sent to Calcutta, and from there then send to Los Angeles.
Devotee: Yeah. I'm wondering why they can't take them directly.
Prabhupāda: Directly not very many ships come to Hong Kong.
Devotee: Oh, from Hong Kong that way, that direction, they don't come. They come on their way back. I see. Yeah, they take Chinese goods from Hong Kong to India.
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Devotee: They take Chinese goods from Hong Kong to India.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Devotee: There's not many from Hong Kong to America.
Prabhupāda: Oh, that's all right. So by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, whichever book we are publishing, that is being accepted. And people inquire when they go for saṅkīrtana in big, big cities, they inquire, "Have you got this book? Have you got this book?" Yes. And we are receiving mail orders, at least twenty mail orders. And this time I was surprised. They have taken a godown in Los Angeles. This is bigger than the Rādhā-Dāmodara temple, so big. Only for stocking books and incense. We are manufacturing incense. That I suggested. Sometimes I went to Ramakrishna mission and I saw they are selling incense. So I suggested that "Why don't you..." So I gave them idea how to manufacture. Because I have...
Dr. Kapoor: You have the background.
Prabhupāda: I can give them. They are asking me about my pain liniment and the eczema ointment. (laughter) I can give them. I can give them.
Dr. Kapoor: You can tell them you are now selling Kṛṣṇa-bhakti.
Prabhupāda: But I warned them that "Do not become too much business." (laughter) yāvad arthaḥ prayojana. You require some money. So you are selling this incense and books. Kṛṣṇa is giving us sufficiently. If you divert your attention, I can give the whole pharmacopeia because I have got good experience to manufacture. So in this way Kṛṣṇa is meeting our expenses, the expenses. And not only that. These American young boys, they are fully cooperating. These boys and girls. Where is that girl, Śāradīyā? Here is nice girl. You see. And where is your husband? Oh. Oh, why you are so skinny?
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Comes?
Yaśodānandana: Yes. The ghost comes sometimes. They chant and put incense.
Prabhupāda: Ācchā? But she does not go away? Or does not do any harm?
Gurukṛpā: They don't let anyone sleep in that room.
Prabhupāda: Ah.
Gurukṛpā: Because everyone is haunted. There's many people have seen the ghost.
Prabhupāda: Ah.
Yaśodānandana: Many devotees.
Prabhupāda: But ghost cannot remain where there is chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) In India, all collections should be utilized for Vṛndāvana temple. I shall personally supervise. So bring all collection to me.
Devotee: When we go to India.
Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...who has got (indistinct).
Gurukṛpā: When we were just traveling this last time and collecting, Śrīla Prabhupāda, everyday we were offering some incense to Gaṇeśa, and this prayer in the Brahma-saṁhitā, yat-pāda-pallava...
Prabhupāda: Pallava-yugaṁ vinidhāya kumbha...
Gurukṛpā: We were saying this, saying, "Give us facility to collect nice lakṣmī to use to build the temple in Vṛndāvana."
Yaśodānandana: To build the temple for Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Vṛndāvana.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is good. Whatever possible facility is available from any person, we beg for it for Kṛṣṇa's service, not for our personal benefit. (break) ...they forget Kṛṣṇa. They forget Kṛṣṇa. When they go to worship some other demigod, they forget Kṛṣṇa, kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.20), because they have got so strong material desires that they forget Kṛṣṇa. That is harmful. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣām (BG 7.23). They get some benefit out of the demigod, but that will not stay. Alpavat, er, antavat. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣām. But if you take Kṛṣṇa, then it is not antavat, it will go on increasing. If you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it will never end. It will increase. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam, increasing. The ocean does not increase, but Kṛṣṇa consciousness is such a great ocean that it increases only.
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?" So he (she) was doubtful because he (she) was thinking, "My son is mad, sometimes crazy." So he (she) would go, "Is it real gold? Just see." Then. "Yes, it is real gold." "Hm, how He got it?" You see. (break) ...many yogis, they make such gold for meeting their expenditures. Yes. Still in India they know how to make gold from copper. Yes. The process is they will drink mercury at night, and in the morning they will urine on the copper coins. And then, after some hours, the copper coins taken and put into the fire, it becomes gold. And it is scientific that some molecules of mercury, if mixed with copper, it is gold.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Three is offered to the enemy. If I offer something, three, that means "You are my enemy."
Devotee: So how many sticks of incense? Two?
Prabhupāda: There is no such...
Yogeśvara: Now, one thing is that we accept Buddha as incarnation of Kṛṣṇa on reference from Vedas, but Buddha denied the value of the Vedas.
Prabhupāda: That is... When we pray, offer pray, it is stated that that is his, one of the qualifications. Sada... Nindasi. Nindasi yajña-vidher. The animal sacrifice is recommended... Some of the sacrifices or all of them... So that animal sacrifice was not meant for eating. Just to give them new, rejuvenated life by the Vedic mantras, to test that whether Vedic mantras are being chanted properly. And because at the Kali-yuga there is no such expert brāhmaṇa, all sacrifices are forbidden. So later on, as they deteriorated, they began to offer sacrifices, and if anyone wants to stop it, they will say, "Oh, it is recommended in the Vedas." Just like these rascals, Christian: "Oh, Christ ate fish. Therefore we must maintain slaughterhouse." Just see how rascal they are. Supposing Christ ate somewhere fish. Therefore they would maintain regularly slaughterhouse of cows. This is their brain.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: What is this?
Rāmeśvara: Sometimes people order incense along with their books. Very rarely. The mail order business is now doing $100,000 worth of business every year and is always growing. It is almost doubled from last year.
Prabhupāda: Oh, you are printing these books?
Rāmeśvara: We're going to reprint them.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: 100,000 copies, with a color cover.
Prabhupāda: Nice. This, this, very nice.
Rāmeśvara: That is the size for the new Bhagavad-gītā.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hṛdayānanda: These are oils. (break)
Prabhupāda: This dramatic party, so they should be sent all, in India. Yes.
Prabhupāda: No. We're not going to. But we can manage how to do it. First of all give me. I'll say how to manage. (laughter) We'll not create any problem. We do not wish to destroy anything.
Nalinī-kānta: Just like we have big printing press and incense factory.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Nalinī-kānta: But it is all managed nicely.
Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...mediately manage. "Stop all these worker illicit sex, intoxication, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." The whole atmosphere will change. The production will be increased. There will be no dissatisfaction among the worker and the capitalists. Immediately everything will be solved. Now the competition is going on that the capitalist is exacting as much money from their labor, and he is spending it for wine and women, and the worker is seeing that "Our money, he's spending. Why not ourself? So let us form a communist party. Let us fight." This is going on. But they do not know how to spend money, śūdras. When a śūdra gets money, he'll spend for wine and women. That's all. He does not know that it should be spent for Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Paramahaṁsa: Um, the younger ones liked better. The nurse was asking where she could..., if she could refer people to visit us here, and I told her we don't know if this will be the permanent address, but as soon as we have a permanent address here I'll notify her. But she was wondering if she could send people, if the people would be welcome to come and visit and see the place here. And the Buddhist boy, he bought an incense from us. He said, "Where is that nice smell coming from?" I said, "Incense." He said, "I want some." The other gentlemen I don't... They're more set in their ways kind of men. I couldn't tell whether they were impressed or not. They don't express very well.
Prabhupāda: But all their questions were answered.
Paramahaṁsa: Yes. When you told him where is the man who has, where is the person who did not come from a father, he began to... Before that, he was going to challenge whether this was science or belief, but then he had to be quiet. He just mumbled.
Prabhupāda: And they inquired, "Then God has father?" No, God without father. That is God. That is the distinction between ordinary living entity and God.
Siddha-svarūpa: The so-called more advanced ones, the teachers, the leaders, the monks, they have a more difficult time because they are, have actually further studied the impersonalist philosophies, so they are more contaminated, whereas the congregation in general, they just, they don't take very seriously the philosophy. They don't get too deeply into it, I don't think. They just like to go to the temple and offer some incense to Lord Buddha and... (break) ...Govinda Restaurant, hungry... (break)
Prabhupāda: ...chanting, dancing. So this will rectify his philosophy. Chanting is so strong, it will send all philosophy to hell. (laughter) Vijāyate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. (break) You will come out triumphant of all others. (break) ...that is happening. What we are doing? We are not playing any magic. How this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is increasing?
Devotee: Yesterday I read in the newspaper that Indira Gandhi has been asked to step down from the prime ministership.
Prabhupāda: I heard it. Where is that paper?
Siddha-svarūpa: Yeah, so this morning you get a paper, okay?
Devotee: I'll try to get a paper. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...body comes in her place he will be another.
Prabhupāda: War hero?
Jayatīrtha: Yes. In the last war. (Prabhupāda laughs) So he is also helping us. He has a big factory next to the land and he's letting us use it for the incense business. So he's doing some good service.
Prabhupāda: What is that factory?
Jayatīrtha: He employs these alcoholics and derelicts in different kinds of work, making things. And he was keeping these people living in this palace, but now he's built another place next door where he keeps them and he has them employed. It's sort of an Alcoholics Anonymous group.
Prabhupāda: Let them chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and they will be rectified.
Jayatīrtha: Yes, that's a best thing. Bhagavān hopes eventually to convert them. Anyway, it's a very beautiful place. Especially this time of year, it's very beautiful.
Prabhupāda: How long it takes to go there from Paris?
Jayatīrtha: About two and a half hours.
Prabhupāda: Hm. Two and a half hours? And what is the nearest town?
Jayatīrtha: (in car:) It says, "Forgive me if this story is not well-written. I am a woman. My brain weighs less than a man's, and I am not equal in intelligence." So she admits. "His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the seventy-seven year-old founder of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, said so Wednesday. The Society is dedicated to peace in the world through love of God and relinquishment of all things material. The Swami spoke seated cross-legged on an expensive looking cushion surrounded by fresh flowers, microphones and burning incense in a conference room he rented at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel. He is in town for a Kṛṣṇa parade at 1:30 p.m., Saturday down State Street in which he will ride on a flower-bedecked float. He then will fly to Philadelphia for more celebration and philosophical chats. He looked occasionally at his gold watch as he explained his life philosophy. His adoring disciple, five men, knelt at his side. 'The MAN,' " capital M-A-N, "he said, 'who loves God, controls his sense, is clean inside and out, is simple and tolerant and uses knowledge he has acquired in practical life...' "
Prabhupāda: Intolerant?
Brahmānanda: Well, it's the idea, though.
Jayatīrtha: Yeah. "The Swami now lives in Los Angeles, and he trains his followers there. Their income is from sales of his books, magazines and incense. He says he has about ten thousand followers. 'We do not have so many,' he said..."
Prabhupāda: The inner meaning is there: "I shall be arrested."
Brahmānanda: Yes. (laughs) That shows what is the position.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jayatīrtha: "He said he has about ten thousand followers." Quote: " 'We do not have so many,' he said, 'it is hard to find a first-class man.' " And then she says...
Prabhupāda: Therefore without first-class man, nobody can become my disciple.
Jayatīrtha: Then she says, "It's a pity half the population are women."
Prabhupāda: I didn't say half the population...
Brahmānanda: That's her comment.
Jayatīrtha: That's what she said. In other words...
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: "We are not going to preach any Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are going to do some business of our books. That's all."
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: China they can do books and incense.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He's a Spiritual Sky sales representative or looking into the possibilities of manufacturing incense in China.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And we have got now documents how our books are important. So therefore we want to introduce. Like that.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: How our books are imported?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Because we have got so many...
Devotee: Important.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Important. Oh, important.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hṛdayānanda: Also you can tell them we're going to import things to America.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Hṛdayānanda: We could tell them we want to import incense from China to America. They will like that.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. You are going for export and import. We want to export books, import incense. On this plea, exchange.
Hṛdayānanda: That is how the Westerners originally entered China.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And similarly, you have got already some inquiries from booksellers from Russia. On that plea—he is also sales organization—do something there. We have got philosophy, books, approved by learned circles. There is good chance. Our Trivikrama Mahārāja reported. He went to that Formosa? Trivikrama?
Guru-kṛpā: Taiwan.
Prabhupāda: You went there.
Trivikrama: Yes.
Prabhupāda: The report was the men there were very nice.
Mr. Dixon: Is incense a form of intoxication?
Prabhupāda: Incense? No. Why intoxication?
Mr. Dixon: I don't know.
Prabhupāda: Incense keeps the atmosphere very nice, fresh.
Mr. Dixon: Very sweet-smelling.
Guru-kṛpā: This flower is not intoxicating.
Prabhupāda: It is just like in your country, what is that fragrance? Scent. Scent.
Guru-kṛpā: Perfume?
Prabhupāda: Perfume is very popular.
Mr. Dixon: But I would have thought that in some ways it might have perform the same sort of function for some people as, say, smoking some cigarettes performs for others.
Prabhupāda: No.
Mr. Dixon: In other words, it...
Prabhupāda: That depends on the particular man, what kind of flavor he wants. That is another thing. But there are different varieties of incense. Generally we use rose flavor, sandalwood flavor. We offer to the Deity room to keep the atmosphere very favorable. Originally in India it was dhūpa. They used to put in the fire some flavored hulls, and it was very nice. That has been transferred into now stick incense.
Bhūrijana: How about just collecting without giving any literature? Just collecting. Three months ago I saw it in Australia, with a lying line too. Not telling the truth. And that wasn't very long ago.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: (indistinct)
Hari-sauri: Sometimes the devotees are just distributing incense.
Bhūrijana: Nothing.
Hari-sauri: They collect and distribute incense. Sometimes they don't distribute books.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Maybe they have to pay off a loan on the temple. All the devotees are well aware that Prabhupāda's books have first priority. Everyone knows it. The consciousness is very (indistinct) It's not a consciousness of giving.
Hari-sauri: Prabhupāda's point is that if you see fault with the method of implementing the spiritual master's instructions, you'll fail to follow the instructions.
Prabhupāda: No the point is not that they have not done any wrong. Don't think like that. But my point, that is, my instruction is sell books.
Bhūrijana: I understand. In other words if you think they're doing it wrong, you do it better. If you see the wrong thing... But do it. Make sure you do it, but do it without the wrong thing.
Devotee (1): ...degraded activity in the public parks. Fighting and intoxications and all kinds of nonsense. Just like animals. (break)
Devotee (2): And there were so many people that we decided that next weekend we'll come and distribute magazines and incense.
Makhanlāl: In the Bhagavad-gītā, Eighteenth Chapter, 54th verse, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), it says that the person in brahma-bhūtaḥ realization at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. If the devotee is situated on the platform of the brahma-bhūtaḥ, but he may not necessarily see everything as Brahman, does that mean that his realization is by intelligence, and by his activity, or what does that mean?
Prabhupāda: Realization of spiritual identification.
Makhanlāl: Realization of spiritual life?
Prabhupāda: Identity.
Makhanlāl: Identity? (break) Brahman realization for the devotee in the beginning is just that he realizes his constitutional position as servant of Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is next. First of all, that "I am not this body." That is Brahman realization.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very nicely written. "With everybody pulling together and everybody puffing together, a huge float is tugged down Fifth Avenue yesterday during the first Ratha-yātrā Parade of International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The parade moved south from Central Park to Washington Square Park, where a free feast, music, art, dance and theater festival was held. According to a spokesperson, Ratha-yātrā is a time when people come to dance, sing and feast amidst a sublime atmosphere of bright flags, festoons, banners, garlands, flowers and incense, simply to feel the poetry and blissful nature of life.' "
Prabhupāda: Very good, this is blissful nature.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, you can see the devotees pulling the float.
Bali-mardana: Read the caption in the middle.
Prabhupāda: And they have created a civilization, wine, woman, gambling and meat.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Here's what it said. "The multicolored floats contrast with Fifth Avenue's concrete canyon as parade passes Thirty-fourth Street yesterday." Here it says, "An idyllic mood in saffron robes."
Prabhupāda: Everything is approved.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes, highly approved. Then there's another, New York Times.
Prabhupāda: Oh, that is not very(?) important.
Mukunda: Oh, yes. More than even. We have about thirteen hundred life members in the Indian community. And then when they come on the weekends they bring food, they bring these hundred pound donations, money in the box.
George Harrison: At one time you just had the Godhead and incense.
Mukunda: Yes, now it's all public support.
Jayatīrtha: We don't sell incense anymore.
Mukunda: And the books we just sell for very little; we hardly make any money on them at all.
Prabhupāda: Are you reading sometimes my books? Which one?
George Harrison: Mainly Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: That is the main book. (laughs)
George Harrison: Mukunda gave me the new books, but there's so much in, ah, there's just so much to read.
Prabhupāda: Philosophy.
Bhagavān: Manufactures boats and plastic things.
Prabhupāda: What is box?
Devotee (2): Spiritual Sky, incense boxes.
Bhagavān: It's a quarry for stone. The same kind of stone that the chateau is built from.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Bhagavān: This is the factory here.
Prabhupāda: Factory of the proprietor? The proprietor?
Bhagavān: Yes, and he rents to Spiritual Sky.
Devotee (3): These incense packs, we are reorganizing the stock now.
Prabhupāda: Where you are selling?
Devotee (3): Everywhere in France. We're doing now also Germany and also Holland and Belgium.
Prabhupāda: Where it is printed?
Prabhupāda: Yes, that mathematics department is now being closed. You know that? Nobody cares to attend that mathematic meeting. People are becoming disinterested with these chance theories. There is one Dr. Henderson, you know? He became doctor in that field. He's not getting job, now he's manufacturing incense.
Dayānanda: Oh, George Henderson?
Prabhupāda: George Henderson. He has no job here. All these theoretical doctors are no longer required by (indistinct).
Devotee (2): I was reading the other day that they are doing some experiments on Mars. They have twenty-two different theories about this one idea. Just this one little idea, twenty-two different theories.
Prabhupāda: Theory means they are not certain.
Devotee (2): The misfortunate thing is that people in general have faith in the scientists.
Prabhupāda: So you have to create people to have faith in Kṛṣṇa. If people are going by faith, so you have to create this faith that Kṛṣṇa (indistinct). They can create, you can create. And they criticize our destiny theory, believing in the destiny. They criticize it. So why they'll depend on chance theory? What is the difference, destiny and chance?
Prabhupāda: Many things toilet and medicines and... We can give.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: We will like that very much.
Prabhupāda: Let them be engaged in different ways and earn some money. This incense I taught Gargamuni first.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes, this is better than incense. You teach us the incense also, everything. We will do it.
Prabhupāda: Incense, I first of all taught Gargamuni, the starting was there in New York. Do you know that? And now it has developed very nice.
Pradyumna: The largest in the world.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: So, Śrīla Prabhupāda, would you like us to... We have, this temple has some dakṣiṇā for you. How would you like me to do it? Today is Thursday. Would you like it in what form? Would you like us to invest it for you here, or give you the cash?
Prabhupāda: If you give me the interest, eighteen percent, I'll utilize it for Māyāpur-Vṛndāvana.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: I shall... Yes, that's fine.
Prabhupāda: President of?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Spiritual Sky in Los Angeles. He has come on a business trip. They were trying to negotiate buying incense sticks from Mysore, sandalwood, and Bangalore. So they are... Did you get those color proofs I sent you of Bhāgavata? Did you like? It's coming out quite nicely.
Prabhupāda: Not as good, not as good as foreign.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It's not as good as foreign? That is... But we are going to be printing the softbound book for seven rupees.
Prabhupāda: All right, we shall talk later on. Now let me...
Hari-śauri: Maybe somebody could take those flowers and put them in vases.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: All the pictures have a garland. Distribute it?
Prabhupāda: So you have come, it is good.
Pālikā: Would you like to take some fruit now?
Prabhupāda: I'll tell you. Not now.
Prabhupāda: Apply business brain, everything I'll have to tell you. You can... Anyone who has got business brain, he can earn any amount of money. That is the... These are all... Incense, Deity, and then mukuṭa, then tulasī-mālā, then karatālas, (indistinct), some pañcapātrā. In this way.
Harikeśa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? This man brought his friend. That room is not big enough for three. So they will have to take another room for two.
Prabhupāda: Friend?
Dhanañjaya: One friend has come with him.
Harikeśa: That same person from last night, the one wearing white?
Prabhupāda: Ah. So the three men cannot live there?
Harikeśa: No.
Prabhupāda: Why?
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: When we have got excess produce, either milk or grain or anything, we can sell that.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That we won't have, though. The kind of businesses we do are not kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam (BG 18.44). It's more or less businesses of incense business, jewelry business. We don't have extra milk products or grains, not very much.
Prabhupāda: So what is the harm if we do jewelry business?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Providing the men do not become contaminated, then there's no harm.
Prabhupāda: That is in his hand. Why he should be contaminated?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Shouldn't, but somehow our... You once said to me that "You Americans are already business-minded, so..."
Prabhupāda: Well, business-minded is not bad, but contamination is bad.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: If I chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and do business, what is the harm? Where is wrong?
Satsvarūpa: This is an article... This is not very new. I don't know where all these articles came from, but it's about our movement in Chicago. It says, "The path of Kṛṣṇa is like a sharpened razor. Whether selling incense or salvation, this band refuses to split hairs." "Uncompromising," it describes us.
Prabhupāda: That is Kali's sign. Lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. Five thousand years ago it was predicted, and now it is happening. Just see. This is śāstra. Lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. "Younger generation will think by keeping long hair they have become beautiful." It is mentioned in Bhāgavata. Dāmpatye ratim eva hi: "Marriage means sex life." As soon as there is disturbance in rati, it is divorce.
Satsvarūpa: This is two years old. "The deep roots of India's food plight."
Prabhupāda: That's not... New...
Acyutānanda: I think India has the whole world fooled, thinking that they have no food, so that they can get aid. Actually there is... Everywhere I go, there's more than enough food. Even if people don't give money, they give food. And the hippies come to India because they get food. There's so much food in India. Everyone will feed you, all the people.
Prabhupāda: Yes. We are feeding. We want to feed more.
Prabhupāda: Just see. This is our triumph.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "...for the most attractive booth. And a plaque was awarded to our representative, Śeṣa dāsa." He was called up in front of all of the gathering of librarians. They awarded him a plaque. "He had the booth arranged with a portable movie projector showing one of the ISKCON films. Incense was burning, Indian sweets were distributed, and all your books were displayed as well as tapes. So it was nice that such a big organization recognized Kṛṣṇa was all-attractive."
Prabhupāda: That's the kind of propaganda.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Four hundred booths competed, four hundred publishers.
Prabhupāda: And we became first.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We were first.
Prabhupāda: Just see. This is triumph.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually these others, when they try and sell their books, it's all nothing.
Prabhupāda: There is a proverb in Bengali, chuṅco mere hata gandha.(?) What is called that chuṅco? It is like a rat, but a mouth is... They are different class.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It says here that "The Moon people expect to discontinue street sales of candy and other items in three years, hoping to have become totally reliant upon businesses by then." See, we go out, and we distribute our books, and we use, you know, things like candy or incense as a...
Prabhupāda: Introduction.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...introduction. So we were imitated by all the other groups. But the only difference is that's all they have is the introduction. They don't come with the book at the end. All they do is sell candy and the incense to get money. So groups like the Moonies, they want to discontinue this. In place, they want to make big businesses just like the Christians have. And nobody will be on the street anymore.
Prabhupāda: Even gambling.
| Page Title: | Incense (Lect. and Conversations) |
| Compiler: | Mayapur, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 03 of Oct, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=5, Con=35, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 40 |