Life members (Conversations, 1976 - 1977)

Expressions researched:
"life member" |"life members" |"life membership"

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 2, 1976, Madras:

Prabhupāda: Yes. After coming back from foreign countries, he made his position here in Madras.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Beautiful building.

Acyutānanda: In Calcutta we have a life member, Veni Śaṅkara Sharma? You stayed at his house?

Prabhupāda: Hm, yes.

Morning Walk -- January 2, 1976, Madras:

Yaśodānandana: This vehicle is the vehicle in which we travel to all the different cities for making the life members and arranging all the programs in South India, this vehicle.

Prabhupāda: This is your own?

Yaśodānandana: We are renting.

Prabhupāda: When I was in South Africa...

Indian man (1): South Africa.

Prabhupāda: Yes, Johannesburg. This beach reminds me of that beach. You were with me?

Harikeśa: Yes.

Morning Walk -- January 8, 1976, Nellore:

Prabhupāda: (break) ...pure Vaiṣṇava. What is that?

Indian man (1): House of a life member.

Prabhupāda: Oh. (break) ...take to our principles, these things will be automatically be finished. Na ca daivāt paraṁ balam.

Morning Walk -- January 17, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Immediately.

Jayapatāka: He can supply two and half lakhs of bricks within one month.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Jayapatāka: We should give the... We have two life members there. I've done this before. Give the price for one lakh of bricks in advance and we get twenty rupees off. That way they'll give you the full supply. So in one month we can get all the bricks.

Prabhupāda: So why they want advance?

Morning Walk -- January 17, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is everywhere.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Wrongfully, you know. That man who is our life member from Madras who was in charge of Indian Express? Girirāja and I made him a member.

Madhudviṣa: Goenka?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Goenka. He was taking the money and they caught him. He's one of the trustees, and he was embe..., you know, embezzling the money, using it for individual business projects he had. The government caught him.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...from distant place.

Morning Walk -- February 26, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: No, no, he's reading. That is working. If he's... But he is sleeping, that is another thing. In the name of reading, sometimes we sleep. If that is not done, it is all right. He's reading. That's all right. But if he shows that "I am reading," but he's sleeping secretly, that is bad. To see that he's not sleeping, he's actually reading.

Indian devotee (4): He's life member also, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: :Hm? Anyway, if he's doing something, that's good.

Morning Walk -- March 19, 1976, Mayapura:

Haṁsadūta: When we were going around in London making life members, I noticed that in so many families, all the children are girls.

Prabhupāda: Yes. The whole world is full of girls, girl children. Why? There is no potency. Potency finished. Or impotent. And if you keep one boy brahmacārī, no sex life, and get him married, the first child must be a boy, must be, without any doubt.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I met one Christian in Florida. He once said that by hearing our philosophy he felt he became a life member.

Prabhupāda: What is the date? Twenty-third?

Hari-śauri: Twenty-third.

Guest (2): It's a good philosophy. I am really respect the Kṛṣṇa's for their discipline, because this is a great thing that people of the world need to learn, is to discipline your body, because we think that if you discipline your body, the spirit of God can dwell with you more.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

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

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?

Prabhupāda: Yes. There are many government men. Why not? Human psychology is the same. How many lines in...?

Room Conversation -- June 17, 1976, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: Some of the life members complained. I received several complaints. The other day I asked, "You collected some money for constructing temple, so where is that money?" So he gave explanation. So thirty, fifty thousand pounds were collected by him.

Prabhupada Inspects New BTG -- June 24, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: They have not replied even. (break) "Simple Living, High Thinking." "Then and Now: the Right to Distribute the American Dream." Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So instead of giving books to the members, they can read the books in the magazines. One magazine should be given free always to the members.

Kīrtanānanda: Life members.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Not books. "ISKCON-Ten Years of Spreading Kṛṣṇa Consciousness."

Morning Walk -- July 4, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: My concern here, staying here in Atlanta, there are many Bengali families, but they never come to the temple. There was our life member program, and so many prabhus are going to make life members, and these Bengalis, they don't even have some respect. That is why I was a little, seeing their moto(?) I was a little disappointed.

Prabhupāda: Because you will ask them not to eat meat, and that they cannot do. What are these? Crows?

Evening Darsana -- July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Vipina: I was talking to Dr. Diksha and I was explaining to him that if he was unable to chant or to become a full-time devotee, that your program for a person in that condition of life, was something like Life Membership Program, whereby he could become a member of the Society, maintain his occupational duty, but become a member and take books and read and try to understand gradually that way. Is that satisfactory, if they can do that much, that would be, some way they would be serving Kṛṣṇa to your satisfaction? (Prabhupāda laughs)

Prabhupāda: Yes, we are taking so much labor in writing books. If somebody reads, certainly that is satisfaction. (laughter)

Room Conversation -- July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: That doesn't matter. But he has got sympathy.

Devotee (2): Yes, he's very nice, sympathetic. But he didn't come to help us at all. And we approached him for life member, he said he would, but then he never did.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Slow... He'll come around.

Prabhupāda: The another medical man, he's also working?

Devotee (2): Medical man, he's very favorable. He comes every day to the temple.

Prabhupāda: So he's a devotee.

Room Conversation -- July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: In India we have been offered so many land. But we have no men (indistinct).

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I also got a letter from Manipur, that Life Member, Kulavida Singh, he was concerned that the young people are now giving up the religious thought, so he wanted to establish some sort of school...

Prabhupāda: That (indistinct) is made by Vivekananda, yato mata tato patha, (?) very bad.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yeah. So as soon as... They wanted to start an ISKCON branch, and he was a...

Prabhupāda: I think it will not be difficult. Manipur is...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: It will be very easy, because...

Prabhupāda: ...Vaiṣṇava. So if they understand, that will be very nice.

Room Conversation -- July 7, 1976, Baltimore:

Prabhupāda: Medical man?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: No, he's not medical man, but he has two or three Ph.D.'s in two, three different fields. In engineering, in chemistry and in pathology.

Vṛṣākapi: He's becoming a life member, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: That pathologist.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. He works in National Institute of Health in Washington, D.C. We was telling me he was from Haridwar from a very pious family, and he said his parents are Vaiṣṇavas, and he has been thinking since from his childhood about this problem about life, the origin of life and consciousness, and we talked a little bit about our concept of this origin of life, connecting from the Vedas and the scientific interrelationship. And he was very much impressed, and he told me that if he can be of any help, he's willing to...

Prabhupāda: You should call him, let us.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, he's coming this evening.

Prabhupāda: All right, very good.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: She's engaged in taking care of the life members, Indian life members who come, and the guest rooms.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's nice. She is expert. She's very expert. She can do nicely. During winter here it will be so cold you cannot stand even.

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

Hari-śauri: He's one of our life members also, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: She's your wife? Child? How many children you have got? How many children you have got?

Conversation at House of Ksirodakasayi dasa -- July 25, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: Your brother is also here?

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: Yes, he's here. And he was not very good terms last eight years with me. But when I established this temple, by your grace, Prabhupāda, he has also realized it now that this is good. And my difference with him was that "You should give up this nonsense of drinking this, all these things." That was only..., nothing else, about money or anything. I say, "I cannot eat at your place unless you give up these things." I go there, don't eat anything.

Prabhupāda: Still, he drinks.

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: Still he drinks. That is the fact. He doesn't eat meat, of course, but he says... He has got good business, plenty of money. I am poor materially, but my father, spiritual father, is so rich that I am getting money every day. Materially, I am poor, but I am so richer, you are giving so treasure... You see in our library there each and every of your book downstairs, and more we read, we say, well plenty money is... (break) ...from the temple. Life member comes there, sell the Gujarati magazine. I bought all magazines from Gujarati. Now second issue has not come. The same problem.

Prabhupāda: This is, have printed.

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

Prabhupāda: You like that preparation? Yes.

George Harrison: We used to have this with milk at Hrsikesa. Every day they'd leave outside of the door. It's good. Do you, Mukunda, break even with all the costs, running cost? Do you do okay with all this food, fruit and stuff?

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)

Room Conversation -- August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: That is another artificial agitation of the mind. It has, there is no practical benefit. Just see how many varieties of flowers, colorful. Can they make such colorful? "Yes, we're trying to overcome nature. Wait millions of years." And what about not? "Now you sleep." (laughter) These rascals are misleading other rascals. And they are, "Oh, a scientist!" Very misleading civilization. We shall appreciate in every flower the craftsmanship of Kṛṣṇa, how He has done nicely. Unnecessarily puffed up by so-called advancement of knowledge, misleading themselves and misleading others. Who is that old man comes? Some old man?

Bhagavān: He's a life member from Belgium.

Prabhupāda: Oh. He has come from Belgium? In the last German war, the first attempt of attack was on Belgium. And within few hours, Belgium finished, conquered.

Bhagavān: It's a very nice part of the day. It's warm, nice part of the day.

Prabhupāda: I think this part is better situated than New Vrindaban, eh? What do you think?

Arrival Conversation -- August 13, 1976, Bombay:

Indian boy: Yes. And we are a life member of ISKCON. You know Navayogendra dāsa of Nairobi? Now he is transferred in Mombassa.

Prabhupāda: Navayogendra, yes.

Indian boy: Yes, he came there between 1975 or 1974 and he made us the member. He's now in Mombassa.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā. So when you have come here?

Hari-śauri: When have you come here?

Indian boy: Here? We just came for a holiday trip.

Prabhupāda: Where you are staying?

Indian boy: In Malat.(?)

Prabhupāda: So come tomorrow at five.

Evening Darsana -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: The authorities will not allow. School authorities, if you say that you want whole Gītā, (?) they will not. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). This is Kali-yuga. All bad. And even one is interested, he is interested in something bogus. Sumanda-matayaḥ. They have manufactured a style of religious principle. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ. And all unfortunate.

Indian man: Yesterday I met one life member who belongs to a very reputed family in Bombay who has donated about fifteen acres of land to Swami Cinmayananda on the Vehar Lake side. Now he has become our patron member yesterday.

Prabhupāda: Behar Lake?

Indian man: Vehar Lake. I think we have gone to see that big temple nearby. So this family has got about thirty, forty acres of land on (indistinct) the side. Very beautiful site.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...that to know God there is no necessity of education.

Evening Darsana -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Still, six lakhs or six hundred. No, I say this is unique in the history. Now we have got... we are going to print, next our printing program... Bring it from Harikeśa. I am being surprised. Fifty thousand, one lakh, five hundred thousand each item.

Kartikeya Mahadevia: Each item. In Ahmedabad there is a very religious person who was not becoming life member at all. Without seeing the balance sheet and this and that. And I told him, "What do you mean by balance sheet? Only money matters? If ten thousand foreigners are being converted and they are following this religion and this culture, everything, is it not part of the balance sheet? Only rupees and paisas you want to see, then that's a different matter. Here the people are chanting every day sixteen rounds, they have left so many bad vices, they are propagating all over the world." Then he immediately signed up. He has gone to... He might have met you in New York. Chandrakanti Ravaiwala. He was to come on 8th July in New York. He has gone to America to see his son there.

Prabhupāda: In America, in New York, they have got a very...

Kartikeya Mahadevia: Very good temple. Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami wrote to me, my friend was also there. Mr. Patetas has met you I think.

Prabhupāda: It is twelve...

Kartikeya Mahadevia: Twelve stories.

Prabhupāda: In the middle of downtown.

Room Conversation -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Yaśomatīnandana: We are publishing monthly magazine every month now, one is coming out in a few days for Janmāṣṭamī. We have changed new house, very good house.

Prabhupāda: What is the rent?

Yaśomatīnandana: Land also...

Prabhupāda: No, no, rent.

Yaśomatīnandana: Rent is thousand rupees. One thousand rupees, plus tax for government.

Prabhupāda: Plus twelve hundred?

Yaśomatīnandana: No, plus two hundred tax. They are life members from Ahmedabad. They came to see Your Divine Grace.

Prabhupāda: Oh, thank you. So give them place to stay.

Press Interview at Muthilal Rao's House -- August 17, 1976, Hyderabad:

Host: With your permission I must thank with the permission of Swamiji, my friends, I welcome you to my humble house. Today, though you are all very, very busy, but you have made it a point to come and listen to Swamiji speak to you theory, lessons, and his belief and faith. It depends how we take it. Because I have faith in him, I have faith in his teachings, that is why, I being a politician, I being a member of Parliament and the legislative assembly, deputy minister and the ambassador, I have requested and begged of him to come to my humble house to spread his knowledge, which he is giving to the other parts of the world. Last time he visited in a very similar manner, we have got a small gathering here. So at that time I hope you will pardon me, I couldn't think of you all, thinking that, you know, the journalist friends are my good friends, and they are very knowledgeable friends, and that is why they can put so many questions. And by putting so many questions will get the answers by that we are enlightened. So that is why now it is the time for Swamiji to go for maṅgala-ārati. He has given me something. I am a student of Bhagavad-gītā. My guruji is there, he's doing pūjā. He has given me something when I met him, when I heard him, he has given me a gupta-dāna. That is dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ dīyate 'nupakāriṇe deśe kāle ca pātre ca tad dānaṁ sāttvikaṁ smṛtam. It is in the Seventeenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, it is as far as sukṛta is concerned. So that is why he has given me something that indirectly gupta-dāna. So I said always I should follow. Unfortunately, I could not meet him. Recently when I was..., till recently when I was an ambassador I was to go to Nairobi, I was in Somalia, but unfortunately things couldn't materialize. But now if at all I get an opportunity of going abroad I shall be visiting all the institutions, their organizations, their temples, because I am a member of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, life member. I have canvassed, some have become. Canvassed means I've just put a word. Some have become, I who requested, some of my friends who have not become, to become members of Kṛṣṇa conscious, permanent members, life members, like Mrs. Yamuna is here. Yamuna's husband, Raman Rao is here. And I would like you also to become, others also to become.

Prabhupāda: I was explaining, imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). If the big big politicians, head of the state, they understand, yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21), others will follow.

Room Conversation -- August 17, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: They cannot decide so soon. Janmāṣṭamī kare, another program is that we are going that side during (indistinct). So we have to see. You also send this.

Mahāṁśa: Yes, I have to take little time.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Please come in.

Indians: Jaya, Prabhupāda ki jaya.

Gurukṛpā: He's a life member from Bangalore. He was one of our first members in South India.

Prabhupāda: I saw you? Give them prasāda.

Room Conversation -- August 20, 1976, Hyderabad:

Mahāṁśa: Now he can come?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Mahāṁśa Swami is nicely doing (?).

Hari-śauri: He's very sincere.

Prabhupāda: And everyone likes him.

Hari-śauri: Yes. He's very popular with the life members.

Prabhupāda: He has no enemy. Nobody has complained against him.

Hari-śauri: He's very even-tempered.

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) Neither he has complained against anybody. He does not complain, and nobody complains against him. His mother was very much sorry. Now she is very happy.

Morning Walk -- August 23, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: These rascals, they have no education about this law of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). They're acting very independently. But ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (BG 3.27). Rascals, ahaṅkāra, vimūḍhātmā. They are rascals. They'll be punished. Just like a thief defies the laws of government, but they are punished.

Indian man: Today it's a matter of greatest coincidence. Yesterday got up early in the morning to go for a walk. I thought of Hare Rāma, Hare Kṛṣṇa, then I met you today. Of course, I have no, myself and my wife are life members. We come sometimes, but morning chanting for me rather, it didn't happen. Today it happened and I met you today.

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Passerby: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Jaya.

Indian man: I am one of your life members. (laughter) Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Harikeśa: I think they're everywhere. (laughter)

Indian man: This is Mr. Rajarao, advocate. I am also advocate You understand?

Indian man: Ramrao, T. Ramrao.

Indian man: I am the earliest life member.

Indian man: Extremely happy to have your darśana today.

Prabhupāda: About birth control. So birth control means the father and mother, the father and mother should not become father and mother unless they take full responsibility for the children to save them from the repetition of birth and death. This is the śāstric injunction. Pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. The, everyone is, in this material world, is going on in the cycle of birth and death. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Transmigrating from one body to another. And after many millions of years he gets the chance of becoming a human being.

Morning Walk -- August 23, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: What is called? Deluxe edition. The modern civilization is deluxe edition of animal life. That's all. Animal-deluxe edition. That's all. They do not know what is the aim of life. So as you are life member, you should study our, this philosophy. Life members, they are given books. And preach this, and save this human... That is the duty. Paropakāra. Human life is meant for paropakāra. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission.

Morning Walk -- August 23, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: But they have no brain how to solve this, although there is solution. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). So paropakāra. So as you have become our life member, try to broadcast the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā. That is the meaning of membership. Everything is there. We have got so many books. At least, thoroughly study Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Yes. Understand the philosophy of life. Apply in own life and try to spread among friends. In your bar library you talk so many things. Why not talk about this? Yes. (laughter) Paropakāra. That is paropakāra. Everyone is in darkness. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know the goal of life. Simply by some false hope they are accepting this material thing, material life, as everything. Durāśayā bahir-artha-māninaḥ. External energy. This is the problem. Making plans to solve. No plan will solve this problem.

Room Conversation -- September 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: What is your idea? (break)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: The CID is going to our life members and harassing them. They are scared of becoming our members now. Even in Chandigargh, Caitya-guru told me your books were on display in one life member's stores, he has two stores. And CID went to him and said, "Why are you displaying these books? What's your connection? Why're you helping Hare Kṛṣṇa?"

Prabhupāda: So selling books is illegal?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, but they are just suspecting, they're so suspicious.

Prabhupāda: What is that suspicious? We have got books. We are selling.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They, you know, because (indistinct). (Hindi)

Akṣayānanda: They just harass us. They don't do any action. They just keep bothering us.

Indian: Two CID inspectors came to my house. And they said they have got so many things in their basements. So I told, you have come without informing me, and I was not informed them. So please come to me one day and decide what is (indistinct). You come with me. I took and I showed...

Prabhupāda: Kya bola? (What did you say?)

Garden Conversation -- September 7, 1976, Vrndavana:

Devotee: They are saying the temple is still being made. "Point nine. Blitz: Their major center seems to be in Orissa, the land of princes and paupers. They have built a center close to an atomic energy commission complex. ISKCON: How foolish. Our major center is not in Orissa, but in Śrīdhāma Māyāpura in West Bengal. Māyāpura is the birthplace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, an incarnation of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. We are coming in Lord Caitanya's disciplic succession and therefore we want to develop Māyāpura and make this an international center. In Orissa, we do have two devotees living in three huts in Bhuvaneśvara. They are living on a piece of land that was donated by one of our life members from Calcutta. If at all it is near the Atomic Energy Commission, it is only by coincidence."

Prabhupāda: It was donated by the late governor and Central Minister. Nityananda Kananda. (?)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He donated it. Okay, I'll write down his name them. "Gaura-Govinda Swami, a 45 year old retired teacher from Orissa is in charge of our Bhuvaneśvara center." So they'll know. "Point ten..."

Prabhupāda: So that land was donated by a prominent man. Nityananda Kananda (?) was central government minister and later on governor of Gujarat. And he often comes to see me in Calcutta.

Room Conversation on New York court case -- November 2, 1976, Vrindaban:

Haṁsadūta: Prabhupāda, when this, when we had a similar situation in Germany, what we wanted to do is have all our centers in important cities in foreign countries all over the world make a letter and a delegation to visit the United States embassy in all these places. This will have an effect because if it's brought, if it comes in this way, international reaction...

Prabhupāda: Yes, arrange like this.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We can understand, Rāmeśvara suggested we send a big petition of telegrams to the American consulate. Because then American consulate will transmit these telegrams to the state department in Washington. We said that if our... We would pay for it but our life members will all sign if we send a telegram to the American...

Prabhupāda: Hm, Dr. Saligram taken a leading part?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Who?

Hari-śauri: Dr. Saligram Sukla.

Prabhupāda: Saligram Sukla.

Room Conversation -- November 4, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: She is expert in typing. Amongst the women, she is expert typist. She is expert in so many things. Only defect is that she is woman. But Kṛṣṇa says, striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyaḥ: "Never mind woman. If she is devotee, she also comes to Me." Striyaḥ śūdrās tathā, "no one barred." Especially naming, striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśya te 'pi yānti parām. Everyone is to be.... Kṛṣṇa is so kind. There is no restriction. Everyone is open to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Jīvera 'svarūpa' haya-nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). This is open to all living entities. There is no restriction. And so long this body is there, material, there is distinction between this and that. Otherwise, when you come to the platform of spiritual understanding, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18), then there is no restriction. Higher, lower, this, that, so many. Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). So any newspaper propaganda against us? No. One complaint is standing, that with our life members and others, subscriber, they always complain they are not getting paper, they are not getting book. That is the general complaint.

Morning Walk -- November 17, 1976, Vrndavana:

Akṣayānanda: But all the people who are Sai Baba followers, they all do have some activity in the mode of ignorance. They eat meat or onions. By their symptoms, we can see that they're in the mode of ignorance.

Caraṇāravindam: ...at Meerut by Mr. Brijmohan Gad. He has come. He's in our guesthouse now. Actually he just came here this morning. We stayed in his house. That's was also a good... That is a good town also. Altogether we made fifteen life members in about two weeks. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...bring Hindi books.

Caraṇāravindam: Yes, we need Hindi books. I met one man in Meerut, Hindi...

Prabhupāda: Our Bhagavad-gītā?

Caraṇāravindam: Yes. And he is the brother of, he said, I think the nephew of Kṣīrodakaśāyī dāsa Adhikārī in London. His name is Mr. K.M. Gupta. I think he has taken initiation from you.

Prabhupāda: I don't think. K.M. Gupta has given. Kṣīrodakaśāyī is my...

Caraṇāravindam: Kṣīrodakaśāyī dāsa Adhikārī.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Press Conference -- December 16, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Many Iranians, they have become our devotees. We have got a temple in Tehran.

Devotee: In Hyderabad there is Muslim. He is a life member.

Prabhupāda: No, that, life member... God consciousness... Who will deny God? It is a science. So we are teaching the science, not the bigotry, "my God, your God." God is one. Gold is gold. Gold does not become Hindu gold, Muslim gold, or Christian gold. Anywhere gold is available, it is gold. That is our definition. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. That is highest, topmost type of religion, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, where one can learn how to love God, that's all. That is wanted. We are teaching that. There is no question of "this God, that God." God is one. You just practice how to love Him. Then your religion is first-class.

Room Conversation with Indian Man -- December 22, 1976, Poona:

Life Member: When I come here for one day, I wish to stay here for three days, five days, seven days, I mean, always extend it for awhile. It is never on the set day. Whenever I come for a day, I stay two days. If I come for three days I stay about five days. (break)

Prabhupāda: Dāl can be replaced with boiled potato.

Life Member: Boiled potatoes, yes, they are made. That is puri or paraṭā? Paraṭā is better. Ālu paraṭā.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Make Punjabi paraṭā.

Life Member: You will like that.

Prabhupāda: All right. And another thing, and sabji, dry potato with hing. What vegetables other? There is cauliflower. There is no eggplant? Beguna? I require little.

Morning Walk -- December 25, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Just see how foolish. The CIA, American CIA, they will pay us, (laughter) and these boys, CIA boys, will come and dance with me. (laughter) Just understand how these Indians have become rascals. They have no common sense.

Guest (1): Perverts I would say. Perverts.

Prabhupāda: And that is being supported, "Oh, they are CIA."

Guest (1): So I talked at great length with Girirāja, and I cross-examined him thoroughly with all these Indians who would be thinking about this Hare Kṛṣṇa because when I said that I have become a life member of yours, then he also might have been bit surprised, but mainly I wanted to impress upon my children—they're young boys—that "It's all right. You also go there."

Prabhupāda: Once spoiled, it is very difficult.

Guest (1): Very difficult.

Prabhupāda: To reform.

Guest (1): Then minds are spoiled; that is true. Their minds are, all Indian youth completely.

Prabhupāda: But you have spoiled them. You have given this impression that "This 'religion, religion, religion' has spoiled our country. Now throw it, all these books, in the water." The leaders say that. "Take to technology." They come to me. They challenge, "Swamiji, what this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement will do? Now we require technology." This is ignorance.

Morning Walk -- December 30, 1976, Bombay:

Devotee: Yes, he was quoting that śloka, I remember from First Canto, Part One. That one our life members... They were all the... All the big people, they goes there. So he told me when he came, he took a Bhāgavatam. He said that today Ranganath had your book. I said that they had bought two books from me. He opened that like this. Then he saw the cover of our book so he was quoting śloka from that and he was reading the purport and giving speech on that, because there is no such edition in English on Bhāgavatam except yours. So that I was very much pleased actually when I heard that.

Prabhupāda: In the beginning also they purchased. When I published three copies in Delhi they purchased because such translation is not there. So, that is all.

Room Conversation -- December 31, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Preach as much as possible. By saṅkīrtana, big saṅkīrtana. Big saṅkīrtana is book distribution and small saṅkīrtana is with mṛdaṅga. Big saṅkīrtana is going on all over the world. Small saṅkīrtana locally. Overflood the demons' Godless civilization. Our declaration of war against this Godless civilization.

Girirāja: I met a very, very nice boy yesterday. His father is a life member, but he's studying in Boston at MIT.

Prabhupāda: Oh, technology.

Girirāja: Very superexcellent student. But he was so submissive and inquisitive that he could really... And because he lives there...

Prabhupāda: He qualified? No.

Girirāja: He's finishing his Ph.D.

Prabhupāda: Oh. So he's very qualified.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Evening Darsana -- January 7, 1977, Bombay:

D. D. Desai: Yes, sir, Hare Kṛṣṇa program. They had a program, kīrtana. Then we enrolled as life member. I think that was about four years back. Swamiji from our Badranath, who is around this... Vina(?) Swami. He was there. He was saying that "Our people have forgotten our, this culture and this heritage, but people..."

Prabhupāda: Everyone says. It is purely Indian culture, and I am not getting any help from the government although they have got cultural department. Some dancing party will go; they'll pay. That is culture. And cultural knowledge is religion. This is the position. (Hindi) Real culture is neglected. And some dancing party in the name of culture will draw money and go.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So you are living there or what?

Guest (2): They were staying here. They could not get subsequent accommodations. We have shifted to some hotel here, near Juhu.

Prabhupāda: Hotel? There is no sufficient place here?

Devotee: He was here, but there were many many life members.

Guest (2): Many life members were here, and so there was not accommodation. So they were told or they voluntarily shifted to the hotel. Because many life members came from abroad here on Christmas, and all that. So therefore the accommodation was not there, so some shifted in Juhu. Some hotel. They come here every day.

Prabhupāda: No... Your woman you can live together.

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

Prabhupāda: Our visitors, they have got facility to come?

Gurudāsa: Yes. We have Life Member tents, and some visitors have been coming. I have been receiving them. So we have... There's one thing I wanted to ask you. A lot of youths are coming, Western youths, some hippies, but mostly clean. Some hippies. But there are two hippies, and I saw what they were like, and I didn't allow them to stay. But mostly our camp is... Until the devotees come, there are some tents that are empty. So they said, "We need a place to stay. Is it all right?" So I said, "Tonight you can stay. Then I'll let you know later on." And we preached to them. We have a morning program there, and we have an evening program. So they attended. So I thought with your permission I could erect some tents, not in our living area... The chokidhars I put outside, right on the gate, because I didn't think they should live in our area, but they should be there, so the chokidhars have a tent. I thought behind the pandal I could erect some tents, or even behind our tin where people wouldn't see them so much, we could invite some guests, charge them something for living and preach to them.

Prabhupāda: Hm. But they smoke.

Gurudāsa: Yes, some will.

Prabhupāda: That is bad.

Gurudāsa: So, I mean it's up to... I'm asking what you think.

Prabhupāda: They will drink; they will smoke; they will not take bath. These are the defects. These people are unclean.

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

Hari-śauri: For something.

Gurudāsa: There's one man who paid for a tent, life member. And Gargamuni Mahārāja gave me ten thousand rupees for food relief yesterday. Now...

Prabhupāda: Oh. Then that... I was... He got ten thousand rupees.

Gurudāsa: He gave it to me yesterday. I have it right here.

Prabhupāda: What about Saurabha?

Devotee (1): He called last night from Delhi.

Prabhupāda: Oh. He's there in Delhi?

Devotee (1): Yes. He just came back yesterday. He'll be coming here soon.

Gurudāsa: Now, previously the budget... I figured it out with the ones who are cooking. You wanted puris and halavā and subji, something like that. But we didn't have enough before. So I was going to make puṣpanna. Is that all right? Or would you rather... Now, with the ten thousand rupees...

Prabhupāda: Puṣpanna for visitors also? No, they will have objection to take anna. They'll take puri, śāk, halavā.

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

Gurudāsa: There's no... Your health must be pakkā. So we have separate kitchen for you, separate kitchen for life members. Gargamuni Mahārāja is sending his Shantilal, his cook.

Prabhupāda: Cooking is being done with wood? That's nice. That is very good.

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Rāmeśvara: Pūjārīs, cooks, collectors, life members. You need at least fifty devotees. So it's going to take a little while to get...

Prabhupāda: Big temple means at least fifty men.

Hari-śauri: Yes.

Gargamuni: But I know there'll be no problem getting people there. It's real nice.

Rāmeśvara: The thing is if we start off, gradually, as the construction is going on, if there's a group of people that are working there, maybe some local people will join us too.

Gargamuni: Oh, yes. We'll get local men to join.

Rāmeśvara: So who will make that their...? That's the real question. Who will sit there?

Gargamuni: I'll stay. I'll stay. Important project.

Prabhupāda: Coconut tree can grow.

Room Conversation -- January 28, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: That is bogus. Not only he, there are many. They'll simply repeat that. There are many. They come... Many devotees, our life members, big, big men, they come: "Swamiji, I experienced like this. Some man came. Some boy came." Means real purpose is that he wants to prove that he is already connected with higher planetary system. I have got many experiences. They say like that.

Pṛthu-putra: Yes. I have met also life members saying things like this recently here.

Prabhupāda: So simply hear them. That's all. One big barrister, he was my friend. He is dead, M. C. Chatterji. He's a very big barrister. He used to charge sixteen thousand rupees for one appearance. So he was stating about when..., that he came to Vṛndāvana, and he met one boy, and "He asked me some sweets, I gave him sweet. Later on, when I was coming back to Delhi, I saw that boy was running on the train." He said. Such a big barrister, he said like that.

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Satsvarūpa: Yes. (break) Mainly it's about the girls who are over ten. They were in Vṛndāvana and discussed this with Jagadīśa, but they couldn't settle up, so they wanted to know what you think. Their idea is that... As of now, there is no plan for a school for the girls over ten, but just that they should return to their parents and not get any more schooling. But they're thinking that there should be, and one reason is that you said in France that the girls could learn these sixty-four arts. So they were thinking that there should be a school for girls over ten, and that it should be situated in India. One reason is that in India our teachers can take help from Indian Life Member ladies who know these arts. Our Western devotees don't know them, the cooking and painting and things like this, but the Indian women do. And also they were saying that this age is very delicate for the girls. They're starting to be attracted to boys, and India is better than being in the West where the material attraction is very strong for the girls as well as the boys. So they're wondering whether this principle is good, that there be a school for girls over ten in India. Right now there are only twelve such girls in the movement, a dozen girls that age, just a little over ten years old. They thought that they should have just one teacher for every three girls so they'd be closely supervised.

Prabhupāda: Every three girls?

Satsvarūpa: Should have one teacher, not just one teacher for all of them.

Prabhupāda: At least ten students one teacher.

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: He was very impressed. He can become life member. Very, very nice man. Very old. And he said his children are in United States and he has everything he has. He's very rich also.

Prabhupāda: Why don't you ask him to come? He's rich. Ask him to come, live with us in Māyāpura, and rest of the life let him become happy. Why he's after money?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: His aim is to make as many bridges as possible. He's thinks that's some sort of philanthropic work.

Prabhupāda: This is māyā. This is māyā. What he can do? He will die. This is called māyā. Therefore our system is because you are rascal, do all rascaldom up to fiftieth year. Then give it up. All kinds of rascaldom you can continue. Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. Then you retire from all this rascal work.

Room Conversation -- February 16, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Hm. Not to mix with ordinary men, aratir jana, general public. Just like this, our place—only devotion. This is vivikta, aloof from this world. We have no other business except Kṛṣṇa consc..., bhakti. And aratir jana-saṁsadi, no, mean, association with ordinary person, no association. We can go and talk of some..., for our own benefit or Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise we have no business with them. Noncooperation. We go to the public for preaching, not to associate with them. To give them association, so they may be benefited. Either he may be prime minister or this or that, we have no business with them. But for our purpose we go. Big, big karmīs, life member. So we have no personal concern, but for their benefit we go there. Their hard-earned money, if something is spent for this purpose, he'll be benefited. This is our... Otherwise we have no business with them. Aratir jana-saṁsadi. Then?

Morning Room Conversation -- February 16, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: People come to see even what is going on now.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Many big people come to see. When I was there a very big life member came with his wife. Girirāja is constantly giving tours of the construction, showing, "This will be like this; this will be like this." People are very impressed. There is no such place in all of Bombay.

Prabhupāda: No, no, no.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In all of India there's no such place.

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And they recognize it. Especially the fact that it is so...

Prabhupāda: This is Saurabha's credit. He has designed.

Morning Room Conversation -- February 16, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: If you can develop all this, you don't require separate. But if the government donates the land or give us acquiring, then we can do something. That life member, big life member, came to see?

Room Conversation about BTG the Moon -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Dhṛṣṭadyumna Mahārāja is taking up also working with the Indian communities around the country. He's finding great receptivity. In many of the cities the Indian community is willing to purchase buildings. Dhṛṣṭadyumna is going to cities where we don't have temples yet. But there's still big cities, and the Indian communities there are very eager.

Prabhupāda: Eager?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, very eager, yes. (break) ...Cincinnati, immediately this man he met, he immediately he got five hundred of them enrolled as members, life members.

Prabhupāda: Who?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This one gentleman in Cincinnati. And there are many prominent Indians around the country.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Many of them, yes.

Prabhupāda: Well-to-do also. They are well-to-do.

Room Conversation about BTG the Moon -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Dhṛṣṭadyumna Mahārāja has organized the life membership program to send the Indian members milk sweets in the mail every week from the farm. Burfi, sandeśa.

Prabhupāda: They also like. And in America, the Indians are there, they are all educated. They're not low-class men.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They read your books carefully.

Prabhupāda: This... There are some statements. Just like molten iron, a man can break for illicit sex. What is their objection?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well they think it's superstition. They think it is simply some stories.

Hari-śauri: Some fantastic...

Prabhupāda: Story means it is story for you. Do you know the details of the whole universe, where, what is what? Can you do? You go and say there is no moonshine, but this rascal conclusion will be taken. Why there should be shine? From the sand such brilliant moonshine is coming? We have to believe that? So many books have said (indistinct) brilliant. Sun is brilliant.

Room Conversation -- February 19, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: They are cooking very nice in Fiji.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All of these life members, they have the best cooks in India. They are accustomed to very high class food, Marwaris.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Hari-śauri: That cooking we had when we went to Bhogilal's in Hyderabad...

Prabhupāda: Very nice.

Room Conversations -- February 20, 1977, Mayapura:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, yes. They're much more friendly than monkeys in Vṛndāvana. (laughing) I have seen that many, very healthy. There's some sort of welcome people coming. There are many. That place is some sort of a central place of Imphala. It's a very..., spiritually, a very conducive area. Many kinds of birds, and it's very natural surroundings. So I went with two of our life members, and they are thinking that maybe we can approach the government so that we can get the land from Manipur government, and then we can construct a temple.

Prabhupāda: That's good idea. Yes. So now organize things. My presence or no presence, we have got now a position. We have to push on this movement very cautiously.

Evening Darsana -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: No. Side by side, you can go on. Kṛṣṇa is eternal. His business is also eternal. It will never finish.

Pañcadraviḍa: This standing orders to individuals, is that something like life membership program?

Prabhupāda: Yes. There are so many educated, enlightened men. They will take.

Evening Darsana -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Generally speaking, in India people are willing to become our life members.

Prabhupāda: Let them become life members.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. What would be... I don't see the advantage of this program, because life membership, you get more money.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Lokanātha: But they don't get the books.

Prabhupāda: So either become a life member or customer.

Evening Darsana -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:

Rāmeśvara: In America and in England they are making life members, but very rarely does someone give the whole fee at once. They have already...

Prabhupāda: Doesn't matter.

Rāmeśvara: They make time payments every month to become life members in America and England.

Prabhupāda: Yes, this is a very good.

Evening Darsana -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: No... So actually, even if we give them free, there is no life membership(?) Let them read it. But if you give free, they will not read.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh. Yes. They'll take it cheaply.

Prabhupāda: At least, educated Indians can be approached.

Ghanaśyāma: Śrīla Prabhupāda, since the life member program is going on here and England and places like that, maybe it's better to start this individualized standing order program in places where there is not so much of a life member program, as we'll be in some cases asking the same people.

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

Hṛdayānanda: It was stated that most of the time he is not in Calcutta, and that the main purpose of Calcutta is to make life members, but this year he has not made a single life member.

Gargamuni: He's generally engaged in export of the cloth of Māyāpura and business work, which actually he's more suitable for, whereas Śatadhanya...

Prabhupāda: So you have all agreed?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. If you have agreed, I have no objection

Room Conversation with GBC members -- March 2-3, 1977, Mayapura:

Satsvarūpa: The GBC will encourage serious devotees in their zone to go to India and will allow those to go who actually want to go. Resolved: Gṛhasthas not be discouraged to work at jobs or develop their own business with their own means.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Satsvarūpa: All temples will be encouraged by the GBC to undertake vigorous life membership programs with the Indians. In America this program should be standardized in all respects, using the present forms developed in New York and New Vrindaban. The program in USA will be overlooked by Ādi-keśava Mahārāja.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Room Conversation with GBC members -- March 2-3, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: This is to give them chance. They are chanting. Some way or other, keep them alive.

Satsvarūpa: Resolution: An international life membership committee is formed headed by Brahmānanda Swami and Jayatīrtha, Gopāla Kṛṣṇa, and Ādi-keśava Swami. Each GBC man is responsible to try to recover devotees, blooped devotees, in his zone. That means fallen devotees. Say, if Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa has left, then wherever he is living in the world, that GBC man of that area should try to contact him, or Madhudviṣa, like that. They're responsible for them, trying to recover them. Resolved: A committee to be formed to discuss the improvements in the Māyāpura festival and set programs. Advisory committee of Jayapatākā Swami, Rāmeśvara Mahārāja, Bhavānanda Swami, Gopāla Kṛṣṇa, Mahendra and Balavanta. This is an advisory committee which will plan for an action committee.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Can you repeat who they are?

Satsvarūpa: Jayapatākā Swami, Rāmeśvara Swami, Bhavānanda Swami, Gopāla Kṛṣṇa, Mahendra and Balavanta.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is this for the festival? Could I be added to them? Is that all right, Śrīla Prabhupāda? I'd like to be added to that committee to help with the festival if that's all right with the GBC.

Gurukṛpā: Sure.

Satsvarūpa: Next year at the Māyāpura festival, separate but equal facilities will be arranged for the women. It was felt that they weren't equal this year, that perhaps next year the new building could be divided in half, that they could have the same type of facility but kept separate.

Prabhupāda: That's nice. Now we have got enough place.

Room Conversation -- March 24, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Now this Janata party headed by Morarji may take to this Indian culture, that will be the...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We were thinking, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that after a short time we should have a committee approach Mr. Desai, some of our devotees and prominent life members, for getting citizenship for at least fifty to a hundred of our men. He would be favorable.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- March 26, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. You once told us in Delhi that if we could arrange to continue it throughout the year, that would be good.

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

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

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

Room Conversation -- March 26, 1977, Bombay:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: He didn't say much, but Dr. Sharma, he was discussing, and he was telling that he will definitely make an arrangement in Bombay Hospital for us to speak. But he was very impressed. And some life members came later on when the greeting of the pandal was finished. And some engineers also. They want to discuss something today also.

Prabhupāda: Recruit them. And speak in such societies. We have now our prestige and preaching. It will be very nice honor everywhere. So Kṛṣṇa has given you some talent. Utilize it. These rascals are misleading. Although the instruction is there, they are misinterpreting in their own way, misleading themselves and misleading others. They say the name of God. They do not know what is God, although God is explaining Himself. Such a rascal. God is explaining, "Here, I'm God." He is accepted, and they do not... When you ask them what is God: "That we do not know. Our God is (indistinct)." Such things are there. So they have to be convinced that these half-educated leaders cannot make you happy. It is not possible. They do not know the basic principle of life. Take guidance from Kṛṣṇa. That is our movement. You'll be happy. And don't be carried away by the whims. This is an important chance, human life. These motorcars are running, they are running just like the flies come, phut phut phut phut. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, Eleventh Chapter. Blind. Expedite death, that's all. There is no solution. The solution is here, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So recruit first of all. Just like these doctor friends. First of all get some friends.

Room Conversation -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Guest (1): He had done translation of Suśruta-saṁhitā from Sanskrit to English in six volumes, and he has established one Ayurvedic college and other things in Jahmnedabad about thirty years ago. He is a very personal friend of our life member Sanat Bhatai or (indistinct), who are expert in income tax. They are handling our income tax matters. He's a senior partner, about eighty-four years old. So I talked to him today, and he has thought whether you would like to take his advantage of the knowledge of the...

Prabhupāda: Yes, I can take advantage, but no medicine.

Room Conversation -- April 13, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Now you have to do so many things. (laughs) Yes. Another burden. You have to do all these things. So how your preaching?

Girirāja: Very good. Haridāsa had gone to Poona, and in two days he made four life members, and he was getting a chance to meet some big people, so he asked me to come. It was very nice. I met one young man, about thirty years old. He's one of the nicest men I've met in a long time. He really agreed with everything we were saying, and he's...

Prabhupāda: Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ (SB 2.3.19).

Girirāja: Well, he agreed that the modern civilization is a failure and that people are not happy, that people were more happy before.

Prabhupāda: It is a dangerous civilization. You... You should... (pause) Dangerous civilization that labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte. After many, many millions of years one gets the chance of becoming a human being, especially civilized and especially in India. They will bring the same.

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

Prabhupāda: Those who are married society. These boys are begetting mostly girl, because they have lost their potency.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I know most of our life members, because they're a little bit regulated, mostly sons-three sons, one daughter; four sons, one daughter. It's very common.

Prabhupāda: Yes. If not equal quality...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: At least...

Prabhupāda: So we have to touch all these. Then poverty... And "Drive away poverty. Give them more money." More money means cheating. You are employing; I am employed. Begins from government. More money and printing, they are coming. If I have got power to print paper and distribute it as money, you are dissatisfied, getting hundred rupees, you want two hundred, so what is to me? I print and give you. This is artificial inflation.

Talk with Svarupa Damodara -- April 18, 1977, Bombay:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: And the Chief Minister, the Chief Minister, they heard that I have brought this machine from... So they came personally and wanted to see. Especially his wife. His wife came. The Chief Minister's wife came, and she heard that I have brought this machine, so they wanted to see the Hare Kṛṣṇa movie. So I had to make two shows that night, one in the village, one in the Chief Minister's house. And a life member, he took special interest in showing these things. So I told him, "When I come back I bring one Fairchild from Manipur and all the movies, so that you can go..."

Prabhupāda: Your Manipur is being intimately connected with our movement.

Talk with Svarupa Damodara -- April 18, 1977, Bombay:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So in any case, I made a first application for September, and I'm going to request our life member in Manipur along with the Chief Minister and the Members of Parliament to try their best so that we get a permit.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How many people did you apply for?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Fifteen.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Fifteen. For September. What part of the month?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Second week, around second week.

Prabhupāda: Due to this rain, they'll have good food... (break)

Morning Conversation -- April 30, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So where his place has been fixed up?

Surabhīr Abhipālayantam: He can stay in one of the life membership rooms because he's alone. He doesn't have wife and that.

Prabhupāda: It doesn't matter.

Surabhīr Abhipālayantam: No, he is...

Prabhupāda: Give him nice, comfortable room.

Surabhīr Abhipālayantam: Nice room. That we have arranged. And these people from Germany, they will stay two days in Bombay.

Prabhupāda: No, anyone, newcomer, give him very nice place, nice food. Food and shelter is the first consideration.

Conversation with Bhakti-caitanya Swami-New GBC -- June 30, 1977, Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: There is a special name of that place. Everyone, every poor man or rich man, must use quantity of spice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I was surprised. In Bombay this one life member, very wealthy man... I thought, "Oh, this man must have many businesses." And I found that he only had one business. He simply exports cardamom. And he's a very wealthy man, and he simply exports little cardamom seeds, but such quantities, and it fetches a very good price abroad.

Prabhupāda: Yes, there are many merchants. They deal in quantity and stock huge. Nobody can compete with him.

Room Conversation -- July 27-28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We are going to sell it for sixteen rupees or twenty rupees. Actually our life members love these books.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I was in Calcutta. Adri-dhāraṇa Prabhu told me that the Marwaris love it, even in Bombay.

Prabhupāda: Yes, the ladies can read at home.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Also, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the cover for First Canto, Part Three, is already printed. I'm going to take 1.3 now, but we've already printed the cover. This is 1.3.

Prabhupāda: This I want. Books are coming.

Room Conversation -- July 27-28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: I think the Diwali greeting card dealers also will accept.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, but we are keeping it... Śrīla Prabhupāda, I studied the whole market. It is to our advantage to restrict the sale, because when we deal with dealers or distributors we have to sell them at half the price and allow them to keep their profit. But we want to make this exclusive for life members. Otherwise, if anyone can buy it in a market, it's not such a great prestige.

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. You keep...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So this we are showing, as if we are doing the life members a favor. These are just some advanced samples that are printed just to get orders. And plus, anyone who orders more than hundred cards, we will print their name and message inside. And plus, there's a mahā-mantra on the back of every... Hundred cards is the minimum order.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: A hundred's nothing. They'll all do that.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So both consulting, you can see.

Room Conversation -- July 27-28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. There is no need of... City does not need temple. If there is a good temple fifteen miles, that is...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. And then we can sell cottages to big life members. They can make cottages...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa:...in our land and come there for the weekend.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They will pay for that.

Yaśomatīnandana: Two, three members already told me.

Prabhupāda: Three, four rooms, one cottage. They will come and live comfortably.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It's very beautiful land, all green, all hundred acres cultivable.

Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa has given this facility.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That I thought can be the best project. And it's not far from the city.

Prabhupāda: It is not at all. It is within city. Eight miles is within. If you go to see some friend, you have to go eight miles.

Room Conversation -- August 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes. So kindly finish it. Take money and squander and finish it at a time.

Surabhī: Śrīla Prabhupāda? When I was in Jaipur I inquired from some people regarding your health, because I met Yaśodānandana Swami in Delhi, and he told me that you wanted to know from an astrologer about the situation. So I went to one man who was previously the advisor of the Mahārāja of Mansingh of Jaipur. One life member brought me to him. So I inquired.

Prabhupāda: What he is?

Surabhī: He's a paṇḍita. He uses numerology.

Prabhupāda: Hm? Numerology?

Surabhī: Numerology. By numbers. So he takes the name and then he... So he said... You want to know what he said? He told me that your disease is going to last altogether about two and a half years, two years and five months, of which eight months have passed.

Prabhupāda: Still I shall live?

Surabhī: He said that these three months now are most critical, but then, after three months, things will go better, but there will be ups and downs for about one and a half more years. Then he said after that it will be quite all right.

Prabhupāda: Three months?

Surabhī: It will be very...

Prabhupāda: Difficult.

Room Conversations Bangladesh Preaching/Prabhavisnu Articles by Hamsaduta -- August 11, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So maintain the branch by local devotee.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says, "Shree Lanka is definitely a first-class field for preaching, and we are being accepted by Sindhis, Gujaratis, Tamils, and Singhalese, Christians and Buddhists alike. All kinds of people are becoming attracted to the movement. It is very encouraging. Only the government policies are a nuisance. We now have twenty-five life members." Why can't he just go out and get a visa and go back in there? Just like we go out and come right back, why can't he come to..., get a visa and then go right back in?

Gargamuni: He can do it in two days.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If he can do that, is that best?

Prabhupāda: That would be very nice. Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. Because if he leaves now, whatever he's done will be lost. Those new men are not ready yet to do on their own.

Prabhupāda: He can come and go.

Room Conversation -- October 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Girirāja made one life member aboard the train, a very nice gentleman living on Marine Drive, quite wealthy. He says he never takes the train, only flies. But he went to the airport at four o'clock, and the airport said, "We have no flights. All flights cancelled." They didn't even give the courtesy to call up the people to tell them the flight was cancelled, although they had the telephone numbers of the ticket purchasers. So the man had to take the train.

Prabhupāda: The strike instrument invented by modern civilization, so dangerous.

Room Conversation -- October 9, 1977, Vrndavana:

Girirāja: The bank? Well, yesterday we delivered a letter signed by Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami and myself officially instructing them to transfer the fixed deposits from here to Delhi. So there are a couple of formalities. And so the Delhi manager gave us a note what we have to do. And Tejiyas says that the former chairman of the Punjab Bank is a life member.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Room Conversation -- October 9, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That's good.

Girirāja: He will come with me and then we'll meet the former chairman, who is also a life member, and he can come with us and just see it through very safely.

Prabhupāda: Don't try to receive payment.

Room Conversation -- October 10, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How many tables are set up each day?

Śaktimātā:(?): Usually about one or two in different places. As far as life members, it used to be we had to go fight and make life members. Now they come to the temple and they pay their baise o baise(?) rupee and they say, "I want to be a member."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bengali people also?

Śaktimātā: Bengalis also. Mostly still Marwadi.

Prabhupāda: Bengalis have no money. (laughter)

Room Conversation With Svarupa Damodara -- October 15, 1977, Vrndavana:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I think about forty. Forty people. Today it will come more. Then Dr. Khorana is coming tomorrow. He's a medical doctor. He's bringing several of his friends. He's also our life member.

Abhirāma: His son is a devotee. Śrīla Prabhupāda knows him, Navīna Kṛṣṇa.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Navīna Kṛṣṇa. He's in Detroit. After the conference, I'm going to have a debate in Delhi, round-table conference with Dr. Kotari, D. S. Kotari and his group.

Prabhupāda: That will be very nice.

Room Conversation -- October 15, 1977, Vrndavana:

Jayapatākā: The president of the Bhadrak temple that Lokanātha Swami got donated from the Gauḍīya Maṭha to ISKCON, he has been collecting life members, hoping that he can build and improve a little bit on it. He was hoping to get the same facility of Bhuvaneśvara, of matching fifty-fifty. He's collecting everything locally in Orissa.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? We got a telegram from Nṛsiṁha-Caitanya. You know, he's the boy who does library distribution? Should I read it to you?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- October 18, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, we had never made a copy. So I think the easiest thing would be to give Jayapatākā Mahārāja a letter of authority. He'll get the agreement, and even right in the bank or else at the temple in Calcutta he can make a copy and send us a copy and redeposit the original with the bank. And that's one point. Then another point is that the land on which the building was erected doesn't actually belong to Mr. Patodiya. It belonged to a Bengali gentleman, and in fact it's not owned by Mr. Patodiya. It's leased for ninety-nine years, of which eighty-five years still remain. So this conveyance more or less... It appears that every guarantee is only given for the duration of that lease—another eighty-five years. So the obvious question is what happens after that eighty-five years? Of course, a lawyer, a solicitor, can tell us this very easily, but I'm thinking that it might be helpful that when Jayapatākā is sending us the copy of the sale agreement he may also get a copy for Mr. Patodiya of that lease agreement which Mr. Patodiya has with the Bengali gentleman, so that we can see what the position is after eighty-five years. Girirāja and I were studying it pretty closely. So what we're going to probably do is we'll give the copy of the conveyance draft to one of our life member lawyers, friends in Delhi, and in the meantime, while he's looking at it, we'll get the necessary documents from Calcutta. Then we'll settle it up. Not difficult.

Prabhupāda: There are other? Other occupants?

Room Conversation -- October 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That was our biggest problem. The president of India is presently in Hyderabad, so Mahāṁśa Mahārāja was in Delhi, and we have a life member, Panilal Peddy in Hyderabad, Polareddy, who knows the President very well. So I asked Mahāṁśa Mahārāja to go with Polareddy to the President to see if he will come to Bombay to inaugurate our temple. Also we are thinking of inviting some foreign ministers of countries like Nepal, which is a Hindu kingdom, and Mauritius. Because if these foreign ministers or some minister from these countries come, then it will lend more credit, and we'll get better coverage.

Prabhupāda: You can show our South African success.

Room Conversation -- October 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Hm? I could not follow.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: I could not follow what he said.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says... He found out that the Bombay temple owed the BBT seventy thousand rupees. So he says when he heard that you had decided that you wanted to live and not leave us, he got very encouraged and inspired. So he decided on his own that he wanted to pay back this money to the BBT for you. He says, "I have been encouraging all the preachers here at ISKCON Bombay to go out and collect the money to pay off this debt to the BBT. Śrīla Prabhupāda has made all this arrangement very easily because of his encouragement to us. Even devotees who have engagements where they are not likely to make a life member are making life members very easily and are collecting money. And even persons not expected to become members are now becoming members. This is all due to the desire in the hearts of the preachers here in Bombay to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda. And by the grace of Śrīla Prabhupāda, everything is coming very smoothly. This is confirmed in our hearts that without Śrīla Prabhupāda, we cannot do any single work in this movement. Śrīla Prabhupāda gives us encouragement just to kindly agree to stay with us. So yesterday, on Daśarātrī, we collected over 21,000 rupees and made ten members." (Prabhupāda laughs) He says, "We cannot express in English what we are feeling in our hearts, but we are all very encouraged to go out and collect for Śrīla Prabhupāda and expand his life membership program, and we are all very thankful that Śrīla Prabhupāda has been merciful and..." (break)

Trivikrama: By your mercy.

Prabhupāda: No. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavat... Any devotee can become. That letter, mayor's letter also, it carries weight. What is his name?

Room Conversation -- November 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I'm just thinking about looking... I want to read our memorandum, because as far as I remember, the life members have the right to vote in our Society. That may be one way. They may read the memorandum and see that "We can vote." Then, by doing some politics, they create some difficulty by voting and put one of these materialistic men in charge. Good reason to remain with us, Śrīla Prabhupāda. They won't do anything while you are present. It's better that you should remain with us. Then they won't be able to do anything.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa will protect you. Try.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And without your blessings, how could we distribute so many? We directly see the proof of that verse, that the more the Pañca-tattva saw that these fruits of love of God were distributed, the more they relished. We find in distributing your books that the more we distribute your books, the more blissful we feel. This book distribution is actually a part of our daily lives, just like... It is one of the regulative principles practically. Chant sixteen rounds, follow the four regulative principles, and distribute Prabhupāda's books. Everyone sometime in the day does some book distribution or helps in some way the book distribution. (break) ...distribution has begun, the devotees enjoy it so much that they even like to do book distribution more than the life membership. The ecstasy of approaching people, person by person, simply on the friendship of your books is the highest of all pleasures. (break)

Prabhupāda: So far I am thinking, I'm not improving in strength. And how can I improve by drinking little barley and milk and little fruit juice? I have no appetite for anything else. In case I... Most probably, I am diminishing my strength. So...

Room Conversation -- November 7, 1977, Vrndavana:

Jayapatākā: Now that your books are being printed in Hindi, in Calcutta, one of our life members, Mr. Tulsan, he got your Hindi Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and he's begun reading, and now he said his whole life is transformed. He said that never he found anywhere that the knowledge was presented so simply and so clearly. All the paṇḍitas he could never understand. So now he's become so enthusiastic he's purchasing four rooms in Māyāpura-two for himself, and he's making two relatives purchase. And every month he comes out with his family, with the whole family. "Instead of going to other recreation," he said, "we'll go to the temple." And he brings big basket of fruit, and he comes out, and they stay for the weekend and they all attend maṅgala-ārati.

Prabhupāda: Four rooms, which side? New?