Parliament (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"parliament" |"parliamentary" |"parliaments"

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Religious Group -- July 27, 1968, Montreal:

Guest (4): Yes. But so may you also change your conviction.

Prabhupāda: I may... Yes, if you can convince me. Therefore conference...

Guest (4): If you believe that you cannot be convinced...

Prabhupāda: No. I believe you can convince me. If we are reasonable...

Guest (4): But then you are searching.

Prabhupāda: What? No. My searching is complete. I...

Guest (4): But then I cannot convince you of anything.

Prabhupāda: No. Why not? You have got reason; I have got reason. You have to show me that these are favorable condition in Paris.

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

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

Devotee: (inaudible)

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

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Prabhupāda: Yes. So we have to organize. First of all let us publish in one city, big city like New York, like London, yes, Bombay, Tokyo. Big cities, world's big cities. In India only two cities are big: Calcutta, and Bombay, important. If you publish simultaneously, Calcutta... Delhi is given importance due to capital; otherwise not important as big city, as Bombay and Calcutta. Delhi, without government offices it is a dead city. Just like Washington. What is the value of Washington? It is nothing. Simply because it is headquarters of the President, it has got importance. Similarly, Delhi is that. Otherwise it is not important. But Calcutta, Bombay, is really important city in India, big business, port, all rich men, every kind of, all cultural, everything—Calcutta, and Bombay. Originally only Calcutta, now Bombay also. Because the Britishers, they made Calcutta capital. And Calcutta was very, very important city. But these Calcutta men, they create sometimes situation, very complicated. So once in 1905 the same situation was there, politically. Sir Surendranath Bannerjee made, Surendranath Bannerjee's movement, partition of Bengal. Lord Collier, he wanted to divide Bengal, made it East Bengal and West Bengal. And Surendranath Bannerjee... He is the practically father of Indian politics. Gandhi's not. He was. He was. And in the beginning, in European circles he was famous. He was called "Surrender-not." The spelling of the name, s-u-r-e-n-d-e-r, Surendranath. In Parliament he was known as "Surrender-not."

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Prabhupāda: The same thing. The parliamentary members... Just like nowadays, party. India is suffering in party politics. And they did not like to give importance to monarchy. They wanted to rule according to their whims, and therefore the whole scheme failed. The so-called democracy under party politics is nonsense. Monarchy... I have said. That day I was in remarking that "This democracy is the government of the asses," because the population are asses and they vote another ass to be head of the government. So what you can do? Sayuddhe kriyate rājan sa kim asnu pahanam. These are instructions in Sanskrit. "If you make a dog a king, don't you think that he will still lap the shoes?" You cannot change his habits. Sva... Yasya bhāvasya na sa sudurate kramaḥ. Anyone's habits, even if you give good position, you cannot change it. The example is just like if you make a dog the king, he will immediately come from the throne and bite the shoes. You see? So materially you cannot change.

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Haṁsadūta: Bombay, West.

Prabhupāda: Bombay.

Yamunā: Is Parliament in session again?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Yamunā: I was thinking that Parliament goes in and out of session, and I wondered if they remembered this if Parliament was in session again.

Giriraja: No.

Yamunā: No.

Prabhupāda: Parliament is in session now?

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Prabhupāda: Parliament is in session now?

Yamunā: No. Out of session now. When it's in session then all of the politicians come from their castles and (indistinct) their most of the members of Parliament (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: So when the Parliament begins?

Yamunā: It will be (indistinct) It separates for about a month and then comes together.

Prabhupāda: Aiye. Aiye. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa...

Giriraja: Insofar as seeing the prime minister, this is the best time because he is not so preoccupied.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Where is that picture? There was picture you prepared.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- November 11, 1971, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) (break) Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26). Then?

Tejas: This is Sri Naran Svarupa Sharma. He was professor in England and then Member of Parliament here.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Tejas: And he has been helpful.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) Just see our condition. You have read this morning's paper?

Guest (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: Swami Akhandananda is speaking kalpanā. Such a big sannyāsī, he says that Kṛṣṇa is kalpanā...

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- March 12, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So Rādhā-kuṇḍa Mukerjee, he has supported cow slaughter. He was given a post, made a parliament member first of all. So this poor man, five hundred rupees per month, he accepted. Then he induced that "You take more money, write like this." So if you pay money... British government's whole policy was that if the Indians are kept strict Hindus, it is next to impossible to govern them. So therefore they adopted this policy. They changed the whole policy how the Hindu will think everything mentioned in the śāstra is nonsense. They have trained up, and Nehru is the first-class trainee. Everything mentioned in the śāstra, the Arya-samaj, they also wrote Saptartha (indistinct), so many. And Dr. Radhakrishnan also. All the scholars, they would never mention any śāstra more than once within one thousand years.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Indian Guests and Devotees -- July 11, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: There are so many needy persons. But has the agricultural education improved their lot? No. Starving people are still there. Rather, those who can produce, they're producing and throwing into the sea. They'll not part with it for the poor men who are starving. Then where is the advancement of education? You produce more by advanced agricultural process and then throw it into the ocean. Real purpose was to produce more to see that nobody's hungry. That is not being done. There is no sympathy. This is not civilization. This is a hodge-podge. Simply wasting labor. That's all. Now here, the Parliament, now what is the use of Parliament? They have lost their empire. What is the use of Parliament? Formerly they had to rule all over the world. So representative, Parliament... Now they have got... What they have got? But still they have got the Parliament, the bodyguard, the King, Queen. Show only. Without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this so-called advancement of civilization has no meaning. Simply waste of time.

Room Conversation with Lord Brockway -- July 23, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: Yes, you look very healthy.

Lord Brockway: Over eighty-five years. I'm very fortunate.

Prabhupāda: Yes, he's older than me. Still, he looks very nice.

Śyāmasundara: Yeah. Still active in the Parliament.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Lord Brockway: And I know little about your religion and your philosophy. I do not belong to any religious denomination, though I believe in the spiritual basis of the universe.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Lord Brockway: And the great moments of inspiration are those rare moments when you feel you belong to all of life, from the beginning of time, now, everywhere.

Room Conversation with Lord Brockway -- July 23, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: Yes. So therefore we are trying to make men like you interested. (Prabhupāda laughs)

Lord Brockway: Yes. Yes and no. I've lived in public life for sixty years. I've been in Parliament. I'm now in the House of Lords. But I don't regard myself as a great man in any sense at all.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Of course, there are degrees, but...

Lord Brockway: And I've never wanted to be in a gov...

Prabhupāda: No great man wants to become great. But because he's great, God helps him to become great.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 5, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: This is practical. It's practical. Therefore in India we are considered as the richest community. They was a question in Parliament, "Wherefrom these Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement they get their money?" And the Parliament would reply, Home Member, that "They get money by distributing literature." This is the reply. This is recorded in the Parliament, Indian Parliament.

Hṛdayānanda: Delhi.

Prabhupāda: So if you simply push on our literature, then our movement is going, you must know. It is really going forward. And there will be no scarcity. You'll get everything. (break) Our neighbors they inquire, is it not? That, "You are living so happily, where do you get money?"

Morning Walk -- March 15, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: But what they have got to do?

Gupta: They are not doing...

Prabhupāda: Just like I have seen in London the Parliament. When they had some so-called empire... Now the Parliament is useless, useless. The Parliament members and the Lords, House of Lords, House of Commons, they are now useless. They have got some old books only. In Parliament. I have seen. Some old books. Old books means all the speeches are recorded in books. And who is going to read them? Almiras, so many... I have seen in Parliament. Hundreds and thousands of speeches recorded and bound up very nicely. Who is going to read them? Simply waste of time.

Morning Walk -- April 29, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Everyone... Even government... In the parliament the question was raised, "Wherefrom they get money fabulously?" These men, in our country, they may be fools. In your country also, Los Angeles, I mean, neighboring storekeepers, they are wonderful, that "These people do not work and they have got so many cars and live so nicely?" (laughing) They inquire that "How do we get all these things?" They actually see that they are not ordinary working. They have no working or bank balance or business. Still, they have got so many cars and they eat nicely and they maintain such a nice house. And six, seven house they have purchasing. The realtors, they also know in America that we are very rich men. As soon as there is some property, they offer, because they know that we are very rich men. Because we have purchased some properties, so all the realtors, they have taken it for granted that we have got immense money. Here also, the members are thinking like that, that "Swamiji has got immense money."

Morning Walk -- April 29, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. In Bombay also, we can go without Deity or... Things are going on. There is no hindrance. Our members are coming. They are becoming members. You see? There is no difficulty. (break) You know the parliamentary question?

Gargamuni: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Parliament questioned that "These Americans, they are supposed to be..." What is that? "CIA. CIA." Is there any information to the government? "Besides that, they have got fabulous money. They are spending. Wherefrom they get the money? And if they are CIA, then what steps the government is going to step, take against them?" So the reply was three. First reply was "The government has no information that they are CIA people. Therefore the third question doesn't require to be answered, what steps? And so far their fabulous money, it is understood they collect by selling their literature and public contribution." Yes. Home member replied like this.

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: We are working, we are writing these books and selling them. That's all. This is our work.

Professor Durckheim: I see.

Prabhupāda: We have no other... Even in the Indian Parliament, the question was raised that "How is that this international society is spending lavishly? What is their income?" There is a rumor that Americans are sending these CIA, what is this? (everyone laughs) Rascal people, they think the CIA has come to dance and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (everyone laughs) So, of course the reply was given that we have no information that these people are CIA but we know that they are maintaining themselves by selling their literature and public contribution. That's all. And we have got 102 centers like this. This is not very... If you go to our Los Angeles center, New York center and other, Vṛndāvana center and Navadvīpa center, not less than 200 men are there always. And we are providing with their food, shelter. We give education to their children. We are getting them married. We don't allow these boys to live as friends. No.

Morning Walk at Marine del Rey -- July 13, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes. That "On certain plea only, they have stopped our most important ceremony." In this way agitation must go on. And our men, those who took part in political agitation, they should go there and speak everywhere, that "It is religious discrimination."

Bali Mardana: They should have a protest meeting in front of the Parliament building, with signs.

Prabhupāda: Protest meeting must be there. How to organize? At least, a protest meeting should be done in such a way that the whole world may know that the British Government stopped the yearly Ratha-yatra ceremony of the Hindus. That should be organized. What can be done? You are not very strong GBC's. There must be vehement protest meeting.

Bali Mardana: They can protest in front of Downing Street, in front of the Prime Minister's residence.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 2, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Pañcadraviḍa: Kill him again.

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is their philosophy. And as they pass laws in the Parliament, similarly, these churches approve: "Yes, homosex is all right." Then it is all right. This cheating system is going on. Similar cheating system is the Hindus also. You'll find in Calcutta, in College Street, so many butcher house. And they have kept one goddess Kālī that "We are eating Mother Kali's prasāda." That's it. This is going on.

Brahmānanda: Kali eats meat.

Prabhupāda: Kali does not eat meat, but it is the śāstra's injunction that those who are unable to give up meat-eating, they may sacrifice one goat, not cow, one small animal before the goddess Kali, on amāvāsya (new moon) day, night, not day, and they can eat it.

Morning Walk -- (World War III) -- April 4, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Why not? Yes. But they, they are so rascals, they throw bomb anywhere.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Especially atom bomb.

Prabhupāda: But one thing is that because civilians are also responsible for declaring war, because the parliament is the representation of the people...

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Karma.

Prabhupāda: Therefore, now the war is between people to people, nation to nation. They support with men and money. So therefore they are also killed by nature's law. (break)

Rāmeṣvara: Prabhupāda, in the Ādi-līlā, you wrote that the Communist movement is greater than the capitalist movement because there are more śūdras than vaiśyas so that in a war between Communism and capitalism, the Communists would win.

Morning Walk -- May 16, 1975, Perth:

Paramahaṁsa: In Africa some of the natives, very big, eight feet tall.

Prabhupāda: Very tall.

Devotee (1): In South America also, they used to have the Amazons, a big race.

Paramahaṁsa: Didn't one demon construct a big parliament house for Kṛṣṇa? That demon Māyā? For King Yudhiṣṭhira?

Prabhupāda: Umm.

Amogha: Aṣṭa-siddhi dāsa, when he came back from Fiji he told us a story that the local people say that Kāliya snake, after he ran away, he lives in Fiji in a big lake.

Devotee (1): On top of a mountain.

Prabhupāda: Yes, he was driven away from Vṛndāvana. (pause) They are all going to the downtown?

Morning Walk -- October 6, 1975, Durban:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They were making finer cloth by hand than the British were making by machines. So in order to discourage, they would cut off the thumb so they couldn't weave.

Prabhupāda: So many things. And to make a show, the Lord Hasting was impeached in the Parliament. Here the black men, they are Africans.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. In this country there's nineteen million Africans and about over five million Europeans, about one million Indian people, and about one million colored people.

Prabhupāda: So these women, what they are carrying on the head?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I don't know. What do they carry, Gokulendra prabhu?

Gokulendra: They carry all sorts of things, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Sometimes they carry their supplies that they...

Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 :

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

Morning Walk -- October 19, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: Still the Indians have no equal right.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They are not allowed to vote here even, or have any representatives in Parliament.

Indian man (1): No, nothing whatsoever. They are grouped up. Especially now within these couple of years. Before there was living in town and all that, but now they are grouped up in their own areas, not supposed to live in town anymore.

Prabhupāda: The Indians are driven away.

Indian man (1): But there is a change at the moment. We are getting indirect representation in Parliament, and most probably in a matter of twenty, thirty years... (laughter) Promises.

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1975, Nairobi:

Brahmānanda: They would give their... These groups of guerillas, the Indians would supply them and use their facilities and their farm houses. And then also, legally, the Indians were able to give, from their experience in India. They were able to make some government, some kind of a freedom government system. They agitated to get representation in the Parliament, and they became... When independence came there were many Indians as M.P.'s here. And even when Kenyatta was put on trial by the British, his chief lawyer was a Britisher, but the second lawyer was an Indian. Also the union movement was... One Indian, he helped organize the...

Indian: I was talking with a judge. He is a Sikh gentleman here. So he told me that "In the freedom we all helped, and I was not a judge at that time. I was ordinary advocate. So I play a nice role to get them freedom, so they appointed me a judge after that." Now he is judge since last fifteen years.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Morning Walk -- November 7, 1975, Bombay:

Indian man (2): (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Parliament can do that "We have no faith." What is called? "No confidence." "No confidence resolution." The Parliament has not done. "No confidence." So how the court can decide? (break) An open fact that this election... All elections are done illegally. So why this poor prime minister is captured? Everyone does. (Hindi) (break) Military police.

Indian man (2): Yes, Prabhupāda. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...is occupying very exalted post, even in this material world, he is favored by Kṛṣṇa. Sanātana Gosvāmī, when the Nawab said that "I shall arrest you," then he replied that "You are representative of God, so if you arrest me I have no objection." He said that. He was Mohammedan, and he was a Hindu brāhmaṇa. He never felt that "How the Mohammedan can arrest me?" No. He said that "You are representative of God because you are in such exalted post." (aside) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. Kṛṣṇa also says, "Anyone who is, materially even, very opulent, that means he has got some power." (aside) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. (Hindi) (break) ...in politics, how to treat with enemies, how to treat with friends, how to make... In politics there are so many things, diplomacy. So he said, "What is this nonsense? Everyone should be Kṛṣṇa conscious. They are all equal." His father became angry. What is that?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 3, 1976, Nellore:

Prabhupāda: That is the tendency everywhere. The Britishers.... You go to the Parliament and Westminster Abbey. They have kept all the statues of Sir Isaac Newton and this Churchill, this.... Mean, they want to show that "It is only our nation who has produced all these intelligent persons."

Keśavalāl Trivedi: Yes, yes. From "I-ness" to "we-ness."

Prabhupāda: (break) This is basis of Gītā. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). Learn from the real person, tattva-darśinaḥ, who has seen, who has actual experience of the truth. Learn from him. The Gītā never recommends that you imagine and make your theories. Never said. That is the Vedic culture. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsur śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). This is the way. Take lesson from Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative. Then you will get experience. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. What is the use of imagining?

Morning Walk -- February 19, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Acyutānanda: "Now opium is the religion of the people because everyone is taking drugs. You say religion is the opiate. Now opium is the religion." They think there should be no private property. There was... They are discussing this in Indian Parliament now. They should abolish private property and abol... Women should not wear ornaments.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Acyutānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Where it is?

Acyutānanda: They're discussing in Parliament.

Morning Walk -- February 27, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Bengali culture was very much adored. Surendranath Bannerjee started the political movement, and he was so well known. Even in Parliament, the Englishmen, English M.P.'s, he... They were speaking of Surendranath. They used to say "Surrendered not." "Here is a person who is not 'Surrender not.' He'll never surrender. 'Surrender not.' " Actually, the British Empire was startled by the agitation of Surendranath Bannerjee. The Congress was started by Surendranath Bannerjee, this one Congress. Two Bengali and one Englishman started this Congress sometimes in 1887, 1867, like that. So in our childhood we used to see that Surendranath Bannerjee was being elected president of Congress almost every year. And Gandhi came into prominence when Surendranath Bannerjee surrendered. Formerly he was not surrendering. But the government gave him the first ministership, that "You become minister." So he became a government man. Then Gandhi came in prominence. Surendranath Bannerjee was the first minister in India. (break) ...in our childhood, if he would speak, thousands, thousands men will gather in Calcutta. (break) ...Surendranath Bannerjee Road.

Morning Walk -- March 8, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: No, that is also modern government, democracy. I do not want to do something, but the Parliament pass the laws. We have to do, even I do not like. That is discipline. Just like C. R. Das. C. R. Das was one of the prominent member of Indian Congress. So he was earning in those days, fifty years ago, fifty thousand rupees per month. It is twenty times now increased. Fifty years before he was...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Nowadays ten lakhs per month.

Prabhupāda: At least five lakhs he was earning. So the Congress resolution was that "noncooperation," so "Boycott British court. We are not going on." So resolution that everyone should give up practice of law in the British court. Resolution. So C. R. Das did not like that idea. He said that "I am earning fifty thousand. I can give the whole amount for Congress propaganda. Why you are asking me to give up this practice?" So the resolution was, "No, we should noncooperate. We don't want money. We should noncooperate." So when... He fought in the meeting that "This should be withdrawn." So it was not withdrawn. Then he resigned. Then he resigned. He became practically poverty-stricken, because he was earning fifty thousand rupees per month, and he had no practice, and he was not keeping any money in the bank. When he resigned, then some of his friend, Muhammad Ali... He was also one of the prominent members. He asked, "Mr. Das, what is your bank balance?"

Morning Walk -- March 13, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Hm. That is my philosophy. Read it. Read it somebody.

Satsvarūpa: "Ever since 1893, when Swami Vivekananda proclaimed monism and tolerance to the World's Parliament of Religions at Chicago, nonspecialists in America have pictured Hinduism as an easy-going phantasmagoria of smiling faces disappearing like dewdrops into the shining sea. The Nectar of Devotion should bring them up sharp. (laughter) His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, whose shorn, orange-clad disciples have brought the inseparable twins of bhajana and bakshish to the streets of America, has no doubt that such impersonalism is nothing less than rascaldom."

Devotees: Jaya!

Conversation with News Reporters -- March 25, 1976, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: That book-selling.

Reporter (8): Only, books are the only source of your...

Prabhupāda: That's it. This question was raised in the Parliament, that "Hare Kṛṣṇa people, they are fabulously rich. Where they get their money?" And the Parliament answer was "They get their money by selling literature."

Reporter (8): That means the devotees do not contribute to the...

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. Not the devotees purchase. They publish. Those who are intelligent public, they purchase.

Reporter (8): But do the devotees contribute in any way?

Prabhupāda: Yes. They are contributing their life. We don't get any such life-sacrificing Indians. These educated boys, rich men's son, they have sacrificed everything for me. And where is Indian?

Conversation with News Reporters -- March 25, 1976, Delhi:

Reporter (2): You've given up India as a dead loss, isn't it, in the sense...

Prabhupāda: Dead loss? Dead loss.... But the leaders are dead loss. Misleaders. They have given up their own culture, and they are trying to imitate others.

Reporter (8): Swamiji, when there was discussion in Parliament about the fabulous money that the movement has, society has, then who provided the answers?

Prabhupāda: The Home Member.

Reporter (8): The Minister.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We have a copy of this in Bombay, the question number and.... It was about two, three years ago.

Reporter (8): They must have done intensive research

Morning Walk -- April 14, 1976, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Then what is the cause? No, what is the cause?

Indian: (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: Government (Hindi) They have admitted in the Parliament.

Indian: They are frightened in the beginning.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Patel: I think they are very slow to act.

Prabhupāda: No, the real is that all rogues are in the government.

Dr. Patel: Yes, that is the right thing. Not only rogues...

Prabhupāda: So why don't you, if you are actually serious, why don't you make propaganda in the country that "Please do not give vote to the rogues." Don't mention any party. "If you want to be happy, then don't give vote to the rogues." And who is a rogue? The illicit sex hunters, the intoxicants, and the meat-eaters, and the gamblers. These are rogues.

Morning Walk -- June 11, 1976, Los Angeles:

Hari-śauri: What they do now if they have some big house in the country and they want to keep it, they have to put it on show during the summer months. They allow people to come, and they charge them so much money to come and look around.

Prabhupāda: The Parliament and that.... What is that church?

Hari-śauri: Westminster Abbey?

Prabhupāda: Yes. They charge.

Hari-śauri: Guided tour. They cannot live there themselves. They can only live there in the winter.

Prabhupāda: They collect very sufficiently. I have seen. Again, inside you go, and a particular section, if you want to see, the another payment. Yes. First of all, entrance fee; then, within that, if you want to see another particular section, then another fee. And they are collecting money. I have seen. Śyāmasundara took me there.

Morning Walk -- June 11, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Parliament, Westminster, everything.... (japa) They are now statues in Parliament and Westminster. So many statues, you know.

Hari-śauri: Yes. They're very fond of statues there.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...European civilization, coming from the Romans, statues also. (break) ...mean civilization means Roman civilization, is it not?

Hari-śauri: Yes. The Roman Empire extended all over there.

Prabhupāda: England was under Roman Empire. Normandy. Normandy?

Kīrtanānanda: That's France.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Hari-śauri: When we were running our political format in Melbourne—one of the boys was going for some positioning in the state—he was quoted in the newspapers. They picked it out as the quote of the week, because they asked him, they said, "What would be the first thing, if you are elected, you will do?" So he said, "I would abolish the bar in the House of Parliament." So they said, "Oh, why would you do that?" He said "How can you rule a country when you're intoxicated all the time?" So they picked it out and put it in the newspapers as the quote of the week.

Prabhupāda: Who said?

Hari-śauri: In Melbourne, in one of the papers.

Prabhupāda: Our man said?

Room Conversation and Reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 and 12 -- June 25, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: As you can afford. Minimum one cart. Otherwise, three carts. In India the Ratha-yātrā festival is going on, according to rough estimate, for the last two thousand years, and the crowd never diminishes. One secretary of Parliament or something like that.

Hari-śauri: Śrī R. Subramanyam, M.A., Deputy Director Research, Lok Sabha Secretariat, National Parliament, New Delhi. Should I read it? "A strange feature of the modern world is that in spite of vast advances in science and technology and the establishment of a good number of institutions for human welfare, mankind has not found true peace and happiness. Knowledge of material sciences and arts has increased tremendously in recent times, and millions of volumes on each fill the libraries the world over. People and leaders in every country are generally well versed in these arts and sciences, but despite their efforts, human society everywhere continues to be in turmoil and distress. The reason is not far to see. It is that they have not learned the science of God, the most fundamental of every other art and science, and fail to apply it to the facts of life. The need of the hour is, therefore, to do it if mankind is not only to survive but flower into a glorious existence.

Interview with Mike Darby -- June 30, 1976, Wheeling, W. Virginia:

Prabhupāda: No, they are passing resolution. Suppose there is a law of the state, ordinary, say, "Keep to the right," and in this village all members, they assemble together and pass a resolution that "No, keep to the left." Will it be accepted? Even they pass a resolution, the state will not accept it. Unless it is... Of course, there should be no change. But, anything spoken by God or His son or His representative, that cannot be changed. It is not that Christ said two thousand years ago, "Thou shall not kill," now it can be changed. That is rascaldom. They are doing that. If you do that, then, as it is said here, then it becomes lost. Then there is no meaning. If we take the instruction of God and His representative as temporary, then he is not representative, He is not God. Whatever is spoken by God and His representative, that is eternal. You cannot change by your whims. So that is going on. We..., I do not wish to discuss very much, but that is actually going on. As people they, by votes in the Parliament, they pass any nonsense thing, so they want to do that in the case of Bible also. Then where is the authority of Bible? If Christ says that "Thou shall not kill," and if people, say ten thousand people in a meeting pass resolution, "No, this is wrong," then where is the authority of Bible? Then you become authority.

Room Conversation -- July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Ah. There is no question of insisting. They cannot help us in any way.

Vipina: No, not at all.

Prabhupāda: I have tried all these. They are useless.

Vṛṣākapi: We have written all the Parliament and we have asked them to come, but they are too busy.

Prabhupāda: So you go and take rest.

Devotees: Jaya. Haribol.

Prabhupāda: There is much time difference from...?

Devotees: Same time. It is ten-thirty now.

Prabhupāda: No, New Vrindaban and...?

Evening Darsana (on night of arrival) -- August 16, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: That is being made.

Indian man (2): This present government will serve no indication to that, that she will be allowed. Because as far as the Constitution, only one year extension can be given to Parliament, that nobody has followed through.

Prabhupāda: One year?

Indian man (2): One year extension to the existing Parliament is given as per Constitution. After one year it must dissolve if it is necessary.

Prabhupāda: That is the Constitution. But that is going to be changed?

Indian man (2): No that clause is not proposed to be changed. The changes which she is bringing in decision, that clause at least is not proposed to be changed. The last proposition she made...

Evening Darsana (on night of arrival) -- August 16, 1976, Hyderabad:

Indian man (1): We were surprised as usual.

Indian man (3): There were some questions in Parliament about her.

Indian man (1): Yes, it came in the Hindu...

Prabhupāda: Let them inquire. Our... Everything is open secret. We are selling books throughout the whole world to the extent of six lakhs rupees per day. So money is coming from Kṛṣṇa.

Indian man (1): Here only Swamiji, Prabhupāda, just now this...

Prabhupāda: If you don't like this, you can close India, we can go all over the world.

Indian man (2): Yes, there is a very big scope there.

Indian man (3): No, but here even it would declare it. Minister of State. Only Communist have put those questions.

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

Interviewer (3): A central minister the Parliament recently said that he will conduct a probe to see if there was anything fishy in this...

Prabhupāda: Therefore I am bringing before you, before probing, you try to understand what is our income. We are selling these books six lakhs rupees daily, and we are spending it fifty percent for reprinting the books and fifty percent for expanding temples all over the world. This is our activities. Now you probe it or understand it.

Interviewer (3): This is the only source of revenue for the society?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Interviewer (4): Fifty percent books and for temples fifty percent?

Prabhupāda: Fifty percent for expanding temples and fifty percent for reprinting books.

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

Prabhupāda: Ford, he has given us two, three houses, not donation. But we have purchased two, three houses by the money of Mr. Ford, Alfred Ford, he's my disciple.

Interviewer (4): Some members the Parliament says, the movement is in some anti-Indian activities. What do you...?

Prabhupāda: So you are intelligent man, you see what is that anti-Indian. We are spreading Indian culture, and this is anti-Indian. How foolish they are. Just see. We are spreading Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and it is anti-Indian. Do you think like that?

Interviewer (5): What if somebody is using this as a cover-up?

Prabhupāda: Huh? But if you have no eyes to see inside, you see the cover only. What can I do? (laughter) If you are so blind, what can I do?

Room Conversation About Mayapura Construction -- August 19, 1976, Hyderabad:

Jayapatākā: Now, just a few days ago, when I invited him for Janmāṣṭamī, then I asked him what the... He told me at that time... He said, "Now..." He had recently received a phone call from the Chief Secretary." You see? Now your favorite project is going to be spoiled." Then he went over to see the Chief Secretary. He showed him an article from the Rāja-Sabhā, how the member of Parliament had given this challenge that "Are these people CIA or this or that?" Then Mr. Choudhuri said, "Sir, I am not afraid." He said, "Why not?" "Because I have you, don't I?" Then the Chief said, "Yes. You have won me over. I believe in this project." Then he said that now the Chief Minister has agreed that the project be sanctioned. But he said that "I don't want to take the full brunt of the decision. Let the Nadia District Planning Committee take the decision."

Prabhupāda: Nadia?

Room Conversation About Mayapura Construction -- August 19, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Lord Kurgeon's plan... Lord Kurgeon wanted that let there be asking of India from the family of Victoria. He gave this plan. But this Parliament did not want that Englishman shall make India home. Then his interest will be in India. Just like America. Englishmen, as they made America their home, they declared independence. Australia. As soon as you make a home, then the more interest will be in India. Washington was Englishman. Was he not? Washington.

Jayapatākā: Yes. Well, everyone came from England.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Not from England. But ordinary... So Englishman, why he declared war against the English?

Room Conversation About Blitz News Clipping -- August 21, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But now they have requoted what was in the paper about what you know already, that thing that came up in the Parliament.

Prabhupāda: So you quote from all these quotations. Ananda Bazaar and others. You give quotations. They may make a fresh pages so when court case is there this should be presented.

Gargamuni: Yes. Newspaper articles can stand as evidence because the Ananda Bazaar, they sent a whole team there, and the article they wrote was fantastic.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: You have to give me all of them.

Gargamuni: They're here on Prabhupāda's desk.

Meeting with Endowments Commissioner -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: So it is government's duty to see that Bālajī's money, Kṛṣṇa's money, is to the farthing spent for His mission. That is your duty. That is government's duty, that nothing is misused, nothing is misrepresented. But we know how to execute the mission of Kṛṣṇa. Anyone can know because direction is there. It is not a secret thing. It is open secret. But you have to act upon it. That requires training. And so far my experience goes, the whole world will take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Unfortunately, I am struggling single-handed. And they are criticizing me in the Parliament. You have seen the recent article Blitz against me? What is that heading? "Ungodly face." I am doing ungodly? But they are advertising like that. Trying to make me unpopular. The Māyāvādīs, they say that Bhaktivedanta Swami is ruining Hinduism. They are saying like that. (Hindi) So I am being criticized in Parliament, I am criticized by the so-called jagad-gurus who have never seen what is jagat. And so on, so on.

Meeting with Endowments Commissioner -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: No, Lord, giving, giving. That I am confident. Because they are envious, "How Bhaktivedanta Swami is getting so much money? He's paying crores and crores. There must be some political..." As they are getting from Russia. But actually, I am selling. I am working night, writing these books, and these boys are helping me to sell it. I am getting enough money to spend it. What is my fault? For Kṛṣṇa's sake we have sacrificed everything, our life and everything and Kṛṣṇa is giving us money and we are spending it and they are criticizing in the Parliament. This is my misfortune. I don't take it as misfortune. Because asuras are always there. Even Kṛṣṇa's time.

Minister: They are criticizing, but not...

Prabhupāda: Because we are getting so much money. For this temple we have spent... ten lakhs?

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

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Mahā-prasādam. (Hindi)

Krishna Modi: You will reply and also the article, so that I am arranging to call all the members Parliament concerning this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. They are some members, so you give me the list of them. And then we will discuss all the matters. Then we will give the articles to all the other papers from outside.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. That will be very nice.

Krishna Modi: Illustrated Weekly or News or Kalyani...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Illustrated Weekly is atheistic. Khushwant Singh, the editor, openly told us that "I don't believe in God." But Tanyug(?) is religious.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes. There are hundreds of reviews.

Krishna Modi: And you should also supply that to at least your interested members. Interested Parliament only.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We'll design a special booklet just for...

Prabhupāda: I am asking you for so many months that you publish all these opinions.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We have all the opinions, but we presently have them in sheets. Not in a book form. We can put it in...

Prabhupāda: Where is that? Where is that?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: In the sheets? Oh, I have. Yes I have most of the reviews, book reviews, with me.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They have good propaganda.

Prabhupāda: And people are not happy. They are terrorized.

Krishna Modi: That is correct. That is correct. In Parliament we are telling that they are a first-class prisoner. First-class prison.

Prabhupāda: Yes. First-class prisoners. Not first-class, third-class. (laughter)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But I was told, because a lot of people in Russia who are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa also. It's very... There's a lot of corruption. Even the taxi drivers are corrupt. They'll park their taxi a bit away then come and approach you when you are standing in a line and say, "Okay, I'll take you there," but he'll tell you three times the price because everyone's waiting in such a long line for a taxi.

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

Prabhupāda: Even not in our favor. I am working hard in foreign countries and bringing money to India. You should give us some credit. But instead of giving credit, I am being criticized in the Parliament.

Krishna Modi: They are putting like this. They are putting this case like that, that foreign money is coming here to advertise the American embassies, like that. They are that talking like that.

Prabhupāda: They may talk nonsense, but this is the fact. This is the fact. I have got my Book Trust Fund and I've advised regularly to send eight lakhs of rupees per month. That is being spent in Bombay, in... I'm not collecting from here.

Krishna Modi: That is correct.

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

Krishna Modi: This is their way, sir. They have to. They must do it. Because...

Prabhupāda: So you kindly speak to the Parliament that "This is the position, that he is working day and night..."

Krishna Modi: Oh no, I will speak very high about this. Let them, let the matter come. And if not come then we will take this matter. I will give the question. You please reply how much money is coming and in what way they are doing.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Krishna Modi: I will ask the question.

Evening Darsana -- September 1, 1976, Delhi:

Indian man (3): ...we are going there after Parliament session tomorrow. (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: They spend so much money for the roadways, still it is not good.

Indian man (3): Draining is different levels arising water (indistinct) in excessive in quantity, and the natural drains are not efficient enough to take it out. I was told that...

Prabhupāda: There is no sufficient outlet.

Indian man (3): Yes. But some of those āśrama, Mathurā, it's very deep, that four feet water in the āśramas. Three-four feet water.

Prabhupāda: Within the āśramas?

Indian man (3): And temple.

Pradyumna: Our temple is all right. Raman Reti is not flooded where we are. It's almost up to Fogel Ashram in the back, Yamunā, but it has not come to our Raman Reti.

Indian man (3): And now you will remain here in India for some time?

Garden Conversation -- September 7, 1976, Vrndavana:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That Blitz article, I wrote a reply and sent it to Krishna Modi, the member of Parliament and he's going to discuss it with the other members of Parliament. What I did...

Prabhupāda: But this article is in our favor.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, the previous one.

Prabhupāda: So but Mr. Modi said that we don't bother about this.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, no, he'll reply. So I gave him the point. He wanted me to give him the point and the right answers and then he will reply.

Prabhupāda: What are the points?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Should I read the whole letter you? It's a four page letter.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Parliament. All photograph (laughter) actually. Downing Street, 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister's office and so on. And actually it's all (chuckles) no importance. Parliament, big, big advertisement. People are still going, they are paying fees to see.

Hari-śauri: Hm.

Prabhupāda: Now that is their income.

Hari-śauri: Yeah, tourism is their big source of income, now.

Prabhupāda: It is always cloudy; people are going to see the West Minister Abbey and Parliament.

Haṁsadūta: The whole tourist industry runs on propaganda.

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Haṁsadūta: When you get there, there is nothing to see.

Prabhupāda: In Parliament they have got old records bound up, almirah. You have seen? What it will do now? Speech of such and such person, speech of... (long pause) What they... Why this water is?

Hari-śauri: Well they are watering the garden.

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Hari-śauri: Were you thinking of any particular time, when you wanted to do this village program?

Prabhupāda: Hm. I have no where experience.

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

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: ...got to do. He wants members of parliament to give...

Prabhupāda: Hm. That we have already suggested. Immediately. Every member of... If Mr. ...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Krishna Modi.

Prabhupāda: Brahmānanda (Reddy), he suggested that this movement should be spread all over the world. Let him write.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. He won't give it in...

Prabhupāda: No. That is his insincerity.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Frankly Śrīla Prabhupāda, no member of parliament will give it either. I know because even when Tejas was applying for his citizenship, Krishna Modi would not even give a letter of recommendation because he said this is a Congress Party policy.

Prabhupāda: Then what can be done. Everything is nasty.

Room Conversation -- November 14, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Court case? Oh.

Devotee: He had given us nice questioning, and some from our... Members, who are members of Parliament and other persons like M. Channa Reddy himself, he said that he would approach the External Affairs Minister and ask him that the External Affairs Minister, he can make some sort of protest, either official or unofficial, about this type of dealings that are going on.

Prabhupāda: So he has not given anything, writing.

Devotee: No, but what he said... He said that he is the head of the state of U.P... So he said if he gives a protest to the American government directly that "This is not..."

Prabhupāda: There is no question of protest that... This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is genuine movement.

Press Conference -- December 16, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Dr. Ramachandra: Everything is after CIA.

Prabhupāda: And in Parliament it has been denied. Rather, Home Member said that "We have no information that they are CIA." Parliament challenged, "What steps you are going to take?" And "No step. There is no information." They are afraid of the American government because of this Bangladesh affair. And otherwise government appreciates this movement. But because the Americans are there they think, "Some may do something," in this way. Yes. But there is no such chance. They are all devotees. They have nothing to do...

Dr. Ramachandra: This is a purely religious movement.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Gargamuni: No, here, here in India. They're holding election. Because of the emergency, they had banned the election.

Rāmeśvara: In Bengal there'll be an election?

Gargamuni: No, all over India for the Lok Sabha, for the Parliament.

Rāmeśvara: So Tarun Kanti will be up for election?

Gargamuni: No. That's something else. This is for the Parliament.

Rāmeśvara: So Indira's not being up for election.

Gargamuni: No.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Rāmeśvara: Just the Parliament members, that's all, not the ministers.

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Rāmeśvara: Just the Parliament members, that's all, not the ministers.

Prabhupāda: No, Indira... She must be Parliament member.

Gargamuni: Yes, but I don't think she's affected. I didn't read. I just saw on the man's desk. I just saw the elections to be held.

Rāmeśvara: She's from Allahabad?

Gargamuni: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gargamuni: So she's Parliament. Maybe for her also.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Rāmeśvara: He's a big man. And this is the national government.

Gargamuni: No, the central. Lok Sabha is like the Parliament.

Prabhupāda: Lok Sabha is Parliament. Lok Sabha means Parliament.

Rāmeśvara: Congress of the National Government.

Gargamuni: Yes. No, no, no. Central government. Yes, what you say is national.

Rāmeśvara: "This is a rare opportunity for people and leaders of every country, every race, and every community in the world to know and understand the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. I would say that this encyclopedia of spiritual knowledge is more important and fundamental than the encyclopedia of any other branch of knowledge and should therefore find a rightful place not only in the public and private libraries, big and small, not only in educational and other institutions, but also in every household, and above all, in the hearts and minds of every man and woman."

Prabhupāda: And he is not ordinary man. He is...

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

Prabhupāda: That is your useless waste of time. Why? Therefore the war does not stop, unnecessary war, and such a big war, Kurukṣetra, in eighteen days it is finished. This is decision. And this is going on, continually war, strain, politics, diplomacy, lecture, Parliament. There is no finishing of war. There is no finishing. It will go on. Just like same example: If you keep the dogs as dogs, they'll going on barking. It will never finish. So this is the civilization of dog work. It is not human civilization. Therefore it is going on. War is not stopped. Where is stop? War is stopped? No. Going on. And it will go on because they are dogs. You cannot stop their barking. There are so many things. If we follow the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, then whole world will be... This is a fact. Now, how to implement it, that is another thing. It is a fact.

Room Conversation -- February 17, 1977, Mayapura:

Ādi-keśava: We got big newspaper coverage in Canada where one devotee from our temple in Boston, who was... Her sister and mother have become witnesses in my trial, in my case. So they were threatening her. They wanted to take her and put her in the mental hospital. So she went to Canada and said, "I am seeking political asylum here in Canada so that I can be safeguarded." So the Americans went to Canada, and they said, "Oh, you Canadians, how can you be doing this? How are you doing this? You are such fools." The Canadians don't like the Americans at all, they told the Americans, "Get out," and they kept our devotees protected on this. And by an act of their Parliament they excluded the deprogrammers from Canada. They said, "You cannot come to our country." So now they are protecting our devotees, saying, "We are giving protection because America will not give them protection."

Tripurāri: Political asylum.

Ādi-keśava: And they're getting great satisfaction (indistinct).

Tripurāri: The devotee's mother in this particular case said, "I would rather see my daughter dead than be a devotee of Kṛṣṇa."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: She said that. That was the papers.

Brahmānanda: That was headline in the newspaper. "My daughter should better be dead than to be Hare Kṛṣṇa."

Hari-śauri: That's for her own good.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) (break)

Room Conversation -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: (laughing) "Fabulously rich."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Fabulously rich," they say in Parliament.

Prabhupāda: So I started... Was I rich?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Forty rupees.

Prabhupāda: Wherefrom...? Forty rupees. So it is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. So if we work sincerely, Kṛṣṇa will supply us.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That point we have seen proven more than anything else. You've always said this, and more and more, Kṛṣṇa is supplying everything.

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

Prabhupāda: ...the varṇāśrama established, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra-division, scientific division of the society. Ideal state. Just like the legislative assembly. They should be composed of men with complete brahminical culture. And the ministers, president, they should be kṣatriya, and the productive, vaiśyas, and balance śūdra, worker. Unless an ideal class of men is on the top of the state to give advice—just like Britishers, they assemble Parliament—there cannot be any improvement to the human society. All nonsense and rascals, simply by votes go to be member of the Parliament. They assemble. What they know? What they'll do? The whole world is mismanaged because there is no brahminical culture. Namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca, jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindā... I am proposing this because Kṛṣṇa consciousness means namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca.

Room Conversation with Ratan Singh Rajda (Member of Parliament) -- March 27, 1977, Bombay:

Girirāja: Ratan Singh Rajda.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What is his exact position?

Girirāja: He is a member of parliament from Bombay South, which is the most prestigious district, from Kalabha up to (indistinct), something like that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He formerly helped us?

Girirāja: Yes. When Mattrey was, did that demolition attempt, so he was one of the leaders in the corporation. So he fought for us. In fact today also he asked if there was any trouble, because he still is also maintaining his position in the municipal corporation. So I think when he gets back from Delhi in a week, I might bring up some of our little problems.

Prabhupāda: That plan sentence.(?)

Room Conversation with Scientists, Svarupa Damodara, and Dr. Sharma -- March 31, 1977, Bombay:

Girirāja: It's going on. People are still coming and... Did you see the press reports?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We showed one this morning mentioning that the member of parliament had made a statement.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: English.

Dr. Sharma: I was going to bring to your kind notice, ever since we become independent, our moral fiber is really breaking down. We are spiritually, I think, the..., the deterioration has been very fast after 1947. Somehow this is...

Prabhupāda: This is our so-called leaders misled them. Even Gandhi misled. That Vinobha Bhave is misleading, what to speak of others.

Room Conversation -- April 2, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So what you are to go? Where you want to go?

Girirāja: So what I was thinking, if you agree, is to go to Delhi for a few days, and he could introduce me to the pious members of Parliament, and then we could organize a whole group, and I could bring them there.

Prabhupāda: Do the needful. Go. At least, in India, there must be this spiritual institution. The whole world may take advantage of it. What is this cats' and dogs' race civilization? Is that civilization? Here is civilization, Bhagavad-gītā. Basic principles of civilization. So India should maintain this. People may... There are so many big universities. A student may go or may not go, but the university must be maintained. Because there is no student, therefore university closed. No. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness institution must be maintained for the benefit of the whole world.

Morning Conversation -- April 11, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: These rascals, wherever they go, they create trouble.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (reading:) "Why she was silent." This is from the Readers View column. "In the farewell talk she gave to the outgoing Communist Party members of Parliament, Mrs. Indira Gandhi is reported to have told them that she was to blame for the rout, but she does not mention what is common talk among people everywhere, and especially among the village folk: her connivance at the build-up of her son Sanjay Gandhi as the probable future prime minister of India. Mrs. Indira Gandhi's refusal throughout the last two years to face the facts about her son's inordinate ambitions has shocked most of her admirers. Could she not see that this get-rich-quick son of a mother who swore by Garibihato, as the person running the maruti,(?)

Morning Conversation -- April 11, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh, another Punjabi like...

Bhakti-caru: "So in the favorite talk she gave to the outgoing Congress party members of Parliament..."

Prabhupāda: Hm, come near.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sit over here.

Bhakti-caru: (reads newspaper) "The farewell talk she gave to the outgoing Congress party members of Parliament, Mrs. Indira Gandhi was reported to have told that she was to blame for the rout. (Times of India, March 29th, 30th) She seems to have accepted her failure to assess her injury cause to the sentiments and feelings of the masses in the area where many excesses were committed during the emergency. And a failure of the Congress organization to fine against (indistinct) during the emergency and before. But she does not mention what is common talk amongst people everywhere, and especially among the village folk. Her connivance at the buildup of her son Sanjay Gandhi as the probable future prime minister of India...."

Prabhupāda: Probable?

Room Conversation -- April 13, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So yes, no, he...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He couldn't say yes, and he couldn't say no.

Prabhupāda: Position is tottering.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You have invited some members of the Parliament?

Girirāja: So when would it be convenient for you? Because we can adjust their activities according to when you'll be free.

Prabhupāda: Four.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Four is the nicest time for Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: I don't think the... Better arrange according to their convenience.

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

Prabhupāda: That is being done all over the world. If you simply understand this one line, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ... (BG 2.13). So today I am Indian, and after death I become something else. There are 8,400,000 different bodies. Today I may be very exalted minister, and tomorrow, if I become something else... I'll have to, because nature's law, you cannot check. Tathā dehānt... Just like here is child. You cannot check to become young man. That is not in your power. She must become or he must become. Similarly, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ, it is not in your hand or in my hand. It is in the hand of the prakṛti. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā (BG 3.27). So there are so many things that... The human society requires this knowledge and we are trying to give this knowledge alone with our humble attempt, and these foreigners are helping with their prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā, by their life, by their money, by their intelligence, by their words. (aside:) Give them pad. They cannot sit comfortably. There is pad. Give him. Pads. Yes. No, no. Oh. (Hindi) Sukham asinaḥ.(?) First of all one must... Give her. So we have got, at least in Bombay, the most important place in India, this institution. So come here. Try to understand the philosophy. There is no difficulty. But we neglect it. We are simply ne..., and distorting. Everyone is giving his own interpretation. Eh? Then when, where is the importance of Kṛṣṇa? If Bhagavad-gītā is a book who is authority, and if you interpret and give your own interpretation, then where is the authority? Suppose Parliament passes one law, and if I interpret in my own way, then where is the authority of the law?

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

Prabhupāda: Yes. What is that?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "To Ratansingh Rajda, Member of Parliament, Bombay. Dear Sri Rajda, We thank you very much for visiting us at Hare Krishna Land and for sympathetically hearing our divine master Śrīla Prabhupāda. His Divine Grace mentioned several difficulties which are impeding his great work, and you have been kind enough to promise to remove these obstacles. 1) Our men are regularly being asked to leave India. How can we manage such important projects when our men are forced to leave? Every year we have to send so many men away from India and then again we have to bring them back. For every man who comes and goes like this, we have to spend Rs. 10,000, and in this way we are wasting not less than Rs. five to six lakhs each year. Our men should be given permanent residence in India. The United States Government granted Śrīla Prabhupāda a permanent residency visa so that he could fulfill his mission in the USA. Similarly, Śrīla Prabhupāda's foreign disciples should be given permanent residency in India.

Room Conversation with Ram Jethmalani (Parliament Member) -- April 16, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Hm? Where is authority, that you are speaking rightly? Just like in the law court, when they plead, they give the reference to the lawbook that... A good lawyer means he will give reference "Under section... This is my authority." That is authority. (break) (Hindi) Ap thik hai?

Girirāja: So this is Mr. Ram Jethmalani. He is the Member of Parliament representing this constituency. So he recently came from Detroit. He was teaching at the university there while this emergency was going on, and now he came back. So he mentioned his idea of helping the slum dwellers. So I have showed him that article, "One Hundred Million Harijanas Looking for a New Messiaḥ" and gave him a copy of the letter which Goswami Mahārāja wrote. In the meantime he was just busy with other functions. He didn't get a chance to go through it. He is very interested.

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

Prabhupāda: But we can influence him.

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)

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

Prabhupāda: England, nonsense number one. Worst false prestige, England. In that respect, other countries are better. They had a British Empire. They are still puffed up. And they will stay there to continue British Empire. Now they are earning money for eating, showing British Parliament House. Now there is no business.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They make money by tour of the Parliament House.

Prabhupāda: "Shopkeepers' nation." The Parliament has become a shop. Artificially they're maintaining an atmosphere of aristocracy. There is not... I talked with some of their Lords. Artificial. The have lost all prestige. Still, "I belong to the Lords' House." The priestly order, the Lord family, I talked with them. Simply artificial.

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

Prabhupāda: Let him do. We are prepared to cooperate with him. We can give him good advice. We are not going to become prime minister. We have no such policy. Neither president. We kick all these. We have no time even. Even they offer, we'll not take. We are not interested in this. But for the welfare of the whole human society we can give them good advice if you like. That is our duty. Actually the legislative assembly should be filled up with men like us, Parliament, to give advice. But all loafer class, bhangis, cāmāras, they are filling up.

Mr. Myer: All (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore the disaster came, Indira.

Room Conversation Mayapura attack -- July 15, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...are completely against us. He says Girirāja and himself are meeting leading Hindus like Sadaji Vitlal, etc. He said, "We will have to bring up the Calcutta incident in Parliament." He says this has to be brought up in Parliament. "It was just like Uganda." Just like what happened in Uganda. Whole thing is a plot of the Communists.

Prabhupāda: And it has gone to the Central Government?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You said that. I guess you must have got that information from the newspaper. I didn't know that. I mean just see. Fifty of them together stealing the grass. That's organized. Two hundred fifty people waiting in the bushes, knowing that we will try to stop them from stealing, and suddenly they all rush into the gate, destroy the gate, cut the wires, cut the telephone line, destroy the waterpumps. Every one of these things is criminal. We did not do anything wrong, no wrong in any case. And yet they arrest us. The American government... Actually this should be pushed from the American government. That will have tremendous effect. We should let the American government defend us.

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

Yaśomatīnandana: No, even the societies are not exempt. Only one gośālā trust is exempt. So they're registering as a gośālā trust, but there are some limitations because it had to be registered before. So they are now moving in that way at least, to show that...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I was telling Prabhupāda about that member of Parliament.

Yaśomatīnandana: Yes. So there is one member of Parliament in Gujarat who belongs to the party of the Home Minister. He was the chairman of party Lok Dal. It was Charan Singh's party. And he... I met him, and I explained to him that we wanted some citizenship for some devotees or something like that, and he mentioned it to Charan Singh when he came back from Delhi. And Charan Singh said that if it was... There's discussion, then definitely... I mean if there's no legal hitch, he will certainly help. Then I said but they want to come and meet you also. So he said, "Yes, you can bring them." So tomorrow... I came this week, and tomorrow the member says that we can meet him. Now I just heard that there was some news yesterday? So that... We will have to make two applications, one to clear up that incident...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So the member will come here to Vṛndāvana to see Prabhupāda?

Yaśomatīnandana: Yes, if I bring him he'll come.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is that nice, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Not bad.

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

Prabhupāda: Please try to... Just try to understand. There is a story that a thief entered in a room, and the proprietor, he was in the other room. As soon as there was some sound, he inquired, "Who is there in that room?" The man said, "No, no, I am not stealing." You see? That means he is thief. So this voting board raised the question, "How they are getting visa?" In the Parliament also they are raising the same question. That means it is Communist manipulation, the Māyāpur affair. They put forward some Muhammadans because there are many Muhammadan Communist also. They wanted to give a communal color. But the whole thing is Communist plan. And their aim is to wipe out any religious movement. That is their open declaration in other Communist...

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

Yaśomatīnandana: I think he has brought First Canto, Part Two, Hindi.

Prabhupāda: He is very slow, printing.

Abhirāma: Śrīla Prabhupāda? If this point was raised in Parliament, then that man could not be Jyotir Basu. That would be Jyotirmoy Basu. He is M.P. from West Bengal.

Prabhupāda: So whatever it may be, it is Communist plan.

Abhirāma: But he is expected to make such statements. He is always making so many statements, and no one listens, again and again and again. It is his style. They expect him to...

Prabhupāda: So they are their party men.

Room Conversation -- October 9, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Muslims come to eat there?

Prabhupāda: They are all Muslim. That quarter is very busy where the house, restaurant.

Rāmeśvara: Yes. It's only about five minutes from the Senate and the main Parliament buildings. Also the biggest museums are very nearby. Very good location. And one man has also joined, a local man who is very intelligent. And he has begun translating Bhagavad-gītā into Parsi. And in three months' time his translation of the entire Bhagavad-gītā will be completed.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Did he come recently to India with Ātreya Ṛṣi?

Rāmeśvara: That's a different man.

Prabhupāda: It will be locally published.

Room Conversation -- October 15, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So how much transferred?

Girirāja: Ten lakhs, sixty thousand.

Prabhupāda: To?

Girirāja: To the Parliament Street Main Branch in New Delhi.

Prabhupāda: And before that, four lakhs?

Girirāja: Yes, four lakhs to Central Bank in Bombay.

Prabhupāda: So Dugal is very unhappy, eh?

Girirāja: Well, I mean he feels that he's losing everything. But the man from the head office tried to explain that, you know, "This is the reaction to your activities," and that "If you change your activities in the future, we may bring in more money." Actually we're going to expand and develop our activities more and more. So if they win our confidence, we don't mind giving them any amount of money.

Room Conversation -- October 20, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I think from Śrī Raṅgam temple. I haven't talked with him yet. He left very quickly. Śrīla Prabhupāda? One good news, the fixed deposit receipts have been transferred finally. We got them back now endorsed from the head office, so they are officially now with the Parliament Street office. That was Girirāja's very good work. He said he would do this, I remember, and he did it.

Prabhupāda: What is the amount?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Total amount? Total amount is ten lakhs, sixty thousand. It's now transferred. I have the receipts locked as before. And they're duly endorsed.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Room Conversation -- October 20, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're endorsed to the head office, Parliament Street, Delhi.

Prabhupāda: Now what you have got?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The fixed deposit slips. The actual receipts. See, but they've been stamped now. They've been handed over. We handed them over to this office here. We did everything according to letters and everything, and this office here in Vṛndāvana sent them by registered post to the head office. The head office got them, stamped them, and Girirāja went today to Delhi, collected them with Hari-śauri, and then Girirāja went to Bombay and Hari-śauri brought the receipts back. I took them and locked them away. Same receipts, simply stamped now with the head office stamp, entered in their accounts. So now the fixed deposits are officially held. We have them, but I mean to say they are with the Parliament Street Punjab Bank. Not Vṛndāvana branch.

Room Conversation -- October 30, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In Navadvīpa. And give the standing instruction at that time to Parliament Street bank to transfer every month the interest. That was my idea. But for the time being we have to tell them what to do with the interest. So I thought instead of going to the botheration of opening new accounts at the Punjab Bank at Parliament Street, let them go on transferring it to your accounts here. And then, when we open the Charity Trust account, then I'll give them a fresh instruction.

Prabhupāda: What...? The... In the Punjab National Bank, fixed deposits in the name of?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Fixed deposits are in the name of... Five lakhs are in the name of Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Temple Maintenance account, and five lakhs, sixty thousand in the name of Māyāpur-Vṛndāvana Trust.

Room Conversation -- October 30, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The interest or the fixed deposits? The fixed deposits are in Delhi, and the interest, for now, for the next few months, I am instructing the bank to continue to transfer to the accounts here in Vṛndāvana that it's always been given to. Then when the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust account is opened, I will issue a fresh instruction to the Parliament Street bank that the interest money should be transferred to that account in Navadvīpa or wherever we open the account. My idea was simply that since the money is to be spent in Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi, then when we write checks out, etcetera, from that account, it's much easier to encash it rather than having to go to Delhi for encashment.

Prabhupāda: No, why Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi? Whenever needed...