Donate (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"donate" |"donated" |"donates" |"donating" |"donation" |"donations"

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Press Interview -- December 30, 1968, Los Angeles:

Journalist: Where does the money come from to print Godhead?

Prabhupāda: God sends. (laughs)

Journalist: Well, yes, I was pretty sure of that, but God doesn't write checks and stuff like that. I'm just sort of curious. And I must say that...

Prabhupāda: God dictates you and you pay. That's all.

Journalist: I must say that that answer to that question is a very ambivalent answer.

Prabhupāda: (chuckling) Yes. I came here... You will be surprised. I came here with seven dollars only and the whole establishment expenditure is not less than, I think, five thousand dollars monthly. At least.

Journalist: That's sixty thousand a year. I mean, is it donated?

Prabhupāda: Five thousand is very minimal. I think it is more than that.

Press Interview -- December 30, 1968, Los Angeles:

Journalist: Well, do people come to the services who are not disciples and devotees?

Prabhupāda: Yes. No, we allow everyone, "Come on, chant. Take prasādam." We offer this prasādam. Chant, dance, hear Bhagavad-gītā, and take prasādam, and go home.

Journalist: In other words, if they want to donate something, they donate.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We ask donation, that "We are simply depending on donation. If you like, you can pay." People pay. Yes.

Journalist: Yes. Is that how the magazine is published?

Prabhupāda: Magazine also, we take to the market and put it for sale. People purchase. So actually we have no steady fund.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation Before Lecture -- April 29, 1969, Brandeis University, Boston:

Miss Rose: It's not in good order Swamiji.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Miss Rose: It's not in good order.

Prabhupāda: Which order?

Miss Rose: Well, my house where I live.

Prabhupāda: No, no. I say that you purchase one house.

Miss Rose: Participate in one house?

Prabhupāda: Purchase.

Devotee: Purchase. Buy.

Miss Rose: Oh. Am I gonna dig gold?

Prabhupāda: Oh, you have no money?

Miss Rose: To buy a house? I wish I did. I'd take all of the disciples and put 'em all in one house.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You just make one down payment, and they will pay monthly.

Miss Rose: Kṛṣṇa!

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa will help you.

Miss Rose: Kṛṣṇa!

Candanācārya: Sell your car!

Miss Rose: I've got a bad back. I can't walk.

Candanācārya: Your car helps your back?

Prabhupāda: Oh, your car is so nice. If I would have remained here, I would ask you to donate this car to the society.

Miss Rose: Can never tell what I do for (Prabhupāda chuckling) all my sisters and my brothers.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Conversation Before Lecture -- April 29, 1969, Brandeis University, Boston:

Prabhupāda: So you should write article that "We are not hippies, but we are converting hippies to the sane condition. So father, mothers, who are anxious for their children, let them send their children to us. We take care." In this way you make impression in the public mind.

Candanācārya: And also they make donations.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So our New Vrindaban scheme is there. Let them help and send their children. We make just opposite number of hippies. Yes.

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1970, Indore:

Guest (6): In yesterday's paper I read that somebody donated some land to you.

Prabhupāda: Yes. No. He has proposed to donate; not he has done. Where you learned this?

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- July 20, 1971, New York:

Pratyatoṣa: So this is what I planned on doing with the money, but then Bhavānanda and the GBC wondered about whether maybe the Book Fund or the around-the-world trip would have higher priority. So that's why I just wanted to donate the money, so maybe after I'm gṛhastha I could get this for you.

Prabhupāda: This money?

Devotee (4): Yeah, he wanted to donate this money for a tape recorder.

Pratyatoṣa: Yeah, but...

Devotee (4): The GBC suggested that he give it just to your Book Fund or else to pay for the around-the-world tour, to help pay for it.

Pratyatoṣa: They thought that might have higher priority than... It's a project, I wanted to set up a library of all of your tapes and make them available to everybody and preserve them, and have them all indexed.

Prabhupāda: Yes, I wanted a tape recorder.

Pratyatoṣa: Do you think this would fit your needs, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Yes, I wanted. I wanted to purchase one Stanberg.

Pratyatoṣa: Tanberg?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Dhanañjaya: Well, he's said so many times, "I can help, I can help." But still he's not produced anything positive.

Prabhupāda: This carpet was donated by him?

Dhanañjaya: Yes, this rug.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Anna Conan Doyle, daughter-in-law of famous author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- August 10, 1973, Paris:

Anna Conan Doyle: Yes, but I think that we have to have businessmen who are business conscious. Otherwise our world would come to a stand still.

Guru-gaurāṅga: Exactly.

Anna Conan Doyle: And even you people you have to have people donate like we have the Catholic church...

Prabhupāda: The difficulty is...

Anna Conan Doyle: ...is to make from the people are working, we are dependent on the materialistic man also...

Prabhupāda: No, the difficulty is that we are not satisfied with our living condition. Suppose I am, I have got this body. To maintain this body, I require my food, and for getting the food, I must have some money. I must have some occupation. This is one thing. But people are now... Suppose one thousand francs will provide his family, himself. He's not satisfied with one thousand francs. He wants ten thousand. That is the fault. Therefore he does not find time for Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

Prabhupāda: Mr. Ha... (opening letter), you can read this letter, that so many people, they offered their place for our temple. Just now we have received this letter. One body is offering his...

Śyāmasundara: Yeah. I brought that letter from London. It's from Guyana.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: He wants to write you into his will or something, give some money.

Prabhupāda: In India, also, there is that Bengali gentleman, he was offering two lands, one Agartala, and Agra. The people are still willing to cooperate with religious movement.

Revatīnandana: Yeah, this place is also donated.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: George is going to Portugal next month for reading and chanting. He's...

Prabhupāda: Oh, Portugal?

Room Conversation -- November 2, 1973, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Well, these politicians are politicians. Anyway, we...

Śyāmasundara: At least, if they come, everything will be successful.

Prabhupāda: Indira, simply Indira Gandhi comes, it will be tremendous success.

Śyāmasundara: Yes. Crowds will come. People will donate money for the pandala.

Prabhupāda: So when the pandala will be erected?

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 9, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: This George Harrison, he came there.

Guest (1): George Harrison? He has donated in cash for that building?

Prabhupāda: Not that building.

Guest (1): That building.

Prabhupāda: He has purchased for me.

Guest (1): Acchā.

Prabhupāda: It is named Bhaktivedanta Manor.

Morning Walk -- March 9, 1974, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: It is just to give His personal example that a sannyāsī should not be very much intimately mixing with rich men. That is by His personal example. He was a sannyāsī. He refused to see a king because a king is supposed to be always busy in material affairs. So if... For the general people aspiring to go back to home, back to Godhead, for them, to mix with the materialistic persons is forbidden. Viṣayiṇāṁ sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ ca (CC Madhya 11.8). Those who are viṣayī, simply engaged in sense gratification, and yoṣitām... Yoṣitām means women or enjoyable things.

Guest (1): Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hmmm.

Guest (1): Many religious institutions, they welcome the rich peoples. Those who are coming by cars, and those who are coming gorgeously, and they are donating much to the institutions, they are welcomed by the people, management of these institutions. And this is your version. It is just contradictory. I accept your version. It is quite, quite right. And I hope our institution must do not like that. This ISKCON must not do like that. The well-to-do peoples who come, they'll get more... (break) ...more receptions, more congratulations. I request it must be your direction that our institution ISKCON must not do like this. And it is your... (laughter)

Prabhupāda: But one, one thing is that we are not living like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (laughter)

Guest (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was ideal sannyāsī, and He was living apart from any material attachment. But we have to do preaching work. We have to construct temple, comfortable temple. So who will pay for that?

Guest (1): Then your version...

Prabhupāda: Therefore we have to sometimes do that. Just like that woman, that chaste woman. She served a prostitute...

Guest (1): To make them correct.

Prabhupāda: No. Serve prostitute for serving her husband. That is a big story.

Guest (2): Big story, yes.

Prabhupāda: Lakṣa-hīra.

Guest (1): Lakṣa-hīra. Yes.

Prabhupāda: You know that, Lakṣa-hīra.

Guest (1): And husband was a...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (1): And he requested his Lakṣa-hīra that "I want to go one night to the..."

Prabhupāda: Yes, to the prostitute and her pay, her fee, was lakṣa-hīra, one hundred thousand pieces of diamond. You see.

Morning Walk -- April 20, 1974, Hyderabad:

Mahāṁsa: And if they are impressed, they can, when our construction starts, they will be very willing to also give a very huge donation. They are capable of...

Prabhupāda: How many people are going altogether?

Interview with Minister -- April 26, 1974, Tirupati:

Prabhupāda: That, they are raising funds for millions of years. (laughs) I know that. Birla about... Yes, about fifty years ago there was contemplation of, that Birla would construct a very big temple in London. But there was no temple at all. Now since I have gone, I have established two temples, not very big, but still one of the temple is on the seventeen acre of land. A little outside London. One big musician, George Harrison, he has donated that temple, fifty-five lakhs. And we have got one temple in rented house...

Morning Walk -- April 29, 1974, Hyderabad:

Gargamuni: Some man has invited us there for kīrtana program. He wants to donate some building there.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's nice. We get a nice place, on the Ganges side. If he donates, it will be very sanitary (salutary?) place.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk Through the BBT Warehouse -- February 10, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Oh. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's family. "Book Digest." They publish our books?

Kirtirāja: We are trying to arrange that now. All of these different... There are so many magazines we are trying to get our books listed in them. Śrīla Prabhupāda, here's a magazine which one Christian press nearby has printed, very fancy magazine, and they were distributing it for free. They just recently printed a letter and then sent this. They have gone from this to this because they cannot afford to do it any more. No one is giving them donations any more, so they've gone from big fancy magazine to a small, plain paper. This people would like to see, but now this just looks like garbage. They won't even read it.

Prabhupāda: So it has degraded.

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

Devotee (1): There is one very wealthy man in Atlanta who... We went and did a nice presentation at his home. And then afterwards we distributed prasādam and had a nice bhajana, kīrtanas. Then afterwards he bought the whole set of literatures and gave a hundred dollar donation for all of the literatures, and he has them now.

Prabhupāda: Yes. For an American gentleman one hundred dollars is nothing.

Conversation with the GBC -- March 27, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: And the bare necessities should be paid.

Jayatīrtha: Right. Well, generally we have about seventeen, eighteen gṛhasthas employed in Los Angeles, and they get much smaller salary, and they, for the most part, they're giving everything over subsistence to the temple as donation. They take out minimum subsistence...

Prabhupāda: But Karandhara is not giving anything.

Jayatīrtha: Well, his point is... As you know, he made that unauthorized loan from BBT when he left, for five thousand dollars. And he has to pay it back at three hundred dollars per month. So after he makes...

Prabhupāda: Unauthorized loan?

Jayatīrtha: When he left last year, he took loan for five thousand dollars, and he is repaying at three hundred dollars per month. So after taxes, he gets eight hundred dollars. Three hundred dollars goes to BBT. That's five hundred. Now, with the balance, he supports his wife and children, and his wife is giving donations for Deities and so on. So he is not actually...

Prabhupāda: No, that you discuss whether he is... Otherwise I can give you a very first-class man, but he won't charge anything.

Morning Walk -- June 26, 1975, Los Angeles:

Rādhā-vallabha: When they arrest us we read to them out of Kṛṣṇa Book, the pastimes, and they listen the whole time. And sometimes for an hour and a half, two hours, they'll listen to us while we preach. Then they let us go. (break) Sometimes we are about to make an announcement to collect donations and the police officer will be standing there like this, like he doesn't want us to do it. And we go up to him and say, "If you don't look, we'll go ahead and collect and pass out magazines," (Prabhupāda laughs) He will say, "All right."

Prabhupāda: "Please close your eyes. (everyone laughs) Let us do something."

Press Conference -- July 16, 1975, San Francisco:

Reporter (1): One of the things that people say is that the devotees are asking for donations, not just distributing books but asking for money, that that's a bother.

Prabhupāda: But he pays. If he feels botheration, why does he pay? One who feels botheration, he does not pay. But one who thinks that "Here is a nice book. All right, let me take it," why you take this botheration? If it is botheration, how they are purchasing? They are paying their money, hard-earned money. Do you think they are bothered at the same time they pay? (laughter)

Morning Walk -- July 21, 1975, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Then they are fools. They should stop all this education. This university should be broken. (laughter) Because they are producing only fools. That's all. They should stop this education.

Bahulāśva: Donate all these buildings to you.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes. The buildings will remain there, but they will be finished. What is this education? They do not know what is God, what is soul, and what is the meaning of education? Simply bodily concept of life like cats and dogs, so what is the use of education? They remain cats and dogs. That is no value.

Press Conference at Airport -- July 28, 1975, Dallas:

Woman reporter: Have you any comment about the lawsuit that the sect here is involved in with regard to whether they should be allowed to sell literature and collect donations?

Prabhupāda: Certainly. This is good literature. It should be encouraged. People will become sane, understand what is his constitutional position. Otherwise in your country, the other day I saw in the Times paper, they are very much perturbed, "Crime, what to do?" They are thinking. So if this literature is distributed and people read it carefully, there will be no more crime. They will be all saner to understand, self-realized souls. At the present moment people are misguided, accepting the bodily concept of life.

Morning Walk -- August 28, 1975, Vrndavana:

Member: You are deputy of God, and He is making you true. Swamiji will be staying here for another two months?

Prabhupāda: Yes. I wish to.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Have you seen that land which has been given to us in Nellore?

Member: Yes, it is very near to me. You see, in Nellore, one lady has donated about ninety acres of land.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: With a house.

Member: With a house which will cost nearly four or five lakhs or even more. Very costly. And they also ...

Prabhupāda: Which season is good? I shall go there.

Morning Walk -- August 29, 1975, Vrndavana:

Akṣayānanda: If it was in newspaper form, that would be lowering the standard too much, the Hindi Back to Godhead. Then they will throw it away?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Like we have those...

Prabhupāda: No. We must have quality. Our Godbrothers, they publish tenth-quality papers. Nobody... Nobody cares.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: In Madras we are printing a big Tamil Īśopaniṣad, and one Sindi man, he has donated eight thousand towards the cost. The total cost is eleven thousand, and he has donated about eight thousand. If we can get this... One way we can reduce our cost is by getting advertisements.

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But that you wish not to do. You'd rather...

Brahmānanda: Just like this other man has agreed to subsidize the Arabic book?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He will pay for the whole thing, not just subsidize.

Brahmānanda: So, so many can be gotten in this way. If they see the books are coming, then they will want to... (break)

Prabhupāda: ...man is convinced, then our printing of books shall be success. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3).

Morning Walk -- September 18, 1975, Vrndavana:

Dhanañjaya: A few days ago a devotee donated three hundred rupees to the Deities.

Prabhupāda: Donated, that is all right. I am talking of the business.

Dhanañjaya: I see.

Prabhupāda: Donate, I may donate three thousand. But that is a different thing. But from practical point of view, you are spending hundred rupees per day, and you are collecting eighty rupees.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 6, 1976, Nellore:

Mahāmṣa: (break) His father is donating for Kṛṣṇa's Deity.

Prabhupāda: Oh. And who is donating for the temple?

Morning Walk -- January 18, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Cloth you are not going to sell. Cloth are you going to sell?

Jayapatāka: We can take donations for cloth. We won't sell. We'll take donations for cloth.

Prabhupāda: That, for that purpose...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What is the harm of selling cloth, Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: No, then you will require extra energy.

Jayapatāka: No, I mean our own production, not outside.

Prabhupāda: No, no, your production.... You should make production for your necessity.

Morning Walk -- January 19, 1976, Mayapur:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Cost, they say.... It costs today.... A 16 millimeter projector with sound is about ten thousand rupees, new. I have a projector in America but I don't know.... I'm going to bring it, anyway, but it's not at all new. I'm not even sure...

Prabhupāda: So why new? Old is no useful?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Frankly I don't know if the projector.... This projector was donated by someone and we have no purpose for it. That's why I don't know about it's condition. I keep it in the bus.

Prabhupāda: So let who is coming, let him bring it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They'll be coming in about a month from now. I'm not at all sure of the condition of it. In America things like that are.... A very old one, it's probably about fifteen years old. One boy joined us and donated it. We couldn't even sell it. In America things like that, if they're used, once they are used, sufficiently used, no one will purchase.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Ten dollars you can sell it like that for, twenty dollars. Every month or two we have to hold a garage sale because so many.... When the boys join I get them to donate everything they have. I send one man with them to their apartment. Usually they are sharing their apartment or house with some others, friends, and suddenly the Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees come in and take everything out of the house, furniture...

Morning Walk -- March 14, 1976, Mayapur:

Acyutānanda: If a man says, "I am giving you this donation because it is a spiritual organization," but if the money is misused, does that man benefit?

Prabhupāda: If money is misused, then both of them become implicated. If it is not used for Kṛṣṇa, then both of them becomes under the laws of karma.

Morning Walk -- April 8, 1976, Mayapur:

Madhudviṣa: I was reading in the paper the other day, how the Catholic church has drastically declined in the last ten years.

Prabhupāda: They must decline.

Madhudviṣa: They are losing one billion dollars a year in donations because they cannot...

Prabhupāda: They have to starve, not a single paisa donation. By law should be prohibited. No donation should be (indistinct).

Pañcadraviḍa: They used to be very strong. Everybody had to give ten percent of their wages.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Morning Walk -- April 12, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: We can get everything, but the government will not allow. That is the difficulty. We can get grain, food...

Dr. Patel: I think grain they would allow. So many Christian institutions from America donate butter and ghee and rice and wheat to the Christian churches here. I think they would not object. We have not tried, perhaps.

Prabhupāda: No, we are trying. In Bengal they are trying.

Morning Walk -- April 24, 1976, Melbourne:

Guru-kṛpā: We want to set the example this year by also giving a big donation to Māyāpura and also building here.

Prabhupāda: At the same time you see that it is not misspent. That is another defect, that our spending is not very frugal and spend like anything. There must be.... But in India they want to cheat you, and you are very expert, being cheated.

Room Conversation -- May 5, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Because we are selling books.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Because we're selling books.

Bhūrijana: Not so much the selling books. Maybe because of the emphasis on taking..., how much money can be taken. Like if someone says on the street, "Please give me a donation." So they give him a donation. "No, you must give more," and more and more. So the people think that the devotees are only interested in getting money and they get a bad impression that ISKCON is a money making movement.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We're selling one half a million large size books each year.

Morning Walk -- May 26, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: A bhakta is never unsuccessful.

Devotee (2): (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Yes. Karmī.... Just like this house you have got. For a karmī to invest so much money, it will takes fifty years. We got this by donation. (laughter)

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

Prabhupāda: With man is dangerous for both. I, I have given that: man is good, woman is good, when they come together-bad. Both of them bad.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bad. We see that.

Rāmeśvara: They say that that farmland in Oregon is too small, very small.

Prabhupāda: Let them organize that.

Rāmeśvara: Jagadīśa was telling me that there are some boys who are donating seventy-five acres of farmland about four hours from Los Angeles. It is the best farmland in California. So he wants to develop this, because they have given it to him, specifically to make a farm and eventually to have the children of Gurukula live there. So perhaps we could invite Yamunā.

Prabhupāda: As soon as you make Gurukula, government immediately stops.

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

Svarūpa: Now that the Back to Godhead has become so very good in quality, when the people finish reading it they see our ad for membership and they write in for information on membership and they are becoming our members, which means that each month they pledge donations, and they are on our mailing list. They receive newsletters, we even send them prasāda in the mail. And now we've got 250 members each month donating to the Book Trust.... Altogether are donating four thousand dollars each month, and it is increasing.

Prabhupāda: So increase the number of Back to Godhead.

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

Prabhupāda: They are very favorable to us. Especially the father.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes, Bhogilal. I remember when I first approached him for a donation, I asked him: "Please give twenty-five thousand rupees." I was the one who was approaching him. So then he said, "I can give ten thousand." So I said, all I did is I, just I said, "Please give more." He said, "All right, twenty-five thousand." (laughter) It didn't take very much preaching, he's so kind-hearted. And his son Pranlal was also nice boy.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He's very intelligent, he knows what we are doing. His wife also, that young girl.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

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

Prabhupāda: And you give the book?

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

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

Ambarīṣa: Also in Boston there's a lady who may be donating a million-dollar farm to the Boston Temple. This is just a project that's a little bit..., that's just started, and she wants to donate her farm. So that is also going on, and also the temple is purchasing the building next door. I gave them some money for a down payment on it so they could buy the building next door to use it to house the people that are living in the restaurant and also for the Bhaktivedanta Institute, because I think the Bhaktivedanta Institute is going to be in Boston. Mādhava is there.

Prabhupāda: Yes, Boston is nice place for the Institute.

Room Conversation -- June 17, 1976, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Viśvakarmā: ...and hold the child and then they give some dakṣiṇā, five dollars or ten dollars.

Prabhupāda: No, that we can do. That is first-class.(?) Give caraṇāmṛta and they have given some donation, that's nice.

Viśvakarmā: We can give them a lecture on householder life? Have them sit and give them a lecture and then give them caraṇāmṛta?

Prabhupāda: Who will hear your lecture?

Viśvakarmā: The, all the people that come for this ceremony.

Prabhupāda: They can hold kīrtana. That will be nice, if they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Room Conversation -- June 17, 1976, Toronto:

Viśvakarmā: Yes, then they will feel that the temple is like a place where they can come, even though if it's only for once a year. They will still give the lakṣmī, a donation.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They will consider it is their own interest.

Morning Walk -- June 6, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: He's a very good boy.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He's very eager to train up the new men, he mentioned in his last letter.

Prabhupāda: He is devotee. Nasty government. If somebody wants to give donation, a car, not allowed.

Kīrtanānanda: Where is this?

Prabhupāda: In India, if you want to give one car donation, they'll not allow. They'll charge 230 paisa(?). (indistinct) Very nasty government.

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

Prabhupāda: No, we need, we supply money to India. Depend on Kṛṣṇa; Kṛṣṇa will supply.

Vipina: Jaya. That happened just about less than a month ago. Some gentleman who was a Seventh Day Adventist, he became interested and started to call and come by and listened to the philosophy and even listened to your tapes. And then shortly after that he gave a donation of five thousand dollars. We bought with it some chandeliers for Kṛṣṇa's temple for you to see tomorrow.

Prabhupāda: Five thousand dollars?

Vipina: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Don't misspend.

Morning Walk -- July 11, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: In India the sannyāsīs beg, but I did not beg. I sold my Back to Godhead, books. I got income tax free...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You always gave literature.

Prabhupāda: I think this church.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, Universalist church. You always gave literature in return for donations you received.

Prabhupāda: That is going on still.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Evening Darsana -- July 13, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: So, give prasādam to Mr. Kallman.

Mr. Kallman: Prabhupāda, could you please accept this small donation.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. Give this garland.

Interview with Newsday Newspaper -- July 14, 1976, New York:

Interviewer: Well, and they think how to sell literature and... Is that the way to God consciousness, by selling and soliciting? Is that...?

Prabhupāda: No, no, if you are...

Interviewer: How does that fit in?

Prabhupāda: If you are God conscious, naturally you give up all intoxication habit.

Interviewer: Yeah, but just going out and selling and accosting people on the street...

Hari-śauri: He's asking how does our saṅkīrtana activities relate to God consciousness, the selling of books and collecting of donations.

Prabhupāda: So if I sell a book to you, you read because you have paid for. Then you'll get benefit.

Interviewer: How does it benefit the seller?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Interviewer: How does it benefit the person who works on the selling...

Prabhupāda: Unless you purchase, how you'll get reading?

Bali-mardana: How does it benefit the person who is selling the book, the devotee.

Prabhupāda: Oh, devotee.

Rāmeśvara: How is he benefited by selling books to others?

Prabhupāda: But he... He is giving service to Kṛṣṇa. He's not charging anything. If we appoint some bookseller, you have to pay, but we haven't got to pay. Out of his love for Kṛṣṇa he's doing that.

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

George Harrison: Now let me finish all this.

Prabhupāda: This is that mango preparation.

George Harrison: Okay.

Devotee (2): It's coming.

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.

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

Prabhupāda: We want worker. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa is giving us so many centers. In India I can get so many places, but how to manage? Simply taking from persons, and if I cannot manage nicely, that does not look well. Therefore I say first of all get men, then take donation. There is no harm. How many devotees were living here?

Jayatīrtha: There's about a hundred, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes, then it is all right. And if there was no devotees, ten devotees, then how could we manage?

Evening Darsana -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Mr. Patel has donated over $20,000 for the purchase of that temple, Mr. and Mrs. Patel.

Prabhupāda: Sannimitan bharam tyaga vinasena isati(?). Money will be spent, and if it is spent for good cause, that is the proper utilization.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: All the community people here in this room have donated as much as they can. They have helped us.

Prabhupāda: In America we have got the facility for selling books. Contribution there is, but our main source of income by selling books. We are selling books to the extent of sixty...?

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.

Morning Walk -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This machine? It's a water cooler. Someone donated it to us about two, three years ago.

Prabhupāda: It acts?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Hari-śauri: That's where we get all the drinking water from.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Cold water from. We put boiled water into it. Bring boiled water from the kitchen.

Prabhupāda: We have no tap water here?

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.

Interviewer (4): Do you have any other source, like donations or something like that for your movement?

Prabhupāda: Very small. Mostly we have got a few cases of donation of land and house. Not very large sum or money, never.

Interviewer (4): But I thought Henry Ford has given some... I thought the Ford family has given some huge donation.

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.

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

Gargamuni: Because we printed a new form. And generally when members come they always donate more so we give them one book.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gargamuni: They always... I visited one hundred members, and all of these old members, they gave one thousand.

Prabhupāda: Just see. Yes, they will give. I know.

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

Gargamuni: It's a place which he's not using. He met you in Bombay. He also visited our centers in Paris and New York. He's a Marwari man, very rich, very nice. He's also donated good sums to the society. So now he wants to meet you, and he wants someone to go there. So I told him we will go and look at it.

Prabhupāda: Where?

Gargamuni: It's in Rajastan.

Prabhupāda: Rajastan? Where? Which side.

Gargamuni: It's near Beekanair. It's with agricultural land and a big house. They said they spent about fifteen lacks on it, marble house. The family is not using it. They have no use. We're getting a lot of offers.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- August 22, 1976, Hyderabad:

Gargamuni: Yes, oh, yes. Those are heavy-duty machines. They were old, but they were good.

Prabhupāda: They were working nice. And the printer was that boy?

Gargamuni: Ranchor.

Prabhupāda: Ranchor. Spoiling so much paper.

Gargamuni: Yes, so much.

Prabhupāda: He brought $500 from his grandfather.

Gargamuni: Yes, he donated.

Prabhupāda: His father and mother divorced. So he used to visit sometimes his grandfather, father's father. So naturally grandfather, when he used to visit, he gave him some money.

Garden Conversation -- September 7, 1976, Vrndavana:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: "This society was formed strictly for the purpose of spreading God consciousness. We briefly submit below the misleading information as reported by Blitz and humbly inform you of the fact." What I've done is I've shown each point that Blitz has incorrectly said and then responded to it. Should I read? Okay. "Point one. Blitz Ungodly Face of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. ISKCON: The International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness is a worldwide community of devotees practicing the Vedic teachings, the eternal science of rendering devotional service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Society was founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, a pure devotee of God, who is coming down in paramparā started by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa five thousand years ago. In other words, the roots of this movement trace back to at least five thousand years. It is not a modern concoction. In India our Society is registered under the Society Registration Act #21 of 1860. As we are a registered nonprofit organization, we are required to maintain complete account of all donations received, both within India and from abroad. Thus keep a complete account of all our expenses. Our accounts are audited every year and submitted to the income tax authorities and the charity commissioner. Very briefly, the main object of the Society, as registered with the government is..." I've given them the three main points from your memorandum of the association. "To advance, transmit, and spread the ethical and philosophical principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as revealed in the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And the doctrines and the observances which serve to promote and manifest the said ethical and philosophical principles in the furtherance of the subject. To build or to assist in building temples, schools, colleges, hospitals, and other buildings in connection with or for the advancement of the objects of the Society and to maintain, alter, and improve the same, including existing buildings, and to furnish and equip the same. To print, publish, sell, or cause to be printed, published or sold, or to distribute books, booklets, leaflets, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly newspapers, magazines, or other periodicals for the purpose of giving information for the work of the Society. We refrain from four categories of sinful activities, such as meat-eating, intoxication, gambling, and illicit sex life. Furthermore, our entire life is dedicated to reading, chanting, and preaching about Kṛṣṇa. We rise at 4 a.m. all over the world. So how can Blitz say that we are ungodly when we are following Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa's teachings?" This is my reply to point one. It's okay?

Prabhupāda: Yes, this is nice. Very good.

Garden Conversation -- September 7, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Not Gītā-prayana. Gītā-parāyaṇa.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh. Parāyaṇa. Okay. I just copied the spelling from the paper, Parāyaṇa. Okay, I'll change it.

Prabhupāda: No no, that is understood.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. "He complimented ISKCON, for disseminating the Vedic culture. West Bengal government officials have praised our agricultural efforts. The principle officer of agriculture of Nadia District in West Bengal said that our Māyāpura farm is receiving attention of nearby farmers, and this farm is acting as a demonstration for them. So the statement that foreign devotees are running ISKCON in India is misleading. Point five, Blitz: Big business in Spiritual Sky. Boss of West Bengal is Gregory M. Scharf. ISKCON: In Māyāpura our devotees make handloom saris, dhotīs, and gāmchās. All over the world our devotees wear the traditional Indian dress of dhotīs, kurtās, and saris. It is our spiritual master's desire that all our devotees overseas only wear clothes made by our devotees in Māyāpura. Spiritual Sky sales and services was formed just to send our Māyāpura handloom and other necessities only to our centers overseas. In return our overseas centers send Māyāpura donations. Even Gandhiji wanted every Indian to be self-sufficient. This is what we are trying to do. We produce our own food and clothing. Instead of criticizing, Blitz should publicize these activities so that others can follow. Gregory M. Scharf's spiritual name is Gargamuni Swami, and he is an initiated disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Blitz has tried to portray him as a businessman who's wearing saffron clothes to deceive people. He is a sannyāsī since 1966. Point six, Blitz: Substantial amounts of foreign money is being received by ISKCON India Limited. ISKCON: First of all, our society is registered and called ISKCON, not ISKCON India Limited." They are purposefully being sarcastic. "It is not a business house. Yes, we do receive remittances from abroad. Every paisa that has been remitted from abroad has come through the reserve bank of India. Bhaktivedanta Swami has written over eighty books which are being sold in every country in the world. These books are selling twelve doubled(?) sixty thousand dollars daily which is about five lakhs. We have over a hundred centers all over the world and all these centers are being run by book sales. In the last three years, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust has published over two million hardbound big books. About three and a half million softbound medium size books and about fifteen million magazines on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So you can see the wide acceptance of these books. Out of the 2,800 major universities in America, about ninety percent have purchased one or more of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda's books. Occasionally we receive contributions. This is not in cash but in kind. For example, Alfred Ford donated two buildings to our Society, one in Honolulu Hawaii, and the other in Detroit, America. In London..."

Prabhupāda: Thank you. You can go and play. You cannot understand.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Go and play. "In London, George Harrison donated a big castle which is now called Bhaktivedanta Manor. We have purchased many buildings and converted them to temples from the sale of our books. What is wrong if a portion of Bhaktivedanta Book Trust sales are transferred to India for construction of temples? Fifty percent of Bhaktivedanta Book Trust income is spent for further publishing and the other fifty percent is spent to build temples all over the world. In fact, Blitz should appreciate this because Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda's books are bringing valuable overseas currency into the country without any cost to the Indian public. Point seven. Blitz: In Bombay they have put up a temple with a barbed fence around it. ISKCON There is no barbed wire around the temple. We invite Blitz to show us the barbed wire." There's no barbed wire. "Point eight. Blitz: Already rupees twelve lakhs have been spent on an unfinished temple in Vṛndāvana. ISKCON: Blitz does not know that the Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma temple in Vṛndāvana was completed and officially inaugurated by Dr. Chenna Reddy, governor of U.P., in April, 1975." 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.

Press Interview -- October 16, 1976, Chandigarh:

Interviewer: That you have money from... Extortion of money from the devotees. Asking their parents to pay or some such thing.

Prabhupāda: Parents to pay. This is a farce.

Interviewer: As a donation or contribution.

Prabhupāda: So we can ask donation from anyone. What is the fault there? Is it extortion? What is that extortion? Suppose if I ask for donation...

Interviewer: No, they equate that this donation was extortion.

Prabhupāda: No, no, extortion, what do you mean by extortion? If I ask you donation and if you pay, does it mean it is extortion?

Morning Walk -- December 25, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Cinmayananda is atheist. Atheist. He does not believe in Kṛṣṇa.

Guest (2): He has donated over three hundred books in that haṭha-yoga, that can...

Guest (1): Yes, in U.S.A., Santa Cruz.

Prabhupāda: Yes, he took some lakhs of rupees from Birla for distributing the Gītā. I know that.

Room Conversation -- December 31, 1976, Bombay:

Hari-śauri: How did you manage to get your first Bhāgavatams printed?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: From donations.

Prabhupāda: Donation. This Dalmia, Jayadala, he gave me about four thousand.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 6, 1976, Bombay:

Mahāṁsa: Now we are in the process of making a brochure so that we can present to trusts and foundations for bigger donations for the farm project.

Prabhupāda: That's nice. They have amassed money. Let them spend for this village organization. This is real Gandhi's program. He wanted this village organization. But because they manufactured their own way, it was not successful. But if we follow this principle, it will be successful, without any doubt. These big, big āśrama... Gandhi's āśrama is vacant. No. They are getting money, but they have no such program.

Morning Walk -- January 6, 1976, Bombay:

Girirāja: Yes. So Mota says that he's a very rich man and that man who came, we should approach his older brother and he says that they can give a very big donation. And they can introduce us to other Punjabis.

Prabhupāda: Mm. So whatever you sanction, it will not be good.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, you stay here.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Plus there's lot of income tax. The income tax is so bad, the government laws, that ISKCON cannot even sell books. Even if we sell books we are considered to be a profit-making organization. We can give books away for a donation but not sell it. They are such... Tomorrow our auditor is coming on site. He's coming with two, one income tax lawyer, who is our new lawyer now. Very nice man.

Prabhupāda: So you want to keep there?

Discussion on Deprogrammers -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That means there is no money.

Rāmeśvara: But one recent development which will change that is that they have appealed to the government that they are an educational group. Therefore they should be tax exempt like any other educational organization, and the government has agreed. Now they have gotten their tax exemption, so now these parents can donate lots of... Different people will start donating lots of money to them as tax write-offs. So I think that we will see that their activities will be expanded this year, because now they are tax exempt, they'll get a lot of money.

Hari-śauri: That news article said that someone had given them $105,000. Some parents of a cult...

Prabhupāda: No, there are rich parents. They can do that. And every parent is unhappy. (chuckles)

Room Conversation on 1976 Book Scores -- January 16, 1977, Calcutta:

Rāmeśvara: This is a very bad picture. It makes the devotees look very strange. And they have this elaborate ghee holder.

Prabhupāda: This is our men?

Rāmeśvara: Yes. This is at an ārati. You can see the donations that people have put on the tray. But it makes it look very strange, this picture with the lighting. They have deliberately selected this.

Prabhupāda: Very big article.

Rāmeśvara: Yes. I have just been reading it.

Hari-śauri: What newspaper is that?

Rāmeśvara: It's a very small-time newspaper called the Soho Weekly News.

Prabhupāda: And bad propaganda is going on.

Room Conversation on 1976 Book Scores -- January 16, 1977, Calcutta:

Rāmeśvara: Number two was Los Angeles with $87,000. Number three was Berkeley with $85,000. Number four was San Diego, $62,000. Caracas, 60,000, Brazil and England tied-$48,000. Germany 33,000; Denver 32,000; and Pittsburgh 30,000. And the medium temples weren't so outstanding, but the small temple, Houston, little Houston, $25,000. They only have about twelve men. I cannot understand how hard they worked to do this, very hard. Plus it shows Gurukṛpa's donation, ISKCON food relief donation. Then the outstanding zones for the month. Number one is Tamāla Kṛṣṇa, with $200,000. Number two was my zone. Actually it's your zone, but you've made me manage it a little. $182,000, very close to beating him. (Prabhupāda chuckles) Actually I have noticed that if the West Coast was not divided this year into two zones... Formerly it was just one zone. All Berkeley, it was one zone. Now it is two zones. So I noticed that if it had not been divided, then every month the West Coast would have been number one.

Prabhupāda: Combined together.

Rāmeśvara: Yes. Then Hṛdayānanda was number three with $155,000. That is very good for Latin America.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Rāmeśvara: They call themselves educational organizations. They are educating the public because they do speaking engagements at colleges and different places. So on the basis of that, they applied to the federal government, "Please, we are just an educational group. You must give us tax exemption." So they have been given that. Now people can donate money to them. Instead of paying taxes to the U.S. government, they can donate money to them in exchange for paying taxes. (laughs) So the fighting will get more...

Prabhupāda: Intense.

Rāmeśvara: This year, definitely. But that means more propaganda for us, more publicity.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. (chuckling)

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Gargamuni: No, but they dip in butter. That's how my... They used to serve. My father, he used to take like that. And lemon, lemon juice. Also, Prabhupāda, when I was in Dacca... I think I told you that when I was there they were willing to sign over that land to our society. It's a very nice plot.

Prabhupāda: Gauḍīya Matha. Gauḍīya Matha.

Gargamuni: Yes. Because no one is maintaining, and he has no followers, and, he knows, when he dies then there's nothing. So he was interested. And not only him, but his supporters were also pushing him to sign it over, and they had agreed. But then the war broke out, and I left, and I think a lot of them have been killed who were his main finance backers. He had some lawyers and doctors who were donating, but I think they have all been killed. So now he has no one. So recently some of our men have gone to Dacca for visa to come back, and he's still interested, more so now.

Prabhupāda: He's not killed.

Gargamuni: No. He survived.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Long life.

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Calcutta Muhammadan, that he would give him that property, and this Muhammadan would give him this property, his property. I checked it. I approached the donor, the Bali-hatti(?) zamindar, that "You donated this temple and it is going to be in the hands of Muhammadan. Do you like it?" So he said, "No, I don't like it." I said, "Make it inquiry." He inquired, and he immediately wrote Tīrtha Mahārāja that "You are contemplating. This we do not approve. We are the donor." So Tīrtha Mahārāja replied him that "It is no more in the hands of the donor. I am the trustee. Whatever I like, I can do."

Gargamuni: Ruthless.

Prabhupāda: Then he... There was very strong correspondence, and Tīrtha Mahārāja could not dare to do it. Otherwise he arranged like that, to give the temple to a Muhammadan and accept a Calcutta property which belonged to the Muhammadan.

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Gargamuni: When I was there, there were many doctors and lawyers, and I think all of them have been murdered. I think the only Hindus that are left are the poor people. But while I was there the teachers and the lawyers... The most prominent lawyer was Hindu. Doctors, all educated men.

Prabhupāda: Dead.

Gargamuni: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Just see the policy.

Gargamuni: But they, I think annihilated all of the... Anyone who had any education... Just like that boy. He was translating your books? They shot him in front of firing squad. One boy. I printed one book there in Bengali, I think, three thousand copies: The Peace Formula and Who is Crazy, I think. It was about fifteen pages. They gave me some donation. Even the Gopāla... His name was Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī. He also gave me from his pocket. And I printed... We had it translated in Bengali, but then...

Prabhupāda: He was killed?

Gargamuni: Yes, for translating. He was shot in... Not him but this other brahmacārī, young boy, very nice boy. His name was Karuṇāmayī.

Rāmeśvara: For translating it they did it.

Gargamuni: Yes, for translating. They wanted to annihilate anyone who had any literary talent. That was their idea. Or anyone who had any education. So that after they left the country there wouldn't be anything. Because they knew they had to leave one day because of the revolutionary spirit. So they thought, "Let us ravage the whole country and then leave." And that's what they did. Their main attack was the university. When I was there that was their first attack 'cause that university was a very old one and...

Prabhupāda: Yes, Dacca University next to Calcutta University. Just see how human beings are becoming less than ferocious animals.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Gargamuni: Yes. I will go. In a Muslim country to establish Vaiṣṇavism.

Prabhupāda: The temple is nice, and let us renovate it and establish our center, and gradually, if Americans preach there, the Muhammadans will come. If Hindu preach, they'll take otherwise. But when they see the Americans have come, they'll take it little seriously. And now we have got philosophy. At least the educated class will understand. You take that, and it will be a great triumph. My Guru Mahārāja will be pleased. He established that temple, and Tīrtha Mahārāja was selling it. But he has no power to go there. He was exchanging. I told you that that I went to the donor and asked him that "Your temple is being exchanged with a Muhammadan." So they took it seriously, and they stopped it. This temple was donated by one big zamindar. They live in Sababazar.(?) They have got enough property in Dacca, big zamindar, Balihet. How he dared to exchange the temple established by Guru Mahārāja for a house in Calcutta? Just what kind of person he was, just imagine.

Gargamuni: Ruthless.

Prabhupāda: Ah, yes. All our activities are like that. What is the condition of Caitanya Matha now?

Gargamuni: Caitanya Matha? They're very quiet now. When I came out to Māyāpura—I think it was about ten days ago—I saw a big bus, a tourist bus, and this..., the son came out with a bunch of people to Caitanya Matha. But it's relatively quiet now there. There's no actions.

Room Conversation -- January 22, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Caitanya Mahāprabhu stayed there, and Nityānanda Prabhu stayed. Mādhavendra Purī stayed. It is very important place.

Gargamuni: On our way down here we also stayed overnight. On my way down here.

Prabhupāda: Very good. So what do you pay?

Gargamuni: I gave them donation of twenty-one rupees for the night.

Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Make Manipur a big nice center of Vaiṣṇava. You are descendants of Babhruvāhana. There is no doubt about it. Vaiṣṇava rāja. Make Manipur a strong center of Kṛṣṇa, and it will be easily done, strong Vaiṣṇava center, kṣatriya. I would like to see this.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I think the government, the Manipur government, they are willing to even donate land.

Prabhupāda: Yes, let us cooperate.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: It will be very easy.

Prabhupāda: Let us cooperate. The Manipur is already... For the last five thousand years at least, their name is in the Bhāgavatam, Manipur. And still they are Vaiṣṇavas. They have got temple in Navadvīpa, in Vṛndāvana. So Manipur have cele...

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Was that your plan for Kurukṣetra, to have a university there?

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 -- February 17, 1977, Mayapura:

Ādi-keśava: They have their own guru. This Ted Patrick has become their guru, and then they have a whole organization built around him. They are now getting donations, they're a nonprofit corporation, they have established a $100,000...

Prabhupāda: If he's in jail...?

Ādi-keśava: Yes. Their guru is in jail. Ted Patrick was just... He got out of jail, but he so much wanted to do this deprogramming that he went, and they caught him, and they put him back in jail again. And now he's in for one year, back in the jail. But they are going on with this activity without him. He has trained so many other people up.

Room Conversation -- February 27, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: So it is waste of time, waste of money and waste of time.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If they don't learn, what is the use of the book?

Rādhā-vallabha: In Los Angeles they are learning how to read.

Prabhupāda: This policy is not good. Why?

Rādhā-vallabha: So before I get involved in it at all, I'll make sure Jagadīśa speaks to you.

Prabhupāda: No, no. We should not invest our BBT money in that way.

Rādhā-vallabha: I wasn't going to. That's what I wanted to mention.

Prabhupāda: Strictly. It is not required, unnecessarily investing money. It should be noted.

Rādhā-vallabha: That's what I wanted to ask you about.

Prabhupāda: Before investing money in anything, you should ask me.

Rādhā-vallabha: That was my question, that if a donation is given specifically for that...

Prabhupāda: The donation may be given. That...

Rādhā-vallabha: So then it's all right.

Prabhupāda: It should be invested very conscientiously.

Rādhā-vallabha: Yes. The money will all come back too.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The thing is, though, that when we get these donations, it's because we suggest that they be invested in a particular way. The people often state that. It's not that they're so dedicated to the particular way we invest the money. I've seen that very often. It's due to our suggestion.

Rādhā-vallabha: In some cases, but in other cases it's not possible to get money unless you... Like with the Laguna Beach people. Unless they know exactly what it's going for, they won't give something. And this is the type of thing that can inspire them to give a little money, especially the ones that don't give anything. Anyway, even if a donation comes, I won't do anything with it until I speak to you.

Prabhupāda: No, donation may come for causes good, many, but investment must be conscientious.

Rādhā-vallabha: So I'll save it until I speak to you.

Prabhupāda: Not that because you are getting donation very easily and you spend it, squander it, like that, anything. No. That should not be.

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

Prabhupāda: You deposit in the Māyāpura.

Rāmeśvara: In Los Angeles, that check.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: That's the check. And also the Tehran yātrā is making an additional two thousand dollar donation to Your Divine Grace. Shall I give him a check or shall I put it in your account? Which way you like?

Prabhupāda: No, no. You can directly put in my account.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Put it in which account? In Māyāpura account? Or shall I put it in my account and give you interest?

Prabhupāda: That's all right

Room Conversation -- March 2, 1977, Mayapura:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yeah, at the end of the first week of April, or in the middle of April at the latest. Then, in about six months, I have decided to finish the book we have been writing. So by six months' full time, all three of us together can work hard... There's a lot to be studied, studies, studies. So I've made a proposal for the three of us in which we'd work real hard for six months to finish the book. And then, by that time we would have the first volume of the journal plus the book. So we can go out for preaching. We can all have the material for... Just speaking, sometimes it's so difficult for others to understand what's there. They want to really study our work. And then we can also do some saṅkīrtana while we're preaching. Then in the future we might also be self-sufficient, not supplying any money from BBT. It will be a burden to the BBT fund, and so also we wanted to generate so that it can be self-sufficient, rather than donation by BBT.

Prabhupāda: They pay for scientific lecture. When there is some scientific lecture...

Room Conversation -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Girirāja: Yes, because that's the rate I established. We checked the market rate. Plus we want them to give six months of rent in advance, plus we want another benefit from them. I was recently in Hyderabad, and I saw an advertisement in the Hindu paper of Madras by a temple, which advertised the deity of the temple and said you can make a donation, and you can make a donation at any of the branches of the Indian bank, Bank of Madras. So one of the things I have been talking to these banks is when we open a Bombay temple we would like to try this approach here, advertise the Deities, have a small story about the Deities, and say anyone who wants to make a donation can make it at any branch of State Bank of India without any charge. And then the bank must agree to give us this service, collect the money and remit to us. So with the banks who have been coming I have been asking them...

Prabhupāda: They will deposit in Bombay.

Room Conversation -- April 13, 1977, Bombay:

Girirāja: Well, altogether we made nine members. And then this one young man is going to donate for one of the parts of the building.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Girirāja: I met one young man, and he may donate for one of the rooms fifty thousand. Otherwise he'll donate for some..., either twenty-five thousand or, minimum, eleven thousand. Then a lot of people wanted to arrange our speaking engagements at Rotary Club, Lions Club and different associations, so we're arranging towards the end of May to go back again and have a..., maybe a week, every night, different program.

Prabhupāda: Very good. Poona is not far away.

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

Prabhupāda: How many miles?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: How many miles from Imphal? Seventeen. One-seven.

Prabhupāda: Not many miles.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yeah, it's not too far. And this land they are donating to us.

Prabhupāda: They have done already?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They want to donate this to ISKCON to build a temple, ISKCON Hare Kṛṣṇa temple.

Prabhupāda: So if you can pick up one person from family, then we can do immediately.

Room Conversation -- April 19, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: For Manipur business don't mistake. Don't use them. We form this five-man subcommittee and take the donation. Then you develop. (looking at newspaper) Whose photo is there?

Bhakti-caru: Mr. J. C. Shah, an agent... "Former Chief Justice, Mr. J. C. Shah, who is going to assist (indistinct) during the emergency. The former Supreme Court Judge is an agent into the affairs of..."

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Morning Conversation -- April 30, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We get a letter from Morarji Desai. It was written to Jagat-guru. Jagat-guru Swami got a letter from Morarji Desai.

Prabhupāda: Jagat-guru Swami, who is?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's your... He's that disciple that was in Africa for a while.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Tall sannyāsī.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He was preaching in Africa for a while, and he was in India for a while also. He's one of your disciples.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He took sannyāsa last year with Haṁsadūta Swami.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: His name is Jagat-guru.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He collected a big donation in Middle East once, and he gave it to you, twelve thousand dollars or some...

Prabhupāda: Our?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, yes.

Discussions -- June 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Rāmeśvara: So we have prepared an affidavit. Shall we read it?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Rāmeśvara: "I, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, disciple of Oṁ Viṣṇupāda 108 Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja Prabhupāda and settler of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, at present residing at the Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Temple in Vṛndāvana, hereby solemnly declare, say and confirm as follows: 1. That I am the Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, known as ISKCON, a society registered under the Society Registration Act of 1860, with its headquarters at Juhu, Bombay, and branches at..." And then it's to be filled in. "2. That some properties with movable and immovable..." What is this word? "...have been donated to me by the devotees of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness or purchased or otherwise acquired by me in my name which still stand in my personal name; 3. That I hereby categorically declare and say that I am just a benāmadāra (benāmi) of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness..."

Prabhupāda: What is benāmadāra?

Girirāja: It means... Just like in the Chand Society. Due to some reason we could not take in the beginning in the name of BBT, so we appointed someone to keep in his name, but actually it is not his. He is the only the benāmadāra on behalf of the society.

Prabhupāda: Oh, benāmadāra.

Conversation with Surendra Kumar and O.B.L. Kapoor -- June 26, 1977, Vrndavana:

Dr. Kumar: No, I tell you, there are people... You see, if you tell them that "Come on, we shall spend a lakh or two lakhs of rupees on this temple. Are you agreeable?" they will say, "No." I have that experience. Why? Because if a temple is not in good condition, they go out, meet people and say, "Look here, this is the condition of the temple. Could you not donate something?"

Prabhupāda: No, I tried. Rādhā-Dāmodara Temple, I have tried.

Room Conversation during lunchtime -- July 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The Salvation Army Santa Clauses, they became very upset, because their routine is that they stand next to a big chimney, because Santa Claus is supposed to come down a chimney in the myth. So they stand next to the chimney, and they shake their bell. People put money into this chimney. But our Santa Clauses, they go down the street very, you know, moving around, dancing, and they go up to the people all over the place. They don't wait for people to come over to the chimney. So we were taking away a lot of the donations that they would have given to the chimney Santa Clauses. So they were very...

Prabhupāda: That is business, competition. You are doing your business; I am doing my business. That competition is there in every business. When there is business, you cannot dictate me in your favor: "While you are doing this, my business is being hampered." Who will hear you? Hm? If you say it is competition, that "Why you are doing like this? It is hampering my business," I'll say, "Yes, I want that your business may be hampered; my business may prosper." That's it.

Room Conversation Gaurasundara, Dr. Kapoor -- July 26, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: We require a large amount of... If possible, you try to help. What is your source of income?

Gaurasundara: Not so much income. Some donations, and we have a farm. We're selling produce.

Prabhupāda: If you can, try to. Cows you have?

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

Yaśomatīnandana: Just now this is the first year, and it has not been used for three, four... It is not that fertile. It is not too much fertile. For rice you have to prepare the ground. Some part of it is there. Once we develop, then we can develop it for rice. That area is doing maximum rice. Bhogilal's men grows fifteen lakhs' worth of crops every year. He has thousand acres, and most of it is even unfertile. Only in certain part of it, fifteen lakhs.

Prabhupāda: So why not our farm?

Yaśomatīnandana: We cannot get that much. But we can easily go up to two lakhs.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Per year.

Yaśomatīnandana: Per year. This is at least.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And he donated it free. Yaśomatīnandana said Bhogilal will be coming here for Janmāṣṭamī to be with you.

Yaśomatīnandana: We invited him for Janmāṣṭamī. So he said, "If you come, I'll go." He wants me to accompany him.

Prabhupāda: He's godly man. And he's religious, honest, ideal man.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You like to talk to him also, you said. You wrote...

Prabhupāda: I talk with him as my brother.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You're always joking with him, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Room Conversation -- October 6, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: A very nice statue was made of you, and it's being placed in many libraries and museums. People donate it. Members pay for it to be donated to libraries and schools. It's a bust of Your Divine Grace. It's very heavy. It's made of bronze.

Hari-śauri: Can you see it there, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Can you see it? Shall I sit you up?

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Room Conversation -- October 11, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: They are both intelligent.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes. They are working very hard.

Prabhupāda: And they are very sincere. What do you charge?

Parivrājakācārya: About sixteen rupees, fifteen tomands(?). It is very little price. It's very small.

Prabhupāda: For one plate?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: One plate. Very reasonable price. But many people give donations. And many of them take the books. We have your books. They take, and they read it, and they love it.

Prabhupāda: Success.

Hari-śauri: What kind of people do you get?

Prabhupāda: High class.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Higher class. Very intelligent, educated...

Prabhupāda: The low class, they purchase that big ruṭi. (laughs) That's all.

Room Conversation -- October 12, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Where is that place?

Jayapatākā: That's in Balasore district. It's about thirty miles south of Balasore. It's a three-hour bus ride from Bhuvaneśvara north. There's a Gaura-Gopāla Mandir there that was being managed by a disciple of Parvat Mahārāja, a disciple of Parvat Mahārāja. Lokanātha Swami had written to you that they wanted to donate the temple plus twenty-four bighās of land, and you had replied back that he should accept it. So he left three men there from his party and they registered the land in your name, including the mandira. At that place Lord Caitanya had visited on occasion, going back and forth between Bengal...

Prabhupāda: Baribhada? That place is called Baribhada?

Jayapatākā: Now it's called Bhadrak. They're... Just a few hundred yards from the place of the mandira is the place where Lord Caitanya sat where He was staying for five days when He was there. Then about two miles away on another occasion He stayed at a Rādhā-Madana-mohana or some mandira. Lord Caitanya's been going there on occasion. It's in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. It mentions the place. And the people who have given us the temple, they are the descendants of the devotee with whom Lord Caitanya stayed with. They're the same family. And so they're very enthusiastic and they want to give all help. Although it's a small place, they've already made a couple of members, life patron members, and they're trying to collect donation. There's a college there, and some of the professors of the college come regularly to the temple, and they are chanting japa and they're bringing their students and other colleagues.

Prabhupāda: Good field.

Room Conversation -- October 15, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That construction is not so important as printing of books.

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 17, 1977, Vrndavana:

Girirāja: ...activities are going on. Haridāsa promised that he would, you know, maintain the collections for maintenance. So he's doing that with the help of one or two other boys. And I asked about the attendance at the morning and evening programs, and they wrote back that the attendance at the morning program is very good, maṅgala-ārati and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And it's fair attendance in the evening. And then the construction is going on. It's in the final stages. And then you probably know we had a meeting to discuss the plans for the opening and the management of the new guesthouse and restaurant and theater. So I think the plans are very good. Actually last night we were discussing that the cullis pieces which go on the top of the domes, that those are ordered in, I think, brass or copper like here. But those become black very quickly. So we decided that we would try to plate them in gold. So we had also decided that we would not try to have more men donate for rooms, because we want to make sure we have enough rooms available for outside guests that might be coming. So some of the big men who might have donated for that, I could approach them to get donations so that we could gold plate... (break) So we decided that we want to open around January so that we could take advantage of the facilities immediately, so that the building doesn't lie vacant for two months.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Subhasya(?) śīghram. As early as possible.

Room Conversation -- October 17, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They won't even charge, probably. We can simply give donation to them, but they won't even demand charge. That will be best.

Hari-śauri: The South Indians probably would not agree to one or two.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. They'll want fourteen or fifteen.

Hari-śauri: Now they've already got the idea of taking so much money from us. They won't like it if one or two come.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. They won't agree to it. They'll say it's not possible.

Hari-śauri: It's better to tell them...

Prabhupāda: You can get local brāhmaṇa to assist us. Perform the yajña little gorgeously, that's all. If you can distribute to the local brāhmaṇas, important, some (indistinct) silk cloth, and grains, and..., they will come. And let them cook themselves and take prasādam and do that.

Room Conversation -- October 21, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: You are welcome.

Jayapatākā: Dr. Ghosh said he would even invest ten, fifteen thousand rupees in a dispensary and make it a very nice one.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Jayapatākā: He said he would donate money also for, even ten, fifteen thousand rupees, for making nice dispensary.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Ghosh: I am at the end of my resources. (Bengali) You should also come forward and cooperate with me.

Prabhupāda: Mutual.

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yearly?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, no. Once and for all. It's a permanent installation of a permanent line. The yearly electricity bill he'll pay. That's his business. Then he seems to want to repay this amount that we're giving from the postal receipts. So I have no objection. If he repays, then we'll simply follow the original scheme and divide it up accordingly. Or he can divide it up. I don't know why he wants to pay it back. I don't know. I've explained to him that it's a donation. But anyway, it's better he pays it back, and then we can give it to each of the persons involved. I don't think there's any need of taking any loan agreement or anything, is there? Is there any need?

Prabhupāda: I don't think so.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I mean verbal agreement is enough, isn't it, in dealing with him? I would think so. I mean I thought it was sufficient if he agrees verbally. No contract or loan agreement. He wants to pay this money back by April. I didn't tell him he had to. I told him it was a donation. He seems to want to pay it back. So let him if he wants to. Then he wanted me to arrange, so I'm sending... I gave the receipts to him as you saw. I'm sending the letter... I'm sending a man to Delhi tomorrow to get a ticket for him, airline ticket.

Prabhupāda: Where he is?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's gone to take his meals now. Then he's going to take rest, he said.

Prabhupāda: And he has got the papers?

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So this 43,000 can be given, because it is not Society's money.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. It's not come in our accounts, so it can be given definitely.

Prabhupāda: So this much you can do.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I fully agree. And I have no objection to giving one lakh. But I'm speaking from a legal point of view. It will injure us, and I don't want to be injured.

Vrindavan De: No, I can spare some little amount of interest. I can pay.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's more jeopardizing. We can't charge interest. We cannot make profit on money loaned out, as a society. It goes against the laws of India. That's the whole point. Even if we gave it in any way, it's jeopardizing.

Vrindavan De: But you can put it easily on donation account, that charge interest.

Prabhupāda: No, Overseas Bank they can give.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Overseas Bank, they can give?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: On what basis?

Prabhupāda: Against their money.

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...tomorrow probably. (indistinct) ...loan... Actually we're not loaning him that money. That money is being given as a gift to him. He was willing to pay it back. I said, no, this is a gift from you to him for improving his business. I said actually it's meant for each of the family members. I told him, "You use it now for improving your business. Then if business increases, you can eventually pay each one of them the money that they should have gotten." He said, "Very nice." And I explained to him what squandering meant. Now it is very clear. I told him that "You can use the money each month that you get. And all of you can use it for three things: for purchasing property, increasing business or buying government stocks." I said, "Prabhupāda's point is that whatever he's given you, it should increase in its value. He wants to see that it increases." And now it's very definite, so... Again I explained to him how there should be no difficulty with this, getting this... He's a little lazy. He's lazy. I could see that when he thought that the money was a donation, I think it came in his mind that "Even if the business deal doesn't go through, I still get the money." He should be encouraged, but his tendency is to be a little lazy. They should not be given money easily, too easily. Otherwise they won't work hard. He's also getting some money, he told me, from a fixed deposit in Calcutta from the BBT which he uses for travel expenses. He says gradually he will be paying some of that money back. He said that's why he sent you sometimes... He recently sent 870 rupees. He says that he's using it for travel expenses, and he may pay it back. I didn't know if you had arranged anything regarding that. You expect him to pay that money back, or not necessarily? It should be.

Prabhupāda: No, I expect.

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Travel exp... I talked to him, and I explained to him that he's taken ten thousand rupees for traveling expenses and twenty-five thousand rupees books, thirty-five thousand rupees, and he's paid six thousand rupees in two years. I said, "This is not good business." So he said, "Then stop the traveling money." I said, "I'll stop it temporarily. You start paying some money. Then again we can give you the money." I said, "We want to give you the money, but do some business first." So he said, "All right." No, he's pretty pleased to get this big amount now for making this contract. This is a big amount that he got, half a lakh nearly. From this, he can make more profit, and then he'll pay it back by April, and then we'll give him nine thousand rupees free donation. Each of them gets nine thousand rupees as per your original scheme. So they are being looked to nicely. Actually there's no difficulty. They have very few expenses.

Kavirāja: (Hindi)

Bhakti-caru: Śrīla Prabhupāda? (kavirāja chants viṣṇu-mantra) (Bengali) (Prabhupāda drinks something) Śrīla Prabhupāda? (Hindi—Prabhupāda, Bhakti-caru, and kavirāja) (break)

Prabhupāda: I think whatever money you give Vrindavan for business, he'll spoil. He has already spoiled. They are getting, altogether, about two thousand rupees even without any business—his mother, one thousand, and they four, 250 each. So let them chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and eat and sleep. That's all. He has already spoiled.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Not... Kono... Give me some taste. I lost taste.

Bhakti-caru: (offers miśri-jala)

Gaura-govinda: It is Bhaktivikāśa Mahāyogī Mahārāja at Bhadrak who has donated that maṭha at Bhadrak? We have started new center? He has come with me to see you.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Where is he?