Prabhupāda: He did not say no, but the printing of books, that was difficult task for him. He had no money. He's hardly collecting for maintaining. And India, printing of books is a big job. There is no guarantee of sale.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He must be feeling sorry for it now. Of course, he's dead. But later on he must be feeling sorry that if he would have given you... Agreed to your request...
Prabhupāda: Yes. These things I would have done from Caitanya Maṭha.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I never knew... We never knew that you went to Tīrtha Mahārāja.
Prabhupāda: (chuckles) No... Rather, it is Guru Mahārāja's institution. I first of all gave him...
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: A chance.
Prabhupāda: He's head man. "All right. I shall join you."
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: When was this? Which year?
Prabhupāda: In 1953. Before going to America. Two years before.
Girirāja: '63.
Prabhupāda: '63, yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: '63 you were already sannyāsa.
Prabhupāda: No. '63 I was in Vṛndāvana. Before that.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Before sannyāsa.
Prabhupāda: Oh yes.
Hari-śauri: Before coming to Vṛndāvana.
Prabhupāda: Oh yes. At that time I was not sannyāsa. That means it was before '58. Somewhere in '57 or... So I tried my Godbrothers, that if they give me facilities for this, then I shall join. Otherwise, I will work independently. So nobody was able to provide me with this.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Nobody?
Prabhupāda: Well, they had no money. It requires money, printing of books.
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.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: H.N. Sharma always tells me, "I helped your Guruji print the first books."
Prabhupāda: That was through Hanuman.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Everybody is now taking credit for helping. Now that you are so big everybody says, "I did this. I did that, I did that."
Prabhupāda: No, actually, these Dalmia started with four thousand rupees.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They're nice people.
Prabhupāda: Oh yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I met two of them. They were...
Prabhupāda: He gave me twice funds. Four thousand once, five thousand. Five thousand he gave me when I went to America for the second time.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They gave fifteen thousand about three months ago for gurukula in Vṛndāvana.
Prabhupāda: Oh. No, they are sympathetic.