Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust

Expressions researched:
"Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust"

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...for getting a little more clear purposes of the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust we're developing at Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. Would you like to hear what we have written?

Prabhupāda: Hm. Svarūpa Dāmodara: "...6) In keeping with the spirit of the previous ācārya's vision of Gauḍīya-Mādhva sampradāya, to cement relations with all the sister temples of Gauḍīya-Mādhva sampradāya under one banner, to solidify preaching the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as desired by His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda and Śrīla Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda and all the previous ācāryas in this line."

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...for getting a little more clear purposes of the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust we're developing at Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. Would you like to hear what we have written?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: "First point: To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to the residents and the visitors of Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. Second point: To propagate the consciousness of Kṛṣṇa, as it is revealed in Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and to propagate that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, as is revealed in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and the Caitanya Bhāgavata. 3) To bring all the members of ā together nearer to Lord Caitanya and thus develop within humanity at large that each soul is a part and parcel of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. 4) To teach and encourage the saṅkīrtana movement of congregational chanting of the holy names of God given in the teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. 5) To erect temples, schools, colleges, universities, institutes of higher studies, hospitals and other buildings with or for the advancement of the objects of the Trust and to maintain, alter and improve the same, including existing buildings, and to furnish and equip the same. 6) In keeping with the spirit of the previous ācārya's vision of Gauḍīya-Mādhva sampradāya, to cement relations with all the sister temples of Gauḍīya-Mādhva sampradāya under one banner, to solidify preaching the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as desired by His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda and Śrīla Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda and all the previous ācāryas in this line. 7) With a view to achieving the aforementioned purposes and to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, and other books and other items. 8) To do all such other things for the attainment of the objects of the Trust. 9) Trustee members are appointed lifetime. The members should always be seven. 10) A meeting once a year at Śrīdhāma Māyāpura during Gaura-Pūrṇimā. 11) There should be a chairman, a treasurer, and a secretary elected each year. 12) A quorum of at least five members." Finishes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So these are the points, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that we have... We expanded this. Your original simple point was to form a Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity for developing Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. So we have expanded it into these points if they please Your Divine Grace. We took the ideas mostly from your original points in the..., when you formed the New York corporation, Śrīla Prabhupāda. We used those points and just changed them around a little bit. Today that Jagadish, I forget his name, that lawyer from Mathurā, he is coming, so I'm going to be meeting with him, and I'll give him these points and see if he can draft a document, proper document. I'd like to get a document done in time so that when we go to Māyāpura, and especially at Gaura-Pūrṇimā, we can have the first meeting. (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust, or Charitable Trust? Which do you prefer, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: That I do not know. You...

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Pañca-draviḍa: We are very much fortunate that after so many millions of lifetimes in the material world we have finally met a qualified spiritual master.

Prabhupāda: For fifty years they could not construct a maṇḍapa in Gauḍa-maṇḍala.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust, or Charitable Trust? Which do you prefer, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: That I do not know. You...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Śrīla Prabhupāda said... (break)

And they'll remain in that house lifetime.

Room Conversation -- October 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bhakti-caru: (asks kavirāja in Hindi) He says it's not good to have too much thirst. It's better in this condition. He's not eating anything. To have the thirst is a kind of disease when the bile secretion increases.

Kavirāja: No wind. (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: The assistant? Somebody is appointed assistant.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Adri-dhāraṇā is doing all assisting and serving to him, Adri-dhāraṇā, the boy who brought him.

Prabhupāda: No, Raṅganātha temple, somebody?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh. Not yet, Śrīla Prabhupāda. We're not getting into that, because hopefully we want him to stay for, some time.

Prabhupāda: He has agreed.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's agreed to stay for some time.

Prabhupāda: No, that assistant.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, we haven't approached anyone yet.

Bhakti-caru: No, he has come.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, you did approach?

Bhakti-caru: Yes. Like, he just wanted to consult him. Consult him in the sense... At the first place he had to discuss about certain preparations, and he didn't have the books with him, so he wanted to see the books, so I took him there. And then he liked him, talking to him, and he says he's a very efficient person. So he wanted him to come tomorrow, so like when he is not here...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How long he will stay here for?

Bhakti-caru: Four or five days he agreed to stay. But he says that in four or five days Śrīla Prabhupāda won't be able to travel. It will be at least ten to fifteen days. At that time...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Anyway, let us see. Maybe we can convince him to stay.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: A bit longer.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We should try. Śrīla Prabhupāda? I had meeting with that lawyer? That man is wonderful. He is the first lawyer I have ever met that I honestly feel is an honest man. That Jagadish...

Prabhupāda: Agarwal.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is that his name? Agarwal? From Mathurā. Whew! Very high class man, thoroughly gentleman.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Noble-minded.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We met. Svarūpa Dāmodara and I spent an hour at Bhagatji's house. Bhagatji brought him. So he's going to do that Trust. He says in three or four days time he can finish it, Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust, with the aims and objects we have given. Then I talked about that squandering amendment. So he explained that the best way to do it is that we amend it to say that they always get 250 rupees for their maintenance, and the other 750 rupees, instead of fixing it in their names, fix it in the name of ISKCON, and ISKCON executors of the will shall see that they give them the money at the time of seven years for the purposes of three: purchasing property, business, and for buying government stocks. And the profits from those, they can do anything they want with. He said don't let them put the 750 rupees in their name, because then they can do anything they want with it, squander it. But if you put the money in fixed deposit in ISKCON's name, then ISKCON can give them the money after seven years, for those three purposes. So if you approve, then he can make an amendment clause, and then you can sign it, and then it can be done. He understood everything very perfectly. He said actually... He understood it perfectly. Actually, because everything belongs to ISKCON, the whole will is more or less a moral, spiritual guidance, because legally everything is already ISKCON's. So I said, "But we want it to be morally and guided spiritually. To us, this is the will. Whatever this will says, we must follow as Prabhupāda's disciples." He said, "Then I can make an amendment, which would be like that, that every month they'll get 250 rupees for their whole lifetime, and the 750 rupees will be put in fixed deposit for seven years in the name of ISKCON, and at the end of that, the ISKCON executors of the will, will give them each the money each month, fifteen hundred rupees, for the purpose of..., in those three ways, and that the money should not be squandered." He said that way, if ISKCON sees that the money is being squandered, then they stop giving them that money and they'll just give 250 rupees. Two hundred fifty rupees they must get. And Radharani De, she may get always one thousand rupees. She is older. Let her have that. Whatever she does is her business with the money. And, I think, it is a very good way. And we'll all make sure that they get the money, but they must use it properly. It's Kṛṣṇa's money.

Prabhupāda: And they'll remain in that house lifetime.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. It's a very good house. I spoke to him. I said, "Have you made any friends in that house?" He said, "Oh, they're all..." He called them lakhi-pati and crore-pati. (Prabhupāda laughs) I said, "So it's very good house. Such big people are living there."

Prabhupāda: Who said lakhi....

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Vrindavan. He was saying that they're all big people living there. So I said, "That's good. It means a high class place. You don't move out of there." He said, "It is a good place."

Prabhupāda: Very first class place.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It is first class. There's no doubt about it. I also got him a plane ticket. I sent a man to Delhi today, and we got the reservation. So he'll be leaving Vṛndāvana tomorrow morning at about 9:30, 9:00-9:30. So I told him that he should come and see you. He'll come in the morning to see you. He was... A couple of time you were sleeping today, so he could not come. Otherwise he was wanting to come.

Prabhupāda: So you guide him with his...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes. I told him that you want me to help him in every way, and that there's no doubt we will do that in every way.

Room Conversation -- October 30, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: A transfer from Indian Overseas Bank to her account in Bank of..., I think it's in United Bank of India, direct into her account. Her account is joint signature of herself and Vrindavan-candra.

Prabhupāda: Oh. So she is informed?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes. All of them are informed. Then I've also sent a letter to the Central Bank of India—again I'm not sending it to Central Bank; I've given it to Girirāja—that when they start to get the 250 rupees a month from Indian Overseas, then we will stop sending the 250 from Central Bank of India. In other words, everything will be done from one bank, right on our land. It's a lot easier to deal with this way. It's much cleaner. Then... Let me see what else. I also sent a letter to M.M. De today. I requested him to please tell me what his bank account number is. I also... He's dealing with most of the business of Panchashil flat. According to Vrindavan-candra, M.M. deals with these matters. Apparently he has a little more legal mind. Probably he's more intelligent. Anyway...

Prabhupāda: No, who?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: M.M. De. So in my letter to him I explained to him... I enclosed a copy of the conveyance draft, and I requested him that as far as I was concerned, the draft was all right, but that he should check up with some of the other flat owners. If they executed a similar conveyance, please inform me, and then we will do as they have done. I also told him that whatever taxes or other things which he pays should be paid in your name, and receipts should be gotten in your name, and copies of the receipts he can please send me for my records. And I also wrote to him that regarding the permanent electricity supply, if the four of them together pay half of the amount, then as soon as they send me the receipt, then I will send a check for the other half. Those were the points I wrote in the letter to him. What I'm going to do is, as soon as I get this amendment done which mentions about the misspending, not to misspend the money-squandering clause—then I will send a copy of that along with a letter, explaining to them how each one of them will be getting Rs. 250, and then after seven years, you know, the bigger amount. And then I will send them a copy of that squandering clause with that, saying, "But you should not squander this money. It must be invested in fixed deposits or government bonds. Otherwise your monthly pension will be stopped and it will be given to Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity." I'm only going to do that after I get the amendment clause finished. So like that, everything was done, and I finished all of that business today. Also I wrote a letter to Dr. Ghosh, telling him that whatever money he advances we will match, again repeating our offer that we have two rooms ready. And I also mentioned to him how... He mentioned how he was a little disappointed with his discussions. I said that is not so surprising, because our Gurukula is ultimately meant for spiritual education, not otherwise, and we're only going to give a little basic hygiene teaching. I said, "Mainly now you should take up this dispensary. We are very eager for that." And again I invited him to come here soon. And I gave him a report of your health. And I also sent a letter to Bank of America in Los Angeles for transferring six hundred dollars to Prabhaviṣṇu in Nepal, because each month we have to give him that money so he can stay there and work there nicely. And then I did some other letters to Punjab Bank in Delhi to the head office, telling them that the interest... For now the interest from those fixed deposits we'll have credited to your account here. And once we have the first meeting of the Bhaktivedanta Charity Trust..., Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust, we'll open a bank account, probably in Māyāpura or Swarup Ganj.

Prabhupāda: Why not open the Charity Trust account in Delhi?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In Delhi?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, I would think that for operating it, it would be a lot more... My idea was that it would be better to have it in the Māyāpura area itself, since it is primarily meant for spending... It is meant entirely for spending in Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. My idea is that we would open the account in Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi area and give instruction to...

Prabhupāda: Gaura (indistinct) area where?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, right now our bank accounts are in Swarup Ganj, Bhavānanda Mahārāja?

Bhavānanda: We have in Swarup Ganj and Navadvīpa and Krishnanagar.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I felt we would open it in either Swarup Ganj or Navadvīpa.

Bhavānanda: Navadvīpa is good banks.

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 Māyāpura-Vṛndāvana Trust.

Prabhupāda: Oh. So where they will kept?

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...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, you said that the purpose of the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust was for development of Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. That was your original... At least that's what you initially told us.

Prabhupāda: Mm. Which is better? Which is better?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That it should be just for Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi or general?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, I think it's better for Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. Because for general, we have ISKCON. For general, we have the... I'll explain, Śrīla Prabhupāda. For general, the GBC has formed the Māyāpura-Vṛndāvana Committee. That is more or less... Your original name of it was Māyāpura-Vṛndāvana Trust. So we've formed a Māyāpura-Vṛndāvana Committee made up of the following seven people: Jayapatākā Mahārāja, Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Prabhu, Girirāja, myself, Rāmeśvara, and Gurukṛpā Mahārāja and Ātreya Ṛṣi. so these seven meet, and they divide up the money that comes from all the interest of the fixed deposits in India, and they will recommend how that money should be spent. Once a year they will consider at Māyāpura all the different requests from Bhuvaneśvara, from Māyāpura, from Bombay, from Vṛndāvana, everywhere, and they will divide up the interest accordingly. So the Bhaktivedanta Charity Trust could be simply for the Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi area. That was my idea.

Prabhupāda: Whichever suitable.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Which is suitable.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I think the general is already covered by this Māyāpura-Vṛndāvana Trust committee. That's for all of India. And Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi is especially for encouraging the development of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism in that area-Śrīdhara Mahārāja's nātha-mandira, this Yoga-pīṭha Bhaktivedanta Hall. Different buildings. Supposing one of your Godbrothers may have written some manuscript, he has no money. We can print some books for him so he can sell them, like that, works within the Māyāpura area.

Prabhupāda: That we shall fix up, what to spend.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity trustees would fix that up?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: All right.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I don't know if I'm understanding your desires about all of these points.

Prabhupāda: No. My point is that all this interest will go for charity.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "All of the interest" means from all of the different fixed deposits or from these ten lakhs, sixty thousand? Just like we have... I'll give you an example. In Bombay we have that Māyāpura-Vṛndāvana Trust fixed deposits in Bank of America. So those are big amount. So those fixed deposits and other fixed deposits, that money, I was thinking, would be decided by that Māyāpura-Vṛndāvana Trust committee. Because those are all ISKCON men.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Madhusūdana Mahārāja, Mādhava Mahārāja, they may decide for the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust with the other five of us.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is that all right, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: All right.

Room Conversation -- November 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: The brāhmaṇas must be fixed first of all.

Girirāja: Yes. So he said he would write today, and this evening I'll confirm it that he wrote and sent that letter, and then, within a week, we should actually get the confirmation. Otherwise they are very eager to do this and the only thing would be the date. So this afternoon we're planning to execute the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust and also the amendment to your will. So Viśvambhara Prabhu and I are supposed to go to Mathurā now to meet the registrar and some other people. So is it all right if I go now? (break)

Room Conversation -- November 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...notarized copies of everything. This registrar is not the real registrar. He's only a clerk. The registrar is on leave. So because this man is not so experienced, it takes a little extra time to do everything with him. So Girirāja and I have had a little bit of experience, so we had to teach him some things. Now everybody understands clearly. Everything is now completed. Your signatures were quite good, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Your signatures were not bad.

Prabhupāda: This thing? What is that?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Your signatures were fairly good. Some of them were very good. They remarked that the signature was strong... (break) I tried to make it as quick as possible. Now I have the receipts, and I will keep them locked in the almirah just like we did last time. And after about one week we'll be able to get the original documents after they've been registered. In the meantime, on Monday we're going to open up a bank account in the name of Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust in Punjab National Bank, New Delhi. Girirāja, who is the secretary of the Trust, and Bhavānanda Mahārāja, who are the treasurers, will open the account. So the interest from the fixed deposits will go directly into that account. Is that nice? That was your idea. And the bank will be happy that we're keeping the money in their bank. All of your plans are perfect, Śrīla Prabhupāda. And our perfection is simply to carry them out without changing in any way. You have such complete plans that we don't have to do anything new. We have to work our whole lifetime simply to carry out what you've planned. Even then we won't be able to complete everything. We'll have to trust to those who come after us to finish everything. So I'll just finish everything now with them, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and lock everything away, and then I'll come back. I don't want to leave Girirāja alone. It's nice to do everything together, two. I'll come right back afterwards. (break)

Prabhupāda: The Trust deed somebody may read.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes. I can bring it just now.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I can read it to you personally.

Prabhupāda: All right. (break)

Room Conversation -- November 6, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. Śrīla Prabhupāda? Śatadhanya Mahārāja and Bhakti-caru went to Mathurā and they called Calcutta. They spoke with Adri-dhāraṇa? So he's going to bring the kavirāja here.

Prabhupāda: Kavirāja has no telephone.

Bhakti-caru: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda, he has one. He has telephone at home and in his chamber also. But when we rang up, he was not at home.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Therefore we thought it best not to lose any more time but to call Adri-dhāraṇa, because he's proved to be very capable person—he was living with the kavirāja when he was here—and we want Adri-dhāraṇa to bring the kavirāja personally anyway. Also, Girirāja and myself were just with the registrar and we made the correction on the name without any difficulty, so now it's correctly given as "Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust." I wanted that because whenever we gave money from the Trust, I wanted to make a plaque with your name on it, Śrīla Prabhupāda. I thought that would be a nice thing to do. This way, now your name will be properly given. So Śrīla Prabhupāda? The kavirāja will be coming quite soon, and I was thinking that you've been a very good patient, taking all of the medicines which he prescribed. So we should not discontinue it until he comes, because that way we can say to him that you have taken everything exactly as he recommended. That way, he'll know certainly how much his medicine has been effective. If we stop the medicine, then he won't be able to tell exactly. And as he'll be here quite soon, I think that we should just finish taking the medicine until he comes.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- November 6, 1977, Vrndavana:

Jayapatākā: Well, this Vairāgya Vidyā, that will be printed in two weeks, so then we will distribute that. In English there's good scope also, because in my zone, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, they are English-predominated state because the Christian missionary have converted everyone. But they found great reception there, although the Christians are... Even the Christians are buying. There seems to be a lot of land for sale right now. About 60 to 80 bighās of land is for sale, and the people are asking the market rates. So it's... We don't have to depend on acquisition. We can just go and buy.

Prabhupāda: Can you... If you are able to... (mic moving) Subscribe within our jurisdiction so much land. Otherwise they will sublet(?) it. Why you have purchased agricultural land?

Jayapatākā: We will purchase in the... We'll get a permit from the government to hold more land. And until that time, then we'll purchase in the name of Gopāla Kṛṣṇa, Svarūpa Dāmodara.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? We can also purchase in the name of Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust.

Jayapatākā: A trust can hold fifty bighās of irrigated land, seventy bighās unirrigated. And once we turn that... If we turn that to nonagricultural land, then there's no limit. By paying twice the land tax we can convert to nonagricultural for the purpose of building our temple or building anything, and then it's no longer subject to any ceiling. We will see with lawyer very carefully that...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So you can purchase in Svarūpa Dāmodara's name.

Bhavānanda: This land is for sale from whom? Muhammadans?

Jayapatākā: Yes, both Muhammadan and Hindu.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Should we buy this land, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Why not? You have got money?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. There is enough money.

Jayapatākā: We do not want to rest until every home in Bengal has a copy of Gītār Gān and Bhāgavatam.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Gītār Gān is nice. It's attractive.

Jayapatākā: About ten new devotees are there now. Every week two or three new devotees are coming. Four of them are college graduate. They're helping answering letters and transcribing. Subhaga has five books that he had written in England. So we got those, and now they're being copies for printing.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What kind of books?

Jayapatākā: Small books. Beyond Birth and Death, Easy Journey.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Subhaga is doing nicely?

Jayapatākā: Yes. Same as usual.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Is there Bengali boys, Mahārāja?

Jayapatākā: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So how many members are there now, devotees in Māyāpura.

Jayapatākā: I don't know. I didn't take the exact count. Two hundred.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Two hundred. Big āśrama, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I'm thinking of bringing some Manipuri boys to Māyāpura next time I go.

Prabhupāda: Do it.

Room Conversation -- November 6, 1977, Vrndavana:

Jayapatākā: Yeah, so then consider. (break) ...his birthday was a couple days ago, and then he invited us. So I sent two brahmacārīs to his āśrama for his birthday celebration.

Prabhupāda: His temple is completed?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: His nātha-mandira?

Jayapatākā: I didn't ask, actually. I think he's a year older than Śrīla Prabhupāda? Or two years older.

Prabhupāda: At least one year. I want to develop Gauḍa-maṇḍala. So in yoga-pīṭha they could not build even a darśana-maṇḍapa in fifty, sixty years. So we can construct a, what is called, hall.

Jayapatākā: Without mandira.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Yes.

Jayapatākā: Kīrtana hall.

Bhavānanda: No. Bhaktivedanta... Yoga Pīṭha Bhaktivedanta Hall. Bhaktivedanta Swami Hall.

Prabhupāda: What do you think?

Bhavānanda: With bookstand. Prabhupāda has formed a trust, the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust, and its purpose is to develop Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. Prabhupāda's one idea is to build this darśana-maṇḍapa at the yoga-pīṭha. And another is to finish Śrīdhara Mahārāja's darśana-maṇḍapa at his..., like that, to develop the different..., to encourage cooperation between the different Godbrothers in the temples. The members of the trust are myself and Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja and Girirāja, Svarūpa Dāmodara, myself, Mādhava Mahārāja and Madhusūdana Mahārāja. Prabhupāda named those members.

Prabhupāda: How do you think the idea?

Jayapatākā: All of your ideas, Śrīla Prabhupāda, are perfect. I am not someone to offer opinion. But if you ask, I think that actually, especially the yoga-pīṭha, nātha-mandira, that's a very dynamic idea, and in general it must do good.

Prabhupāda: We want cooperation.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No more noncooperation.

Jayapatākā: Generally the... Even Devānanda Gauḍīya Maṭha, they had invited us for the disappearance day of Keśava Mahārāja, but I wasn't present at the time. So generally now they're inviting us, and everyone seems to have the desire for more and more cooperation. Mādhava Mahārāja had talked with one, this leader of the Janasangha, now the Janata party constituent, who's Professor Bharati, Haripada Bharati. He's a big orator in the Bidansava.(?) So he's very pro-ISKCON and pro-Hindu. So he's coming out to Māyāpura the 20th and putting on a public meeting. It's being organized by the local Hindus. And in that time he'll be also visiting our temple. So he was told by Mādhava Mahārāja, who happened to meet him somewhere, that he should give us full support also. He mentioned that. And he's going to give a lecture, and in the lecture he's going to tell the Muslims that they should never do anything like this to another Hindu or Kṛṣṇa temple again. Otherwise their situation will be very... He said they'll be driven out. (break) Dāmodara Mahārāja, he comes around once in a while. I haven't seem him the last couple of weeks, but he's also helping in his way. Yesterday, from the Central Government, one I.B. officer, Inspection Bank officer, came. He said that he received telegraphic information that regarding my citizenship the government was having second thoughts, that maybe they would give it after all, and they requested him to find out my background information and give a recommendation.

Bhavānanda: In regard to the three-year visas, Gopāla Kṛṣṇa has secured that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually he did not secure it, because it's been given to all religious groups in India. Girirāja informed me. It's being given to all religious groups in India, that they can get three years. The government has passed it. It wasn't specially for us.

Jayapatākā: Hindu, Muslim?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Anyone. Any of these groups that have foreign people in it now will be allowed to stay. It's a general decision. It wasn't...

Jayapatākā: Not of ISKCON.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. Śrīla Prabhupāda, would you like to take rest now?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Room Conversation -- November 7, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: You don't strain for collecting. Then spiritual progress will be hampered.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Don't strain for collecting. Then spiritual progress will be hampered. That's a fact.

Jayapatākā: It seems that the temple could be completed within seven years without straining.

Prabhupāda: That is nice.

Jayapatākā: Then we can have it completed by the five-hundredth-year anniversary of Lord Caitanya...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Jayapatākā: ...which is in eight years.

Prabhupāda: Do it. That is...

Jayapatākā: And the architect at Māyāpura, he said that the temple that's inside the big temple, that could be opened up to the public within three years by having just some type of false ceiling, and then the upper stories, work can go on. That means within three years people could start visiting the temple and using it, which will also be a big inspiration to the public. And then the upstairs and complete outside would be completed.

Prabhupāda: Do like that. That is very good idea. And different name, you can purchase.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust?

Jayapatākā: Each of the..., like gośāla, handloom, these can be separately formed into societies, which would be easier for bookkeeping and management anyway, and each of those societies can purchase the land on which their handloom or gośāla, whatever is, they can purchase that land in that name.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya bhūmi Trust.

Jayapatākā: Mr. Chowdury tried, but now he's been transferred from the development commissioner. Now he's the transport commissioner. So now all he can do is give us a free... He gives us, tax free, vehicles. But he can't give us the land anymore.

Prabhupāda: Tax free?

Jayapatākā: Our vehicles in Bengal, we don't pay any road tax. He's the transport commissioner, but he's no longer development commissioner. And if the government gives us some land on acquisition, we'll take. But I don't think they'll give a big amount, neither we should wait for that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. That's also utopian.

Jayapatākā: When they see we're doing something, automatically they want to also help.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And that bridge is a good idea. Pontoon bridge.

Jayapatākā: Because so many tourists are coming. The local M.L.A., he told me now there's thousands and thousands people coming. This last weekend there was... At any time you could see hundreds of people walking on the road to take darśana So now the local man, he wants to build some guesthouse on his own, the government, where they're going to serve meat and other things. That's why our temple, we want to... We're getting our guesthouse all straightened up. If we have a restaurant, then we'll be able to take all the tourist traffic.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So why don't you have a restaurant?

Jayapatākā: That was supposed to be done this year, but then Bombay took all the funds. Prabhupāda sanctioned it already last year. It was a good idea. But Māyāpura has become very popular. This is all due to your effort, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Simply due to your efforts Māyāpura and Navadvīpa is becoming so much more famous and popular. We want to make the Māyāpura temple so beautiful and make the city so nice that not only the Queen of England and the President of United States, but even the Russian and Chinese leaders, they'll all have to come to see this. They can't avoid. Will that please Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura? If all the leaders, all these presidents and kings would come and visit the temple at Māyāpura, that would please Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Seems like your activities, Śrīla Prabhupāda, are so much pleasing to the previous ācāryas.

Jayapatākā: This is the secret you are showing, working towards satisfying the desires of the previous ācāryas.

Prabhupāda: Tāṅdera caraṇa-sebi-bhakta-sane bās. So you are all bhaktas. To live with you, to serve the lotus feet of the ācāryas, that's good...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: We've already become famous as spiritual United Nations.

Jayapatākā: You've given the secret for success. (break)

If possible, make some improvement in Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's birthplace.

Room Conversation -- November 7, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: If possible, make some improvement in Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's birthplace.

Jayapatākā: I was just thinking about that, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: At least repair it nicely, without any claim of our...

Jayapatākā: From the Bhaktivedanta Charity Trust.

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust will be very popular, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Jayapatākā: Amongst the Vaiṣṇavas.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Everyone will glorify your name. It will be a great pleasure to give them funds from this Trust.

Jayapatākā: Sometime in the future we can, if they are ever agreeable, if we can take the sevā of that birthplace, then we should do so.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Jayapatākā: In Malda district at Rāmakeli, where Lord Caitanya first met with Rūpa and Sanātana, there is a temple of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa that... Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī used to worship those Deities. Bhaktisiddhānta Ṭhākura Prabhupāda has put a lotus feet of Mahāprabhu there. So we have gone there on two occasions for preaching, and they..., some local people came and said they would like us to take some..., to either take over management or somehow be connected with that because they felt that it required preaching there. They're very favorable at that place.

Prabhupāda: Purchase it.

Jayapatākā: When you say Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi, that means any of the līlā places of Lord Caitanya.

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Not just Navadvīpa.

Prabhupāda: No. No, in Bengal.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What about in Jagannātha Purī?

Prabhupāda: That is another. That is Orissa.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It is your great mercy, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that you are allowing us to do a little helping to you in your service to the previous ācāryas. We are completely fallen, without any spiritual credit, but still, you are allowing us to help you in a little way.

Jayapatākā: Without your intervention we would have no hope.

Prabhupāda: Where is Jayapatākā's mother?

Room Conversation -- November 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Girirāja: Oh, Tamāla Kṛṣṇa. He's... (break) Yesterday I spent the day in Delhi, and I opened an account with the Punjab Bank in the name of Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust. And we also gave them a letter that the interest from the ten lakhs sixty thousand should go into that Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity account. And I took the original trust of the new trust, the original deed, and I made some photocopies and got them notarized by notary.

Prabhupāda: Photocopy of?

Girirāja: Of the trust deed forming the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust. And then I bought a copy of the income tax act, because there's some provision that if funds are used to restore some ancient place of worship or some place of worship which is famous in a particular state, then that is exempt from income tax. So I think that this fits in with the aims and objects of this new trust. So we should be able to get tax exemption for that. I spoke to Bombay to see how things were doing, and Gopāla Kṛṣṇa said that everything is going nice, and he's coming here on Friday, after two days. So I told him that your condition was very serious and that I wanted to stay here for a little longer. So he said that was okay. I confirmed with Yaśodānandana Swami's assistant that he sent the letter to the South Indian brāhmaṇas to confirm that they can come on the dates which we have fixed. So we're waiting to hear that reply.

Prabhupāda: You can take some brāhmaṇa from here. Balaram...

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: They'll chant Veda-mantra very nice

Girirāja: Uh-huh. We can have these brāhmaṇas and also the South Indian brāhmaṇas. (break)