Book fund (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"book fund" |"book funds"

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Prabhupāda: That is the sign of princely opulence.

Revatīnandana: He's the son of the man we saw last week? This Mahārāja? It's not his son?

Prabhupāda: No, no, he is also old man.

Haṁsadūta: I won't be going to that place because I'll be waiting for Mr. Homing.

Prabhupāda: Homing is coming?

Haṁsadūta: Yes. (indistinct) we'll open a bank account.

Prabhupāda: That's it.

Haṁsadūta: We'll open a one-sided account.

Prabhupāda: Book fund account and one, International Society, checking account. (devotees offer obeisances) So what we have to do in that connection?

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.

Room Conversation -- August 15, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: All GBC members should organize like that. Then everything will be all right. And sell books. Now you... What is the name? Maṇḍalībhadra, he is slow. So you translate.

Haṁsadūta: Okay. Because there are others, they are competent. I have others, they are competent.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Simply you check that they are not writing nonsense.

Haṁsadūta: Oh yes. That I can do.

Prabhupāda: That's all. And print it and distribute. And another thing. If you can print yourself, it is all right, But if you want printing cost from the general book fund, then whatever you sell you deposit there. You deposit and take, deposit and take, deposit and take. Then when, even if you have no money you'll get money. And then you deposit. But if you spend it, then you cannot expect from the general book fund.

Haṁsadūta: No, no. I'm already doing that with them.

Prabhupāda: Jaya.

Haṁsadūta: Whatever they print for me, or whatever Bali prints for me, I pay him and I pay 100% mark-up so that there can be some money.

Prabhupāda: So in this way organize and distribute literature, and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtana yajña. Then our mission will be successful.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Sridhara Maharaja -- June 27, 1973, Navadvipa:

Prabhupāda: Which is worth two hundred thousand pounds. Two hundred thousand pounds ordinarily, it is forty lakhs. And in the market value, because pound is selling in India thirty, twenty-eight, at least twenty-five, in that way...(break)

(Bengali conversation for some time)

Prabhupāda: ...Bhaktivedanta Book Fund account (Bengali). "Five thousand dollars. You take advance. Deposit. And take my orders." So I gave him order, "Books worth fifty-two thousands of dollars, advancing five thousand dollars." And they gradually supplied to India. And from U.S.A. we gradually, little by little, we paid. So that became the asset, of books. And I advised them that "You go and present these books to respectable gentlemen to become a member, and they'll become." And actually that plan became successful. Now the same members, they have not only paid eleven hundred. Now some of them, they're paying eleven thousand.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 21, 1974, Hawaii:

Bali Mardana: In New York last month we paid, er, the month before, we paid forty-five thousand dollars into the book fund in one month. It's a new record.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Forty-five thousand?

Bali Mardana: In one month.

Morning Walk -- April 29, 1974, Hyderabad:

Gargamuni: So we should start manufacturing.

Prabhupāda: You first of all eat mercury then. (laughter) You'll be finished. (break) ...no scarcity. Why should we go to imitate the rascals? We have got enough gold. Kṛṣṇa is supplying gold whenever we require. (break) ...artha-prayojanam. Whatever you need, Kṛṣṇa will supply, if you actually remain dependent on Kṛṣṇa. There are so many literatures of different groups, but who is selling so much? Forty thousand, fifty thousand daily? Unless Kṛṣṇa is helping us. In the history no religion book have sold thirty thousand, forty thousand daily. There is no history. So why don't you see this wonderful thing? All the money that I have brought from USA, India, it is all book fund. Nobody has given. George has given. That is not in cash. And he gave that two lakhs. That was spent for Kṛṣṇa Book. So wherefrom the cash is coming?

Gargamuni: Sales of books.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Because we have got substantial sale of books, we are free to get money. And it is unbelievable that religious books are sold thirty thousand, forty thousand, fifty thousand daily. There is no history.

Gargamuni: So that is a miracle.

Prabhupāda: Is it not miracle?

Satsvarūpa: Yes. Some of those devotees like Tripurari, a hundred big Bhāgavatams. It's not a popular book.

Prabhupāda: It is not popular actually. For the common man it is dry subject. And I have heard that after reading one book, somebody comes to purchase. "What is this, Bhāgavata?" "We have got six." "All right, give me six volumes." He is not a devotee. Why he purchases all the six volumes of Bhāgavatam? In London our Bhagavad-gītā As It Is was sold in two months, thirty thousand copies. That is the report. Thirty thousand copies.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: This dramatic party, so they should be sent all, in India. Yes.

Rāmeśvara: They are going on saṅkīrtana to collect their plane fare.

Prabhupāda: If there is deficiency, we can pay from book fund.

Rāmeśvara: Oh.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They must go with party.

Rāmeśvara: All right. I'll tell them that. Prabhupāda said if there's deficiency in funds that we'll pay from Book Fund to send them to India.

Jayatīrtha: Really? Oh, they'll be ecstatic.

Prabhupāda: Nice, well-equipped go-down. Yes. So now make one go-down in Germany.

Haṁsadūta: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Now there is no raining. We can walk?

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

Haṁsadūta: So does it mean that the BBT should take charge of the Life Membership program or to see that they're supplied the books?

Prabhupāda: No. Life Membership... Suppose you make one Life, he has to be supplied books.

Haṁsadūta: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So fifty percent goes to the...

Haṁsadūta: Book Fund.

Prabhupāda: That is stated in the BBT. That is the main purpose, that fifty percent must go...

Haṁsadūta: For printing. Fifty percent for printing, fifty percent for building.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. This is the main purpose.

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Then how you are getting money? If you are selling only twenty lakhs' worth books, how you are spending forty lakhs?

Rāmeśvara: We are selling more books.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: More than twenty lakhs.

Prabhupāda: So give me, what is called, consensus.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The idea is the Book Fund, if the book is sold, it's sold at a profit. So although you may be getting only twenty or thirty lakhs, much more is being collected. That is the point.

Prabhupāda: So why did you not correct me in the meeting? (laughter)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, I didn't... (laughter) Even ten lakhs is a very impressive figure.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Ten lakhs expenditure but twenty lakhs collection.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But I think now we should say fifty lakhs expenditure and...

Prabhupāda: One crore.

Morning Walk -- August 5, 1975, Detroit:

Ādi-keśava: I spoke to Tamāla Kṛṣṇa on the phone the other day, and he asked me to tell you that we're sending 64,000 to your book fund for this month. And he said also he promises you 100,000 per month by the end of the year.

Prabhupāda: Very good news. (aside:) Good morning. (break)

Ādi-keśava: ...and to tell you that he will be distributing over fourteen thousand of your big books every month, 125,000 of your Back to Godheads, and at least ten thousand of your medium size books, like the Kṛṣṇa trilogy book or the Beyond Birth and Death, those books.

Prabhupāda: So he is going over Tripurāri?

Ādi-keśava: Well, Tripurāri is also with us.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Including both.

Ādi-keśava: Yes, both.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 24, 1976, Melbourne:

Guru-kṛpā: Are they going to start on Māyāpura building this year?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guru-kṛpā: That is beginning?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Collect and spend. Collect and spend for Kṛṣṇa, that is nice. I am therefore asking them to print books. I have got so much in the Book Fund. Print books. Let there be books stocked and no money stocked.

Morning Walk -- June 4, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Never mind. You can you can raise that four times price.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So we don't mind the cost?

Prabhupāda: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And the BBT is paying part of the...

Prabhupāda: And at least, by tickets, people will pay ten dollars.

Rāmeśvara: Yes, that's Bharadvāja's idea, to tickets.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Otherwise, how we will raise the money? Book Fund cannot give.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The Book Fund has been giving one half...

Rāmeśvara: But now...

Prabhupāda: That can be given as loan, not for...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: As loan, the whole thing...

Rāmeśvara: Originally you told me wherever they go, the temple will pay fifty percent and the BBT will pay fifty percent.

Prabhupāda: No, that is loan.

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

Prabhupāda: Communists are seeing this movement as a great danger.

Indian man (3): Yes, great danger for their...

Prabhupāda: And we are spreading God consciousness. (break) By the grace of Kṛṣṇa, we have no debts. We are (indistinct) simply find out... (?) Now in Bombay I am getting from my Book Fund seven lakhs of rupees per month regularly.

Indian man (3): Yes, ten lakhs per month is coming. Otherwise that work will not progress.

Prabhupāda: We have given them three lakhs of rupees.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Conversation -- May 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Gargamuni: Oh. But I had written you in the report that out of the first twenty thousand we have printed, still 18,500 are remaining.

Prabhupāda: So not selling?

Gargamuni: Because we have very few men, so now Gaura-Govinda is taking on bullocks cart. He'll go to the villages, and he'll distribute. Then some portion of what I will collect, I will put in... I have separate account for book fund and one for construction. Some portion I'll put in book fund. Then we'll print, and I will bring...

Prabhupāda: No, you gave money. I can give you. There is Book Trust.

Gargamuni: I just feel...

Prabhupāda: No.

Gargamuni: ...that so many books are there I have not distributed yet. I will print more and...

Prabhupāda: No, no. This will come out. Very good idea. Sell.

Gargamuni: Sell first; then print. I should first sell...

Prabhupāda: No, at least you must have three, four, varieties.

Gargamuni: Right now we have two varieties.

Prabhupāda: So make it four varieties. That will be first class. Don't print twenty thousand. Print five thousand.