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Delhi (Conversations 1975 - 1976)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Tripurāri: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you first began to distribute Back to Godhead magazine by yourself, right, in India? You would go to the shops?

Prabhupāda: That was second stage. The first stage I used to publish and distribute as gṛhastha, I did not mind whether one page or not. I was distributing. So spending about four hundred, five hundred rupees, I did not care if one page or not, but I'll distribute. Then, when I retired, left home, I was publishing and distributing myself to get subscription. The subscription was very cheap, two rupees, four annas, I think, for the year. Two copies per month. Just like you published The Harmonist? Like that. Then I published Bhāgavatam. So I was going to libraries, school, colleges, and everyone was purchasing. My Bhāgavata was being purchased by your Congress Library. In Delhi they have got office. So there was standing order, eighteen copies of my book as soon as they are published. The head librarian in India, New Delhi, he gave me standing order. Dallas is very cold? No. Like this.

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- March 13, 1975, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: ...Meeting was very successful. You were present in Delhi? Very, very successful. All big, big men came, and they realized. We are going to have again that for two days. That is being arranged.

Paramahaṁsa: In Delhi, yes. That will be nice.

Prabhupāda: And who is thinking in that way...? We are thinking like that. Keep it covered.

Paramahaṁsa: On the table there?

Prabhupāda: Yes. (Child talking and Prabhupāda says something in Hindi) Dr. Ghora (?), you can say. The aim should be saṁsiddhiḥ hari-toṣaṇam. But if we don't care for this proposition... They do not know what is God, neither we don't want to satisfy Him, "He may be satisfied or not satisfied. Let us go on with our business." (Hindu)

Indian man (1): A lot of dangers will be there. We'll be putting ourself into trouble.

Prabhupāda: Yes, we are in trouble. Even last war, when the trouble was too much, they began to go to the church. Even Churchill. And one gentleman—he is my Godbrother in Germany—he told me, after this war many German men and women became atheist. Everyone went to the church and prayed. Especially women prayed for return of their husband, brother, father. And nobody returned. So they thought, "There is no God. So forget about all these things." People became atheist. So this risky civilization is going on. They don't want to know what is God, neither they want to satisfy Him.

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- March 13, 1975, Tehran:

Devotee (2): John(?) (Jordon?)

Prabhupāda: Oh. The Canadian ambassador. He came to see me. He saw me in Delhi when our function was going on. He was speaking; he was so surprised. So this movement has got good potency, and every one of you join.

bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra
janma sārthaka kari 'kara para-upakāra
(CC Adi 9.41)

This is para-upakāra. The whole world is in darkness without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So enlighten them, para-upakāra. Human life is for para-upakāra; it is not animal life. To do good to others. Cats and dogs, they are selfish. But human life should be for para-upakāra. So this is the biggest para-upakāra movement. And it is very easy to take part in it. You don't require to be very expert. You... Everything is there. You simply carry the message like peon. Kṛṣṇa says this; kindly follow; that's all. We don't say that "I say this. I have manufactured this. I have become very big man, God." We don't say nonsense. It is all nonsense. Simply carry the message of Kṛṣṇa; then you are perfect. In the Western countries they are little fond of yoga. So the yoga system is also spoken by Kṛṣṇa in the Sixth Chapter. But the conclusion is, when Arjuna refused, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me. This meditation, this praṇāyāma and dhyāna, dhāraṇā, yama, niyama, dhyāna, it is not possible for me. I am a politician. I have no time either"—he said frankly—then Kṛṣṇa satisfied him that "You are already the best of the yogis."

Room Conversation with Canadian Ambassador to Iran -- March 13, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: Caracas, yes. So one of the crocodile was on the land, and two were in the water. So in the water they were very living, alive. But in the land it was like dead.

Ambassador: I had two crocodiles in my bath in Delhi for a month.

Prabhupāda: Oh, ācchā. You like them very much?

Ambassador: Given by the chief minister of Rajastan, and I had to get them to Canada.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Ambassador: I never managed to love them. I can love most things, but not crocodiles.

Prabhupāda: No, they are also God's creature, but covered by the body. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Those who are spiritually advanced, they see equally because they know that within the body the spirit soul is there. The spirit soul is part and parcel of God. He is encaged somehow or other in a particular type of body. So a devotee of God is very kind to everyone. Brahma-bhutaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na ka..., samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). Samaḥ sarveṣu..., mad-bhakti labhate param. That is the stage of making advance in devotional life—equality. That equality is possible when we are on the platform of spiritual understanding. Otherwise not possible. The United Nation will never be able to unite the nation. That is not possible.

Room Conversation with Canadian Ambassador to Iran -- March 13, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: And Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives very shortcut formula that "You sit together, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and everything will be solved." Very simple thing: "Sit together and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." That also they will not do. There is no loss. Let us make an experiment—that also we are not executing. What is the loss? If we sit together and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa we are not losing anything. If there is some gain, why not make an experiment? So if you propose this to the United Nation, he'll think of me, "A crazy fellow."

Ambassador: Like we did together in Delhi.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. You have seen it. They were very much eager. They were very much eager: "Swamiji continue." And the others, like Communist and others, they became upset. I have seen many big, big officers. They were chanting, returning from the office in the office dress, and they were chanting and dancing. And you have seen the crowd, twenty thousand, thirty thousand people. The same thing happened in Calcutta. Now the government did not give us again that land. Yes. Last time when we held that conference in Delhi...

Paramahaṁsa: On the LIC Grounds?

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. They gave us that Tal Kotara Park, you know? That is in the jungle. Nobody could reach there, and they gave us place there. (Ambassador laughs) Still, there were not less ten thousand people. It was not easily approachable. The motorcar cannot go. You have to leave your car three miles away to come there.

Room Conversation with Canadian Ambassador to Iran -- March 13, 1975, Iran:

Ambassador: I know the place.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You know very well. You are (were?) in Delhi.

Ambassador: It is a difficult thing to get to.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And they gave us place. At the last moment they rejected. First of all they gave. Then, at the last moment, the municipality said, "No, this land cannot be given to any religious function." Rejected. And offered, "If you like, you can take this place." So we had no other alternative to accept it. We advertised that "We are going to hold this ceremony," and the authority rejected at the eleventh hour and offered the Tal Kotara place. We had to accept it. And the government indirectly giving us so many hindrances in India. Yes. They do not like. One of the important member of the cabinet, he frankly said that "We do not want that your movement will increase very fast in India." Because they know it, Indira Gandhi and company, that India is naturally inclined to Kṛṣṇa. And if the selected people of the world, combined together, they push this movement in India, then the whole program of the modern leaders will collapse. That's a fact. And that was my idea. I wanted to start this movement from India. But nobody cooperated. So then I decided to come to America. And my plan was successful.

Conversation with Devotees -- March 31, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Say, about four, five years ago. No, about ten to fifteen years ago.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Recently.

Acyutānanda: Who represented the Gauḍīya...?

Prabhupāda: Nobody, but from the history it was found that it belonged to Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava. That... In Delhi one lawyer is there. He knows. He told me. (long pause)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In our society, some devotees have an idea to spend money by employing professional men to advertise our society in so many different ways through advertising campaigns, etc. My idea is that our money should be spent on direct preaching. In other words, that can't...

Prabhupāda: Then we are spending advertisement, for?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, sometimes I know... Just... I mean they hire professional firms to assist in public relations work.

Prabhupāda: Not in... What is that?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: As an example, last year at Ratha-yātrā, two thousand dollars were spent to hire a professional group to assist them in making up the advertisements and other things, giving them guidance, general assistance...

Prabhupāda: If you get really assistance, there is no harm. Just like sometimes we go to the court; we pay to the lawyer because we are not expert. In that sense, it can be spent.

Room Coversation with Psychiatrist and Indian Boy -- May 12, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: So if you want to do something, they may not like it. So that is impediment. But if you live with the devotees, then you learn quickly the art. You are Indian?

Indian boy: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Wherefrom you are coming?

Indian boy: I was born in New Delhi.

Prabhupāda: Oh. How you came here?

Indian boy: Well, my parents moved to Fiji Islands, and I was with them. And then we all came to Australia.

Prabhupāda: She is also Indian?

Indian boy: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Wherefrom you are?

Indian girl: My parents were born in India and I was brought up in Fiji.

Prabhupāda: Now they are in Fiji?

Indian girl: No.

Room Coversation with Psychiatrist and Indian Boy -- May 12, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: So here we have no arrangement. Huh?

Śrutakīrti: No. Here there's no arrangement. In Sydney or Melbourne there would be some facility.

Prabhupāda: New Delhi you were born? How long you have come?

Indian boy: I was just nine months old when we left Delhi.

Prabhupāda: So Australia, they are inviting people to come here for working, but how is that? They do not get job?

Paramahaṁsa: They are not in control. There is a jobless rate, unemployment. They call it unemployment. It goes out of control. Sometimes people lose their jobs, and they can't find a job. But the government is not able to control the economy very well. All over the world this happens. So sometimes people try to get a job and they can't get the job.

Prabhupāda: There is enough jobs if the government arranges to engage them in growing food. But there is no such arrangement.

Morning Walk -- May 15, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: My wrapper?

Śrutakīrti: Yeah, this is the new wrapper.

Prabhupāda: New wrapper?

Śrutakīrti: I got for you in Vṛndāvana. I'd gotten it in Delhi.

Prabhupāda: With that border?

Śrutakīrti: No, no, that's this. See there are two wrappers.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Both of them are new.

Śrutakīrti: Yes.

Devotee (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the Bhagavad-gītā it says that if a man simply works for Kṛṣṇa, he can come to the perfect stage. Is that perfect stage... When he fixes his mind on Kṛṣṇa... But is that achieved via the regulative principles?

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Devotee (1): If a man simply works for Kṛṣṇa for his whole life, yet he doesn't follow the regulative principles...

Prabhupāda: Then how he follows Kṛṣṇa?

Devotee (1): That's not possible.

Room Conversation with Jesuit -- May 19, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Just like a child gets another body, boyhood. The boy gets another body, youth. The youth gets another body, old man. Similarly when this body is not useful then he gets another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), as we experience dehāntara, different types of body, we are getting one after another, similarly the soul is immortal, he'll get another body. Now here it is not mentioned what kind of body, "another body." The "another body" means, there are 8,400,000 different types of body so he can enter any one of them according to his karma. That will be selected by higher authorities. Just like I do not know here, in India, in New Delhi, the Indian government, they give, I mean to say, house, accommodation to the government servant. So there are different types of houses, for minister one type of house, for secretaries for one type of house, for the clerks one type of house. So according to the position, one type of house is offered. So our, we are acting here according to our resultant action of the activities we get next birth.

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

Prabhupāda: That visitors coming in full bus?

Nitāi: Yes, yes. Yes, I have seen in the evenings many buses will come and park there. Everyone will get out and go see the Deities, take prasādam, take books.

Prabhupāda: So gradually it is becoming...

Jayadvaita: The buses come from town or from Delhi?

Nitāi: No, from Vṛndāvana. Tour... many pilgrims come, groups of pilgrims who are staying some place in Vṛndāvana, and then in the evening they will all get in their bus and come out and see our temple.

Rādhā-vallabha: Pilgrims come from all over India?

Prabhupāda: And when they will go back to their villages, they will advertise, that "There is a European temple now in Vṛndāvana." And they will come. (laughs) And even the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, they are saying that is the best temple in... Is it not?

Nitāi: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That is... But actually that is the fact. That is the fact. Our temple is the best.

Press Conference -- July 9, 1975, Chicago:

Jayatīrtha: He will be arrested if he says like that.

Reporter (2): Oh.

Prabhupāda: But one thing I can say, generally. There was a great politician, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, under whose name in New Delhi there is a quarter called Canakya Purī. All the foreign embassies are situated there. He said, viśvāso naiva kartavyaṁ strīṣu rāja-kuleṣu ca: "Never trust a woman and a politician." That is his remark, of course, I do not say anything. (Devotees laugh)

Reporter (3): Are these books all... Have you written all of these books or are they by other philosophers of...

Prabhupāda: Yes, I have written all these books.

Reporter (3): Who has published them?

Prabhupāda: We have got our own publishing house, Bhaktivedanta Trust. But we are selling our books very nice.

Reporter (3): Is that part of your income, to run a...

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, that is our only income, by selling books.

Press Conference -- July 9, 1975, Chicago:

Prabhupāda: That is Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's remark.

Reporter (3): Jonathan who?

Brahmānanda: Cāṇakya Paṇḍita.

Prabhupāda: You perhaps know. There is a embassy quarter in New Delhi which is called Cāṇakya Purī under his name. He was a great politician. About three thousand years ago when there was the reign of Candragupta, he was the prime minister. (break)

Reporter (3): The parade on Saturday, would that be down the same route it was last year with the thing at the Civic Center?

Jayatīrtha: Yes.

Reporter (3): You'll be serving food?

Jagadīśa: Yes.

Reporter (3): And you got all the civic permits this year? You ran into quite a bit of trouble last year, as I recall.

Conversation with Professor Hopkins -- July 13, 1975, Philadelphia:

Prof. Hopkins: Because I know there are students in the group who would like to visit Vṛndāvana. And you, I think, talked to some this spring and you were there. I know that the senior student with the group is very interested in going to Vṛndāvana.

Devotee: We have nice facility there. (indistinct)

Prof. Hopkins: That's true. They're going to be in Delhi for a week or so. It would be great if they could get out to Vṛndāvana just for a day. They can come back later when they have more time. So... Would they have to make preliminary arrangements or could they...? Is there some way they could make arrangements from Delhi to do that?

Brahmānanda: Afterwards we can discuss it.

Prof. Hopkins: Okay. So.

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much.

Prof. Hopkins: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

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

Prabhupāda: He cannot give up his old habit.

Bahulāśva: No. He cannot give up the engineering habit.

Baradrāj: About this Yogi Bhajan also, when I was in Delhi ...

Prabhupāda: Delhi?

Baradrāj: Yes, in Delhi, there was one cloth merchant there. And he asked me, he said, "Do you know this Yogi Bhajan?" I said, "Yes, he is very famous." He said, "Oh, he is my cousin. We used to be in the cloth business together. And he could not make enough money, so he decided to go to America." But his experience was, he was a train engineer actually, train.

Prabhupāda: Who?

Baradrāj: This Yogi Bhajan. So he said that he tried to get a job with one of the railroad companies, but because he was Sikh—he was wearing long beard and hair—they would not give him a job. They said, "You must shave up first." He said, "No, I cannot do this." So finally he decided that "Not only will I not shave my beard and hair but I will make hundreds of disciples..." (break)

Sudāmā: ...Prabhupāda, either of those associations, which is the highest?

Prabhupāda: Both are equal.

Morning Walk -- July 25, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: ...no need of creating water. You have no such intelligence. Just like the Arabian desert is there; Arabian Sea is there. Why don't you utilize this water? Instead of bluffing others that "We can create water," why don't you use this water and make the desert fertile? (break) ...create a little water in the test tube, so you take that credit. Why you want to take the credit of creating a Pacific Ocean? That is our protest. You are able to create one ounce of water in the test tube. That's all right, miracle done. But we say that one who has created the Pacific Ocean, how much credit he will be given. That is our proposal. You take test tube credit, but you must give Pacific credit to God. That is wanted. But creating test tube water, you want to take the Pacific credit. Is that very nice proposal? (break) ...spoken by one scientist in our Delhi meeting. Who were present in the Delhi meeting?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I was.

Prabhupāda: That scientist's name?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Dr. Atmaram.

Prabhupāda: Dr. Atmaram, that "We have simply learned how to bark like dog, but we don't care so many dogs are already barking." He admitted that if a man learns how to bark, people will purchase ticket and see him, and so many thousands of dogs, dog, are barking—nobody cares. This is scientist. You learn how to bark, imitate the dog, and you become important man. You have create one third fruit by mixing peach and plum, and one who is creating millions and trillions of fruits that is lying on the floor—nobody cares for that—he has no credit.

Morning Walk -- August 7, 1975, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: Well, that was the beginning, but he completed the finishing touch. Sometimes he came to Vṛndāvana—I was there, retired—to open a Ramakrishna Mission hospital, and he stayed there the whole day. He came in the morning and went back to New Delhi in the evening, but not a single temple he visited. Where thousands of men are coming to see the temple, but he, the prime minister, he did not visit not a single temple.

Indian Man (2): He accepted as spiritual master, some sort of... His teacher is Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi. So he was teaching him the same thing what he has learned. From here he learned all this knowledge which has spoiled our Indian culture?

Prabhupāda: No, Gandhi had no spiritual knowledge. He was little moralist. That's all. That was also good. But these men are not even moralist.

Morning Walk -- August 7, 1975, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Indian Man (2): How can we spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Prabhupāda: If we go village to village. The village people are still pure, at least not so polluted as the town people, or especially the so-called educated. (break) ...hari-kīrtana koro... (Bengali) We held this hari-kīrtana in Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay. Oh, at least fifteen to thirty thousand people were daily... Even from the office with coats and pants, they are dancing. And they asked me, "Swamiji, continue it." (break)

Indian Man (2): I traveled all over India so many years, place to place, but I found the Gujarati is one of the best where the people have there some natural-born Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That's fact. Everywhere—Gujaratis, Marwaris, Punjabis—more or less, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is there.

Morning Walk -- August 24, 1975, Delhi:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Breaking. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...class in the temple?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: At what time?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually the class, the morning class is over, but we can... Delhi has a different schedule.

Brahmānanda: Class is at five o'clock.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: There's a Bhagavad-gītā class in the evening.

Prabhupāda: What is this building?

Tejas: This is Ayana Bhavan. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...Balarāma's. So fasting.

Tejas: Yes. Till noon?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- August 25, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Arrange a meeting with the D.M.

Dhanañjaya: Yes. Mr. Bagla, the D.M.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I've heard he wants to see the film very badly. He wants to see our Hare Kṛṣṇa film, the D.M. So we are waiting for it from Delhi.

Dhanañjaya: It is coming this morning.

Prabhupāda: Oh. D.M. is coming?

Dhanañjaya: No. The film is coming this morning.

Devotee (1): There's a cart.

Brahmānanda: The D.M. heard that Indira Gandhi saw the film. So there's so much talk going on now. So now he wants to see the film.

Prabhupāda: So then he will come.

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- August 26, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Neither of you saw this? (break) ...in Delhi?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Hindi books. Hindi books are selling very well.

Prabhupāda: So what to do with this unfinished part? It will never be finished. That is the difficulty. We supplied three lakhs rupees monthly. Still, when I come, it is unfinished. Unfinished. I do not know when it will be finished. And whenever money is given, the report is "Money is finished, but thing is not finished. Money is finished, but things are not finished."

Guṇārṇava: Well, there's some ninety-four thousand rupees in the Punjab Bank, but that's for finalizing all the contracts. Saurab said that...

Prabhupāda: Your explanation there. I want to see that it is not (now?) finished. That's all.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: All that money in the bank is to pay the overhead.

Guṇārṇava: So I wrote to him and he said that it is going for paying contracts.

Prabhupāda: Contract, why don't you pay the contract? Liquidate all debts?

Guṇārṇava: Mr. Lahiri and Saurab are checking the bills. He said that you wanted it checked three or four times.

Prabhupāda: Who? Oh.

Morning Walk -- September 13, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Where is Kṛṣṇa playing flute?

Dhṛṣṭaketu: In Vṛndāvana?

Prabhupāda: Oh. Then why the airplanes do not come Delhi? (laughter) (pause) He is godless and we have to fight against them. Just see our position. We have to fight with the whole world.

Indian man (1): Number of forces will increase day by day.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Indian man (1): Number of forces are increasing day by day, they will fight adequately.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But you have done it singlehanded, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Single-handed, double-handed, doesn't matter—if Kṛṣṇa is there in the background. Arjuna fought singlehanded. Where is Praṇava? (Hindi)

Indian man (1): (Hindi) Everyone was very much satisfied.

Prabhupāda: That is wanted.

Morning Walk -- September 18, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: What is the sale proceeds of the prasāda?

Dhanañjaya: During the week it's about sixty to eighty rupees, and at the weekends, over a hundred rupees. At weekends there are far more people coming to the temple from Delhi.

Prabhupāda: So average, eighty rupees. So you are purchasing ghee, four kilos or more.

Dhanañjaya: Now we have stopped that.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Dhanañjaya: Now we have stopped. We've reduced the quantity.

Prabhupāda: Why you were purchasing more?

Dhanañjaya: We were purchasing because the ghee was being used in all the preparations, in all the vegetable preparations...

Prabhupāda: That's all right. So what is the price of four kilos?

Devotee (2): Eighty-eight rupees.

Morning Walk -- September 18, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So he can manage.

Dhanañjaya: Yes. So there's no need for added expense of getting someone from outside.

Prabhupāda: No. No. If he can manage, that is nice.

Dhanañjaya: Otherwise I am sure such a person will simply try to cheat us. And he is quite prepared to do that service for us.

Prabhupāda: All right. Let him do that. Now bring guest.

Dhanañjaya: Yes. So Tejas, he has prepared some ads for the Delhi newspapers.

Prabhupāda: What is ad?

Dhanañjaya: Advertising.

Prabhupāda: I know that.

Morning Walk -- October 3, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: There are many examples. Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā. Only for this fault, gṛha-vratānām—"I shall be happy in this material world." In Delhi, we established that center. You had been there?

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Ananda...

Brahmānanda: Ananda Niketan.

Prabhupāda: Full of foreign embassies. So nobody came.

Brahmānanda: They came the first night, and that was it.

Prabhupāda: Nobody came.

Brahmānanda: Neither were they very friendly.

Prabhupāda: They thought that "We are living so nicely, embassy and ambassador, and living in such a nice house, comfortably. What is this nonsense, God?" All these embassies and the ambassadors, they are prized post. It has no use.

Morning Walk -- October 6, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: Our professors, they came from missionary, but there were other officers in government service, I.C.S., Indian Civil Service. They were also. In the province where they were employed he must learn the provincial language. Their administration was excellent, undoubtedly, British administration. Nobody in the world, so far administration... But their crooked policy ruined them; otherwise good administrator, good politician, good diplomat.

Harikeśa: They made those nice buildings in Delhi, too.

Prabhupāda: Huh? Yes, and everything good. Simply heart was not very good.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Heart.

Prabhupāda: "Only for Englishmen," "Only for Englishmen." Still that policy is going on here. That is not good. When one takes shelter of you, you must give him proper protection. That liberality is not there.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They would make the people dependent upon them and then exploit them, yes?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the fault. Exploitation was their policy. Whole European, the France, Holland—go some other country and exploit. They were doing the same thing in America also. Therefore America rebelled. Washington was Englishman. Still, he rebelled. He separated. Independent. A small country and bring money from the whole world—this is their bad policy.

Room Conversation with Professor Olivier -- October 10, 1975, Durban:

Prof. Olivier: No. The Ārya-patha-nidi-sabhā, which is an organization which was started about a hundred years ago by Swami Dayananda in India, with a motto of bhavantu viśvam āryam: "Let us make all men noble through search after truth," and that started in South Africa about fifty years ago. And one of the leading gentlemen in the organization today was the one sitting on the extreme left-hand side, Mr. Chautay. They are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary here in South Africa with a week's program, and they invited these two ācāryas over from India. One is from Delhi. I don't know where the other one is from. They invited them over to grace their celebrations. So they have been having a week of celebrations starting in the City Hall last Sunday.

Prabhupāda: This Sunday?

Prof. Olivier: The Sunday that's just passed, yes, they started there.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Prof. Olivier: I have a program in the car. Perhaps I could give you the program and you could have a look. All kinds of interesting topics.

Prabhupāda: For interesting topic, the gentleman, he was introducing himself, "I am God." So what topics we can have with them? (chuckles)

Prof. Olivier: Yes.

Room Conversation -- October 15, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: Syphilis. In Ayur-Vedic it is called phairanga, means this disease is imported from Western countries. Every dog has syphilis, and they contaminate the woman, and that is distributed to man. According to Vedic civilization, dog is untouchable. Now in India also, to keep a dog is aristocracy. Yes. Especially the tail cut. Now half-cut tail, that is aristocratic dog. Now they are making dog show in New Delhi. (break) Adjust. Kleṣada asa deha. Material body means different ways of giving trouble. I have got one trouble. He has got one trouble. He has got another trouble. He has got another. But nobody is coming to the senses that it is troublesome. And troublesome, at the same time you'll not be allowed to continue. It has to be ended. Then another change of body, and what kind of body you are going to get? That you do not know.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: In the Western countries, people are taught that if there is some difficulty they should not try to accept it. They should try to change the situation.

Prabhupāda: But you cannot change. What is the answer for that? Nobody has been able to change the situation. Who has been able to change the situation? Apart from birth and death, where is the change of situation that there is no more disease? So advanced in science... So why the change of situation is not there? Why people are suffering? You are creating hospital. That's all right. But where is the process that no more disease? Where is the change of situation? That is called punaḥ punaś carvita carvaṇānam (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed. They cannot change the situation and trying again and again, hope against hope. This is their foolishness. Nobody is able to change the situation. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā dura... (BG 7.14). That is not possible, but they will not take it. "Yes, we are trying. Yes, we are trying." Dog's obstinacy. What you are trying? In the history there is no such instance that you have been able to change. It is not possible.

Morning Walk -- October 17, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: Because the democracy. You will not get vote. As soon as you become honest man in the public office, nobody will be obedient to you, and it will be impossible for him to execute any... You see? The bank manager in Delhi—he was my friend—that "I am afraid of this union. If I press them to do something, they will immediately topsy-turvy the whole management." Bank manager said. "So I am afraid of the workers' union," he told me. So therefore good men, they do not go to this political post because they know they will not be able to do anything good. He will be surrounded by all rogues. Nobody will execute his order.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So the future in Kali-yuga looks very bleak.

Prabhupāda: Very, very black. Āchinna-dāra-draviṇ gacchanti giri-kānanam. People, general people, will be so much disgusted that they will be obliged to give up family and home and go to the forest, being disappointed: "Now I cannot manage. Let me go away."

Morning Walk -- November 14, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: In America, when he went, somebody requested, "You explain something of Gītā." He said, "I do not know much about Gītā." He explained. He frankly admitted that "I do not know." His excuse was like that. And he did not know anything. He thought, "Overnight, if I make my country like America, that is success." And he constructed a few skyscraper building, or big, big building in New Delhi, and he thought, "My country is like that." Therefore, when President Eisenhower came, he wanted to see the village. And as soon as he saw the village, the secret was out.

Dr. Patel: No, that man was a dreamer rather than a practical man. Practical man was only Sadar Patel.

Prabhupāda: Jaya. (break) Those who are intelligent Indians, they should combine together and present Indian culture as it is. Then the country is glorified. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) ...kari karo paropakara. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. The whole world is in darkness. Give them some light. First of all you yourself take light; then you distribute. (break) ...letter, that "Now you have got svarājya, you give up this nonsense. Preach Bhagavad-gītā. Otherwise you will meet the fate of Mussolini." And actually it was done.

Morning Walk -- November 17, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: In the examination hall the police is there, and if the guard detects, "Oh, you are taking notes from books," then he will be killed. So many teachers have been killed.

Indian man (3): (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: Police, under police they are. I saw in Delhi. One school I went, and the police is there, examination room, but all thieves, rascals. And they are sitting in examination for passing, all rascals.

Dr. Patel: The modern education has become a farce in that dress.

Prabhupāda: Farce, yes. No education. Amongst the Marwaris, the respectable gentlemen, they don't send. They keep private teachers, paṇḍitas, for learning Sanskrit, English. They know that our, "My boy hasn't got to earn money. He has to sit here. That's all. Why he should be spoiled?" They know very well, "We can purchase these technologists."

Indian man (3): (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: Everything farce. There is no education.

Morning Walk -- November 29, 1975, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Then why there are so many enemies? Why the Americans do not like them, Chinese do not like them?

Devotee (3): Now they write in the mod... I see in the modern textbook in the Delhi schools. They make counterproposal. They said, "Because the Indian philosophy is not so perfect, India has become economically backwards on account of following the..."

Prabhupāda: What economical backwards?

Devotee (3): They say India is very poor country.

Prabhupāda: No. Indians economical backwards because they have given up their own culture. When India was actually standing on the old culture, they were never defeated. Even the Mohammedans, they ruled over India for eight hundred years, but they could not defeat the Indian culture. But the British government are clever. They spoiled the Indian culture. Therefore they are poverty-stricken. Otherwise if India would have continued in his own culture... The Gandhi started the boycott movement. So Indian culture automatically boycotted anything foreign. We know in our childhood nothing foreign-made could be used in some ceremony. Even this cloth, it must be country-made, that, what is called?

Haṁsadūta: Khadi.

Morning Walk -- November 29, 1975, Delhi:

Tejās: Stones.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kalā means craftsmanship. Why it is not here, lacking? No money. The kalā cannot be shown without money. I never saw New Delhi in such nasty condition.

Tejās: It's deteriorating.

Prabhupāda: Yes, very much deteriorating. It means finished. The kalā is finished now. You see? Now, "Natural History." So many dead stone they have brought, and so costly building, and showing "natural history." This is going on, simply cheating and bluffing at the cost of poor man's blood. Against this principle the communist movement is good. There are so many buildings, but there is not a single building where spiritual culture is discussed, although it is the real basis of life. (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) ...and not getting sufficient milk, their growth is checked. This is kalākendra.

Morning Walk -- November 30, 1975, Delhi:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: New Delhi is a very social city. There are a lot of kalākendras so there's a lot of active...

Prabhupāda: No, because the government servant, they haven't got to earn money. It is father's property. They are getting money and balance time, kalākendra. And government servant means (Hindi)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No work.

Prabhupāda: No work. Especially in this country. Sixty percent of the government servants, they sleep. They do not do anything. I have seen it.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They're reading papers or gossiping.

Prabhupāda: Gossiping, that's all. And keeping the files thrown away. If you want some reference, it will take three months.

Tejās: That one devotee who was given brāhmaṇa initiation, he was working in the government. So previously he would just go in the morning, and sometimes he wouldn't even go. His section officer would go... One of them would go and punch in and the rest of the day... They have no work even. And then in the evening one has to cover the punch out. That's the only thing.

Harikeśa: In the communistic system everybody works very hard.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That's what they claim, but everything belongs to the state. Why should they work hard?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- November 30, 1975, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: They will have to divert because both, either Chinese or Russian, these are all rascaldom. It is not perfect system.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But the chairman of the Russian Communist Party, Mr. Brezhnev, he has about fifteen foreign cars. Each time a foreign dignitary goes, he gives him a special car. So everyone is supposed to be equal, but he is not equal. He has fifteen cars for himself. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...clean city. (break) It is not the same New Delhi as five or ten years before. Huh?

Tejās: Yes.

Prabhupāda: How long you are here?

Tejās: Five years, four and a half years.

Prabhupāda: So what do you think?

Tejās: Everything is deteriorating.

Harikeśa: Vṛndāvana is much cleaner than this, and they are supposed to be very poor.

Prabhupāda: Because in Vṛndāvana there are less rascals and here it is full of rascals. That is the difference. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. Rascal means the nondevotees. They have no good qualification. Kuto: "Where is good qualification?" And "No, they are so civilized. They are educated." But the answer is, mano-rathena: "Whatever they may be, they are on the mental platform." Mano-rathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ: "Because they are on the mental platform, certainly they will hover over the external energy. Therefore they have no good qualification." Bahir-artha-maninaḥ. Simply speculating on the external feature.

Morning Walk -- November 30, 1975, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: That's it. Mental platform means speculation.

Harikeśa: Na sukhaṁ na paraṁ gatim.

Prabhupāda: Paraṁ gatim. They do not take instruction from the śāstra; therefore everything is failure.

Harikeśa: Nobody seems very happy in Delhi.

Prabhupāda: Neither in U.S.A. (laughter)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No one is happy in the material world.

Ambarīṣa: In America there is much more violence than there is here.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I read in the papers yesterday that the crime rate has gone up in United States.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That must. If everyone is a criminal, so how the crime rate can decrease?

Harikeśa: Everybody cheats as much as possible, on income tax and everything.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Even President Nixon had cheated on his income tax return, but they caught him later on.

Prabhupāda: No, it is not cheating. It is... The income tax department is a cheating department, so everyone tries to avoid this cheating department. That's it.

Morning Walk -- November 30, 1975, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: These are government buildings. They are not properly maintained. The roads are not properly maintained. So New Delhi light is diminishing. And the shabby motor buses.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: These buses are also so old.

Prabhupāda: Old and creating sound so much.

Tejās: They are losing several crores of rupees every year. One man told me that he rents buses to them, one of the men who came two, three days ago. So, he was telling before, he rents buses to the D.T.C., to the Delhi Transportation Corporation. He rents it to them for a rupee a kilometer and he makes about forty paisa. And even though they are getting it for a rupee a kilometer, they are still losing money on it. He is making profit and they are losing it. Because they sell the spare parts. They're so corrupt.

Prabhupāda: Take away the...

Tejās: Yes, the workers there... There's about sixty percent of their buses only, running. Forty percent are disabled because they are always losing the parts somehow.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Also, I know, in Delhi, what the people do is... A lot of people, they don't buy the ticket. They give the conductor half the money, and so he lets them go free.

Prabhupāda: Just see. Then where the income? There is no income and there is loss.

Morning Walk -- December 14, 1975, New Delhi:

Harikeśa: Pretty bad.

Prabhupāda: This is śūdra. If anyone depends on the master's mercy, he's a śūdra. Here in New Delhi, these big, big buildings, big, big officers, as soon as the government will fail, they will be street dogs, that's all. Now they are plundering, by official instrument. Now when the government will be finished, they will be street dog. That's all. This is your civilization. Immediately if all of a sudden there is attack in New Delhi, all the people will starve. There is no food at all, and they'll die.

Harikeśa: That's a really important point that the government takes more and more, and everybody gets poorer and poorer.

Prabhupāda: Yes. The government is also poor because they do not know how to govern. Buddhi yasya balaṁ tasya. If one has got intelligence he has got strength.

Morning Walk -- December 14, 1975, New Delhi:

Tejas: For when the devotees come.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tejas: It is better than Ram līlā grounds. We'll get the educated and sophisticated people.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tejas: Not just the Old Delhi people.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And...

Tejas: And we can make very good... In the newspaper, if we get, then we'll get... We can sell the tickets also.

Prabhupāda: Yes, you attend all these Kala Bhavan. Utilize like that way. You will have always engagement. This our chanting, dancing, prasāda distribution. And they will pay also. We'll sell books. Why don't you take advantage of this institution? It requires organisation, that's all. Why LIC grounds, so much money? Three thousand daily and 40,000 monthly and so on.

Morning Walk -- December 14, 1975, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: These are all a school building? Hm? They're extended.

Tejas: Yes.

Devotee: It's a school.

Tejas: They have also opened a new school. Besides this they have opened another college.

Prabhupāda: Where?

Tejas: Some place in south Delhi.

Prabhupāda: Oh. (end)

Morning Walk -- December 19, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Dr. Patel: His mother. She was dying, and she said, "I don't want to see anybody; bring only Kṛṣṇa's photo before me." (Hindi to other man) No, no. His mother-Mr. Jani's. And then looking at the photograph of Kṛṣṇa, she breathed her last.

Prabhupāda: I saw in Delhi one old man, just a few minutes before his death he asked his son to bring Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa picture, and it was put before him, and he died.

Dr. Patel: And my father died saying oṁ tat sat śrī-kṛṣṇāya namaḥ, and then he stopped it, breathing, in the morning at six o'clock.

Man: Morning, that is very good.

Dr. Patel: Yes, six o'clock. And my wife was daily saying bhaja govindam, bhaja govindam before she died.

Prabhupāda: Hm. (to devotees) Just see: govindam.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 8, 1976, Nellore:

Prabhupāda: Just like Africa.

Vasughosa: Yes. But the man seems to be a little intelligent, a little knowledgeable. I met him. He seems to be a little.... (break) They try to renovate temples there. They are very old temples like in India and they have...

Prabhupāda: (break) ...they do not give for so-called religion, it is better. They are not spoiling the money.

Acyutānanda: The head of that Viśva-Hindu went to Delhi to get tax exemption. So they said, "You drop the name Hindu." They said, "No, we will never drop the name Hindu. Even if you don't give us tax exemption, we will be without the tax exempt but we will never give up our name Hindu."

Prabhupāda: (break) Whatever whimsically you make your law, that is law. Actually they are not fighting. Hindu law means Manu-saṁhitā. So who is pressing them that "We don't require any law except this"? And where is that Hindu, strong Hindu? Hindu means Manu-saṁhitā. (break) ...mānave prāhur. This Manu. Original instruction is coming from Manu. (break) ...the word Manu, the word mānava has come. Just like he has started that mānava-dharma. Mānava-dharma means Manu. That he does not know. From Manu, mānava has come, just like from sādhu, sādhava has come. They do not know even grammar. These leaders, they do not know even grammar. (break) ...chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take prasādam.

Morning Walk -- January 9, 1976, Madras:

Prabhupāda: Accident.... He had former habit, and unknowingly he has done something wrong. That is accident. That is explained by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Not purposefully doing wrong. That is aparādha. Nāmnād balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ.

Acyutānanda: The Deities' name is Rādhā-Parthasarathi.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Acyutānanda: The name of the Delhi Deities is Rādhā-Parthasarathi. So how do we understand? Because Partha means Arjuna. So Rādhā, how does Rādhā get there?

Prabhupāda: When Kṛṣṇa is Parthasarathi, Rādhā is out of Him? Does it mean?

Indian man (1): What you mean, Parthasarathi is Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Acyutānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That's all. Yes. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir āhlādini-śaktir. When He is fighting, the āhlādini-śakti is there. It is not manifest.

Morning Walk -- February 6, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: (break) ...by mental platform, on the mental plane.

Jagadīśa: When I was in the university I took a course...

Prabhupāda: (break) Yes. The same example. This was spoken by one scientist in Delhi, that if a man has learned how to imitate the dog barking, people will go to see him by purchasing ticket. But he won't hear the dog, real dog, barking. So we are like that. We are trying to imitate dog.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is it here, Jayapatākā? Yes, here.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...fective, what you can see from the observatory?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's why they use a telescope, to make their eyes perfect.

Prabhupāda: Everything is imperfect.

Hṛdayānanda: Telescope also imperfect.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: With the help of the telescope, then their eyes become perfect to an extent.

Prabhupāda: To ext... That is not perfect. As soon as you say, "to extent," that means imperfect. Perfect to the point, that is perfect.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Limitedly perfect.

Prabhupāda: That is not perfect.

Morning Walk -- February 18, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yes, journalist.

Acyutānanda: But he got into some big embarrassment.

Prabhupāda: Journalists, they write very good English. Every journalist, they learn how to write good English.

Acyutānanda: He got into some big embarrassment. I don't know how. Then he went to the Himalayas.

Prabhupāda: He was in, several times in embarrassment. One friend in Delhi, Mr. Gupta, he told many things about him. He was patronizing him. In those days, when he was not very rich, he had, he gave him 25,000 rupees, that Mr. Gupta. (break) Ācchā?

Acyutānanda: I felt uncomfortable. He was clicking his teeth and moving his hands and talking very quickly. It was very uncomfortable just to be in his presence. I was very nervous. He actually contradicted himself. I was saying we should be respected in all Hindu temples. He says, "Yes, you are Hindus." He says, "Jains and Buddhists, they are also Hindus." I said, "How is that?" He says, "Who is Buddha?" I said, "He is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa." He says, "No, aside from that, he is the son of a kṣatriya." I said, "Then you are bringing it back to birth again." And then he started groping for words and avoiding it. They want to make a unity of Hindus so that they can always sway elections, so that Mohammedan and Christians do not change the election.

Prabhupāda: And we want to make Mohammedans Hindus.

Morning Walk -- March 13, 1976, Mayapur:

Rāmeśvara: They all accept bribes or they do some illegal business themselves with the criminals they capture.

Prabhupāda: Yes, regular... Every criminal has got organization to bribe the police. And the police does not take directly, and some in-between man, agent, he collects from the criminal and gives to the police. In India this is going on. I know that. A via-media man, he makes fortune. Yes. Whatever is collected, ten percent he takes, and balance is given to the police. There is a confectioner in Delhi. He is selling jalebi. You know jalebi?

Devotees: Yes.

Prabhupāda: He has got ten lakhs of rupees because he collects the bribe from others and pay to the police. Everyone knows. There was one Mullik, now, on that Mahātmā Gandhi Road. His business was that. He was collecting. That quarter, our quarter, was full of pocket, pickpockets, guṇḍās. Pickpockets, gundas, in our childhood they were our neighborhood. (laughs) I remember when I was child I was coming, and the pickpocket was pickpocketing, and he was... He was doing like that: "Don't speak. Don't talk." I have seen all this. And whenever there was any riot, so we were accustomed to see everything. When there was Hindu-Muslim riot, one boyfriend told me, "Oh, don't go to your house. It is... A great riot is..." I thought, "Riot is going on daily." It was the same thing.

Morning Walk -- March 15, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: No, India.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We can print in India.

Prabhupāda: What is the wrong in India?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: (break) ...reviews from big, big people in Delhi, that will be very helpful in Russia. Like the head of the Lok Sabha Research Library is giving a review on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and other Sanskrit scholars have also been approached, and they've all agreed to give reviews.

Prabhupāda: Take these reviews. You print.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Print those.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One of our men in our party did this. Before he even joined the movement, he had already done this for college.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Yes. We went to the college, and we found this boy. He had done this for his class. We said, "Now you come with us."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "And be a devotee." Just by reading your books, without ever meeting any devo..., just by reading a book he understood how to do this.

Prabhupāda: It is very nice.

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

Prabhupāda: Plural, plural number. Plural.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Plural.

Prabhupāda: Living entities. And the plural number living entities are maintained by Him.

Reporter (2): In the past.... I should start this way.... This is the first press conference you are holding in Delhi, isn't it?

Prabhupāda: You can come forward.

Reporter (1): ...if we can finish this answer if you don't mind. If the plural number entities are being maintained by Him...

Prabhupāda: No, no. Yes. Just like father and he has got many children. So both of them are living entities, but the father maintains the children, and the children are maintained by God. One is maintaining, and others are being maintained. That means dependent. We are dependent on God, or Kṛṣṇa.

Reporter (1): But aren't we impure and He is pure?

Prabhupāda: No, both of them are. The father...

Reporter (1): But then how do we.... Then why do we commit sins? God doesn't.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like we are at the present moment in impure condition. That is material. Therefore the human form of life is a chance to be free from the impurity.

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

Reporter (5): I didn't meant to compare Swamiji's teachings with that of Mahesh Yogi's, but I...

Prabhupāda: No, how many Mahesh Yogi has brought, disciples like this? Practical, come, come, practical point. Have you seen in India Mahesh Yogi's disciples like...?

Reporter (5): Well, whenever he comes to Delhi he brings two, three jumbo jets full of disciples.

Prabhupāda: This is my answer. Thousands of them are working here on my behalf. Just see their character and behavior.

Reporter (4): Swamiji, may I say something? A magician can create many charismas. But God also create charismas. Who will you compare? The magician charismas or the God's charisma? This is the difference. A magician can also sometimes impress upon people that he has godly powers, but are they the real godly powers as against real godly powers? This is the difference. I have been at least thirty times to America, talked to lot of people. They say if you want to go really for attainment of your soul, you go to ISKCON.

Prabhupāda: Even Mahesh Yogi says. Yes.

Reporter (4): And if you want to attain your bodily strength...

Prabhupāda: Yes, actually. One of his secretaries came to us. One of his secretaries, he asked that "I want real knowledge of God." He said, "Then you go to ISKCON."

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

Reporter (2): If you would elaborate on that, I would be very much interested.

Prabhupāda: Well, that is.... It is.... It is known to everyone. Kṛṣṇa says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Anna. Anna means food grains, eatables. You must produce sufficient food grains. Why you are producing tire tube instead of food grains? And just entering your Delhi from Vṛndāvana, a big Goodyear factory, very big factory. You are producing tire tube, then iron, Goodyear and this and that. Where is food grain? And both sides, the field is vacant. Nobody is going to grow food grain. Then why you'll not starve? It is your fault. You are producing tire tube and iron instrument. You are neglecting agriculture. Then why you shall not suffer for want of food grain? And you are pleading, "Indians are starving." Well, why shall not starve if they do not follow Bhagavad-gītā? They are thinking, "By increasing industry in America..." They have got industry, at the same time food grains also. But you are taking to industry without taking care of growing food grains.

Morning Walk -- March 26, 1976, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: You all become full Kṛṣṇa conscious, cent percent Kṛṣṇa conscious. (break) ...that people are suffering for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Let them have this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and become happy. That's all.

Guru dāsa: People are very more respectful in Delhi now, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: We have all respect. Amāninā mānadena. Even who has no respect, we give respect, everyone, not for his material position, but because he is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. (break) ...are also coming here?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Who, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Gargamuni's vans, six vans?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He's not scheduled to come. Perhaps later on. He had some program scheduled. Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Sometimes the question is raised that Lord Caitanya predicted the holy name will be preached in every town and village throughout the world, so to what extent will it be preached?

Prabhupāda: That will depend on the preacher.

Morning Walk -- April 7, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: (laughs) There is competition like that. One will say "Hare Rāma." Another will say "No, Hare Kṛṣṇa."

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He was very obstinate.

Hari-śauri: Or that man in Delhi.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Hari-śauri: That man in Delhi thought we had something against Lord Rāmacandra.

Prabhupāda: There are many versions like that. Somebody will say, "Your Rāmacandra may be very important person, but when Rādhārāṇī goes to Kṛṣṇa, Lord Rāmacandra becomes His (Her) guard with arrows..." (laughter) When Rādhārāṇī goes to Kṛṣṇa, and Rāmacandra has to serve Rādhārāṇī with arrows and bows. (pause) This is gorur.(?)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: What is that six-pointed star significance?

Prabhupāda: Cakra.

Morning Walk -- April 12, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: (break) ...milk is cheaper than the bottle.

Dr. Patel: Just as wine is cheaper in Paris than water. I had to pay more for a glass of water. (Hindi) (break) It is not here, but...

Prabhupāda: It is in Delhi.

Dr. Patel: They should come here. So they may arrive some day.

Prabhupāda: So where is? Arrange to bring him. Otherwise they will not believe.

Dr. Patel: No, no, we believe you, sir. But we want a darśana of it. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: So ask. Bring it in the meantime. (break) ...not less than one lakh of devotees, at least, so crowded.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Where is that at, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Where is that?

Prabhupāda: Māyāpur.

Morning Walk -- April 13, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Local men.

Dr. Patel: All the big temples in India have got management committees, practically people from various parts. Our own Jagannātha Purī, I mean, this, our Dvārakā temple is managed by people from Bombay. Bombay, Delhi, and many other places. So they must have all...

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Even one of our Indian men they stopped. Caitya-guru told me that when he went there they thought he was Westerner. They wouldn't let him in the second time he tried to go in.

Dr. Patel: This gentleman is coming before the judge of the Bombay high-court.

Guru dāsa: We can see the cakra on the top.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Guru dāsa: We can see the cakra on the top. It is the same.

Dr. Patel: (break) No, no, no, don't. It should have been taken out, not here but there. That was not for, but that was the government of India wanted to construct an office for customs here, and we objected, that "You can't do it in the sea area where we have to..., on the beach." So they broke it down. You know that small.... It will not be.

Prabhupāda: It can continue. It can continue.

Morning Walk -- April 13, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: I have seen Gandhi's prayer meeting, and I attended. Utmost, five minutes reading Bhagavad-gītā, then again politics immediately. Immediately politics. I was in Delhi. I attended the meeting when Nawa Khalia (Noakhali?) fast. So this was his prayer. I have seen. And as a result of this, in that prayer meeting he was killed. (Hindi) So nature punishment are there. (Hindi) The last stage of Kali-yuga means you die.

Dr. Patel: But the way the modern civilized nations are exploiting the resources of the world, another fifty years there will be no resources left, and civilization automatically will die out.

Prabhupāda: Wars. The occasional war, pestilence, famine, that's all.

Dr. Patel: Even there is no war, sir, or no pestilence, the population...

Prabhupāda: There will be war. Because you are dissatisfied, I am dissatisfied, on some little provocation we fight. Nobody is happy. I have seen in Allahabad. Little provocation, two brothers fought so much, one brother was killed immediately. Then, when he was ordered to be hanged, his father appealed that "I am the father. One son I have already lost. If he is hanged, then my.... You hang me, my good man(?)." Then he excused him and he actually was.... Upon the father's appeal. I have seen it.

Morning Walk -- April 14, 1976, Bombay:

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

Dr. Patel: They are all there in Delhi.

Prabhupāda: No, no, you don't mention any. (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa. So it is impartial. And actually, if they test that "Whether this man I am voting, he is free from all these sinful activities?" Then, you see, the whole face of the Indian government will change.

Dr. Patel: Sir, I may tell you, the adults.... That change is meant for the educated, cultured, and...

Prabhupāda: No, no, you don't name that educated, cultured. You simply say that "You vote for this person."

Dr. Patel: People vote for five-rupee notes. They don't vote anything else.

Morning Walk -- April 14, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Mass of people, they are not drunkard.

Dr. Patel: Not mass, I mean those people who are in Delhi.

Prabhupāda: They? They are not majority. Therefore we have to reform.

Dr. Patel: Only God will reform them by giving them.... They should be chastised.

Prabhupāda: They are being chastised, but they are so fool, they cannot understand they are being chastised. Just like a dog is being chastised. He cannot have eating, eatables, whole day and night, eating stool. Somebody's stoning, somebody's sticking, and still, he is very jubilant: "Gow, gow, gow, gow, I am very happy." (laughter) This is going on. So this dog's association, dog society, they are suffering in every step; still, they are thinking, "We are making progress." That's all. Dog civilization. Hog civilization. Dog civilization. This is not civilization. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Dog civilization.

Morning Walk -- April 14, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Dr. Patel: When Mr. Ford comes willing, back on...? Is he coming back again?

Prabhupāda: No, there are many. There are many. Now, you see, near Delhi there is Modi Nagar. That Mr. Modi was not very educated man, but how he has developed?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He is employing something like fifty thousand people.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (Hindi) Mr. Modi near Delhi.

Dr. Patel: Modinagarawala.

Prabhupāda: Yes, he is employing fifty thousand people, without any education.

Dr. Patel: (Hindi)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We had a very big program in Modinagara.

Prabhupāda: His wife received us very nicely.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Mādhavānanda: You once asked that same question to Kenneth Keating in Delhi. You said, "You say that this is America, but who owns America?" He could not answer.

Prabhupāda: Kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). The best thing is to follow the formula given by Kṛṣṇa: na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). As soon as one denies the supremacy of God, he is either sinful, rascal, lowest of the mankind, in these categories. This is the qualification. So we shall take things very simplified. As soon as we see somebody not Kṛṣṇa conscious, immediately we take him in either of these groups. That's all. Then if he objects, then you come to argument. Hmm? What do you think?

Mādhavānanda: In argument, we can never be defeated.

Prabhupāda: So in the school, college classes, there is sometimes argument?

Satsvarūpa: All the time. (laughter) We always save half the time for questions, and immediately, "How do you know that that is true?" All challenging. "Why should I believe?" "How could God present the scriptures?" All faithless.

Jayādvaita: In this part of the country, I think the students, generally they admit there is God. They're a little pious in this central portion. There are so many farms and they're not so deteriorated.

Prabhupāda: Polluted.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: Panwanna(?), puṣpānna, kijeranna(?), so many things. What is that? If you kill the cow you get the meat only one time. But if you allow the cow to live and take milk, and from milk you can make hundreds and thousands of preparations. That is enjoyment, real enjoyment. In Delhi, there are shops, very respectable shops. One side salt, and one side sweet. But the salt side or sweet side, they're all based on ghee. This preparation, dahibarā, so nice. Combination of grain and yogurt. So introduce this. They do not know. It is a new type of civilization we are trying to introduce for the benefit of the human society. They do not know it. Crude civilization. Primitive. Kill an animal and eat. And when you are civilized, you are supposed to know so many things; why should you kill the animal? You utilize the animal. This milk is taking the blood without killing. That is humanity. You are eating beef because of the blood. So if you take the blood in a different way, you get the same benefit. And if you are still ambitious to eat the meat, flesh, just wait, it will die, you take at that time. Why so hurry? Everyone will die, there is no doubt about it. So you take the dead body and eat. Why do they not?

Prabhupada Visits Palace and Garden -- June 22, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Kīrtanānanda: Barking for the last thirty years.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Nobody has criticized them. They have taken it seriously; otherwise, why they have published? Yes, that's right. What they have done except barking? "I am American," "I am Russian," "I am this," "I am that," that's all. If you keep them dogs and hogs and, nicely dressed, they go to United Nations and talk of unity, is it possible? Can the dogs and hogs can unite? Common sense. You bring all the dogs of this neighborhood and ask them "Don't bark now. Live peacefully," (laughter) will they be able? (laughs) The United Nation is like that. They're kept as dogs and they're advised, "Now keep peacefully." Is it possible? They have no common sense even. First of all, let them become human beings. Conference is going on, big conference, and Jawaharlal Nehru has imitated, that in the conference there are different languages, different..., but if somebody is speaking in any language you'll hear it in your own language. Remember? In New Delhi he has done that. This rascal thought, "Now I am finished, I have done my duty." All rascals. (japa) Thus our definition, that anyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's either in these four groups, bas, final. You just try to prove it. Hm? Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja? You have any doubt about it?

Kīrtanānanda: No.

Prabhupada Inspects New BTG -- June 24, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: What is this article? Ah. "Kṛṣṇa Consciousness-The Spirit of '76." "Curing the Crimes of a Lifetime." Vibhavatī. "Curing the Crimes"—read it.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: (reads) "Adapted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, translation and commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda." In the middle there is a picture of Arjuna piercing the target, and Draupadī. "With the recent disgrace of an American president still fresh in our minds, it is interesting to read of a similar case in ancient times. Five thousand years ago a blind king named Dhṛtarāṣṭra dishonored his high post and caused the death of millions. This story is of special importance even today, because he found an antidote to the crimes of a lifetime and in his old age became self-realized. King Dhṛtarāṣṭra was the acting monarch of Hastināpura, the capital of the Vedic kingdom of Bhārata, which five thousand years ago, according to the Vedic literature, spread over most of the planet. Hastināpura was on the banks of the Yamunā River at the present-day site..., at the site of present day Delhi. As its name indicates-hasti means elephant—it was a city full of opulently decorated elephants. Noble men rode elaborate chariots past marble palaces inlaid with glittering jewels. The sweet smell of incense drifted out of lattice windows. Trees bearing fruits and flowers lined the wide streets, which were sprinkled with scented water. There was no hint of poverty or distress. Hastināpura was the crown jewel of the abundant Vedic civilization. From the beginning, Dhṛtarāṣṭra's position as king was never legal, for he was blind, and Vedic law ruled that a blind man cannot be king. Thus the throne went to his younger brother Pāṇḍu. But when Pāṇḍu died in his young manhood, Dhṛtarāṣṭra began ruling on behalf of Pāṇḍu's five sons, who were still children. In an age of great and honorable kings, Dhṛtarāṣṭra was an exception. Swayed by his eldest son Duryodhana's ruthless lust for power, Dhṛtarāṣṭra began to abuse the guardianship of the Pāṇḍavas by closing his already blind eyes to the planned and purposeful efforts of Duryodhana to destroy the boys. As the descendant of a great royal dynasty, Dhṛtarāṣṭra had the lineage and rearing of a proper monarch, but it seemed that he was as blind spiritually as he was physically. Although he admired and even loved the five fatherless princes, he began to contemplate taking away their kingdom, and even their lives."

Prabhupāda: At seven o'clock we shall go there?

Kīrtanānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: What is time now?

Kīrtanānanda: Six. Six o'clock, five past six.

Prabhupāda: Oh. All right. (exits room) (end)

Room Conversation -- June 24, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Anyway, you have got this jewel, utilize it properly, make your life perfect.

ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya paya bhakti-latā-bija
(CC Madhya 19.151)

But we don't say that you starve, you unnecessarily give trouble to your body. No. Eat nicely, but simply, and save time for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is our program. Nanda Mahārāja was a village man. Kṛṣṇa was village boy. Kṛṣṇa could live in New Delhi, but He did not like that. He lived in Vṛndāvana, a village. But one difficulty is that it is not plain land. Little troublesome, but not very much troublesome. So is there any difficulty of not being a plain land?

Kīrtanānanda: It makes farming more difficult on the hill. It takes more time, more work.

Prabhupāda: Hard work.

Kīrtanānanda: That is good.

Prabhupāda: For cows there is no difficulty.

Kīrtanānanda: No.

Prabhupāda: In India, they call Pahārhī when they are accustomed to hard work. Those who live on the Himalayan side, they have to work little hard, therefore they are Pahārhī. You have accepted other's children also?

Kīrtanānanda: Yes.

Evening Darsana -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: She has got children? No.

Mr. Boyd: No, she doesn't have children, but Haṁsadūta Mahārāja sent this child for Himāvatī to take care of at the school, and I guess the school was not ready yet, but she's taking care of him now, and he's a handful, too. She came up to New Delhi with us and spent a couple nights while we were getting some passports straightened around and visas cleared up. We had "Baldy," they called him—I never did know his name. We had a good time with him. It's a real pleasure having this opportunity to meet you.

Prabhupāda: Thank you.

Mr. Boyd: Barbara's been in the movement for two and half years and it's been..., we've heard a lot about you and a lot about the movement, and we've kept pretty close, you know, track of what's going on, and we've visited the different temples and talked to the different devotees, and we're quite impressed with the action.

Prabhupāda: We are having the difficulties of this immigration department.

Mr. Boyd: I guess, if it's like India, you've got troubles. We almost went to jail rather than get out of the country.

Prabhupāda: We think, according to our philosophy, everything is the property of the Supreme Lord, and we are all sons. So everyone has the right to use the property of the father. So that consciousness should be spread. This barrier of nationalism is against Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why there should be? Actually everything belongs to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). The sky, the land, the water, they are all creation of God, God's property. But we should not take more than what is allotted to us. That is real life. Otherwise, I have practically studied that there is enough land. Just like in your country, in America, there is enough land, not utilized. They can be properly utilized, and if food grains are produced, there is no question of scarcity of food all over the world. Not only in America—in Africa, in Australia. (break) If we get nourishing food, every one of us, so there is no economic problem.

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

Prabhupāda: I spoke about this cosmic manifestation, where is Vaikuṇṭha, where is... This is a church?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Second Church of Christ Scientists.

Hari-śauri: Was it a Catholic church or..., where you went?

Rāmeśvara: The Library Party said that everywhere they go in India, they find that you went there first with your first three volumes of Bhāgavatam. Especially in New Delhi, they said. There's one institute which had fifty sets of your original first canto, so now they ordered fifty complete sets to complete the books they had. They said that all the major colleges had your original Bhāgavatams in India, first edition. So then they could understand that you were distributing books yourself.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Rāmeśvara: They became very enlivened, inspired.

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.

Morning Walk -- July 12, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Well, this is good lake. People are becoming dishonest. They'll take money and do nothing.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I'm seeing down at Dalhousie Square area that the government employees, they are constantly taking tea break. They come late to work...

Prabhupāda: I have seen in New Delhi, I was going to sell my Back to Godhead, so they were all sitting and gossiping, and files are piled up. If you want some file it will take six months. Doing nothing. Sixty percent of the employees are simply wasting time.

Hari-śauri: City workers are very famous for not doing anything, taking tea breaks.

Prabhupāda: Why they will do? When they get money without doing?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If we could just introduce to them the chanting, they could be great yogis, sitting chanting, and have so much free time. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Just see, why this wood is dried up? Why?

Hari-śauri: There is no spirit soul in it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It has been severed from the tree.

Prabhupāda: Yes, from the, it is out of touch from the original bark. Similarly, any civilization which is out of touch of God consciousness, that will dry up in due course of time.

Room Conversation -- July 31, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Bhūgarbha: He made that statement.

Prabhupāda: I met him when he was in Delhi once.

Bhūgarbha: We were very inspired in Delhi, that almost every college we went to, they already had your three books, and the librarians, they would remember. We would ask them "When did you get these books?" They'd think, "Well, about ten, twelve years ago, some sannyāsī came. We purchased."

Prabhupāda: So they remembered.

Bhūgarbha: They were (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: So now they took others?

Bhūgarbha: Now... We said that "You've begun; this is only the beginning. You cannot have incomplete set." They said "Yes, we cannot have incomplete," so they took the rest. And also that man, that Sastri, the Ministry of Education? That man Mr. Sastri, in the Ministry of Education, the Rātrī of Sanskrit-samsad, he bought fifty copies?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Room Conversation -- August 4, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Not very much. Oh, yes, that Back to Godhead.

Hari-śauri: In Vṛndāvana you were just translating?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: The library party said that everywhere in Delhi they went, they found that you had already placed your three volumes of Bhāgavatam.

Prabhupāda: Yes. In American also. The Congress Library purchased nineteen sets.

Hari-śauri: Which library?

Prabhupāda: Congress Library.

Hari-śauri: Oh, Congress. The one in Washington? The Library of Congress?

Prabhupāda: Or there is a branch in India.

Hari-śauri: That is where they have your original Back to Godhead.

Prabhupāda: Maybe.

Evening Darsana -- August 9, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: Temple means Deity, there must be Deity.

Nandarāṇī: So these Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities, we should simply keep until some future time when we might be able to worship Them?

Prabhupāda: No, if you can, in a separate house, if you can follow the principles, you can install.

Nandarāṇī: I remember in Delhi when they had only a few devotees, they were having three aratiks a day, a very simple program for Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: They can do that, simple, three.

Nandarāṇī: Can it be three, can it be simple?

Prabhupāda: Maṅgala āratik, bhoga āratika and sundara āratik, that's all.

Nandarāṇī: And changing Their clothes every day?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Every day.

Nandarāṇī: Bathing and changing of Their clothes and three āratiks. Once we have a separate place and we have devotees to maintain Them. We have been eager to worship Deities, so we planted tulasīs, so now we have sixty tulasīs, so we are looking forward to worshiping the Deity and having a good program for bhakti.

Prabhupāda: Here also you can do, but Atreya Ṛṣi thinks separate building. He thinks like that.

Arrival Conversation -- August 13, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Nirañjana is helping to translate it?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, and he's the most reliable. The others I find are not reliable. Even with Yaśomatīnandana, I give him a book, it gets stuck for three months. But now we are moving very fast. The first Hindi Back to Godhead we printed up forty-five thousand, it is sold. So I'm reprinting thirty thousand more in Delhi, and in Bombay, we are producing a new Back to Godhead with thirty thousand first print. Forty-five thousand of first printing is almost sold. People can't believe it. Even Hitsharan Sharma couldn't believe it that we distributed forty-five thousand Hindi magazines in two months.

Prabhupāda: We are distributing millions in English.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We got a new import permit to import books for five lakhs. I think I wrote that to you. And also the government is going to let us...

Prabhupāda: I saw your wife in New York.

Arrival Conversation -- August 13, 1976, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Also a lot of people are coming to the Delhi temple. The Maharani of Jaipur comes every second day. She is the daughter-in-law of the Maharani Gayatridevi. Everyone, lot of, many people are coming every day to our temple in Delhi.

Prabhupāda: What about Hyderabad?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Hyderabad will be ready, I was there last week. It will be ready in time. The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is coming as the chief guest on the day the temple will be opened.

Driver: We are getting very good bungalow in Ahmedabad. Six bedroom with six baths, all marble.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But we don't have any devotees there. What will we do?

Driver: There are eight devotees at least. They have to vacate in any case. (break)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: ...newsstands also. Yaśomatīnandana has made some arrangement with some distributor.

Prabhupāda: Newsstand?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, to news, where they sell newspapers and all.

Driver: They distribute about fifteen hundred on Ratha-yātrā day.

Prabhupāda: Fifteen hundred on?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Ratha-yātrā in Ahmedabad. Now we are distributing these books for one rupee each or 1.50 in Vṛndāvana because now we've got the cost of printing down to sixty paisa...

Prabhupāda: Our Ratha-yātrā in New York was very successful.

Arrival Conversation -- August 13, 1976, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I saw in the New York Times. I went to the American Embassy in Delhi and I saw "East Meets West" that was the heading, and there were picture, and Daily News had it on the first page.

Hari-śauri: Middle page.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: First page.

Hari-śauri: Center pages.

Prabhupāda: Three chariots, very gorgeous.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It's due to your causeless mercy this is spreading everywhere. There were hundreds of orders from libraries. Actually we cannot even keep up, there are so many orders coming. Every order has been dispatched, Śrīla Prabhupāda. There's not one order outstanding, but we are getting lot of correspondence, everything. And I spoke to Rāmeśvara two nights ago, he's shipping the books right away. Because we only got the sea. By Kṛṣṇa's grace, first our application for import of books was rejected. Then I went and met this very big man and preached to him. So now he's become a devotee and he said, "You just come to me. I'll give you in one day whatever you want."

Prabhupāda: Ācchā.

Arrival Conversation -- August 13, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Gave some hint.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I gave him some books. I meet him regularly now when I meet him. He'll come to see you in Delhi he said. He's the Joint Chief Controller of Imports and Exports, very high position. So he has the final authority for giving licenses up to one lakh. He said he could give it to us.

Prabhupāda: What is the political position here? (break)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: ...big celebration here starting tomorrow to the 18th. P. K. Savant, he came to see you last year, the president of Maharastra Pradesh Congress Committee, he was the chief guest. Mr. Pagay, another he is the minister from Maharastra, he's also coming. Very big program. It's being advertised all over Bombay.

Prabhupāda: So raining stopped here?

Driver: For three days stopped, sir. Otherwise, it was very heavy.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It's monsoon, it will still rain.

Prabhupāda: Throughout whole Europe there is not a drop of water.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They're getting suffering now.

Prabhupāda: All, no cloud.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: In France I read in the paper that the river was the lowest... (break)

Prabhupāda: ...premse kaho śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-prabhu-nityānanda (prema-dhvani etc.) Thank you very much.

Devotee: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Morning Walk -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: We have no tap water here?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We have tap water, but it's not drinking water. I mean it needs to be boiled. In Delhi you can drink the tap water, they say it's okay, but in Bombay it's very risky to drink tap water. Especially in monsoon. (break) ...famous actress and singer called Shri Lakshna-pandit. She's one of our devotee's sister-in-law also. She has some devotion. So she is coming to sing bhajanas tomorrow in the pandal. Is that okay? She's very famous.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It's okay.

Prabhupāda: Before Deity one can do. Before Deity one can show devotional activities, but not otherwise. Otherwise it will be sense enjoyment.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: In Vṛndāvana once you told me not to have the rāsa-līlā by these professionals also.

Prabhupāda: No, before Deity everything.

Morning Walk -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, don't mention it.

Acyutānanda: Because they don't listen. Their history is that Vallabhācārya had the dream and discovered Govardhana and Śrī Nāthajī, Gopāla Deity, and there was no Mādhavendra Purī.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā? But in the court it has been established. One lawyer in Delhi, he told me that this Deity belongs to the Gauḍīya-sampradāya. In the court it has...

Acyutānanda: How did it come to them?

Prabhupāda: That Mādhavendra Purī or somebody delivered to Vallabhācārya. Mādhavendra Purī is not possible, somebody else. (break) Dvārakā Śaṅkarācārya, he's a Māyāvādī, and he'll give Bhāgavata?

Acyutānanda: No, he's just going to give blessings to the... He's presiding, I guess. (break)

Prabhupāda: That is also complete like this?

Saurabha: Yes. The other side we are making one special room for you on the roof. So...

Prabhupāda: One special room like this? No.

Saurabha: That is the lift room. But next to that, the similar room, the same size. It is not done. Because that we have to do later on. We're not allowed to do that now. There's a new law passed in Bombay that no one can build higher than six stories, nowhere in Bombay. So we had to rush for this, otherwise they would have stopped us.

Prabhupāda: So why you are not rushing?

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

Prabhupāda: We have given them three lakhs of rupees. What is that?

Mahāṁśa: This is the newspaper article which came in Hindu, the Hindu paper, about the government asking something about us.

Indian man (1): Communist party.

Mahāṁśa: "New Delhi, August 13th. Mr. Om Mehta, Minister of State for Home, informed the Rājya-sabhā yesterday that government will order an inquiry into the activities of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Society in Nadia District of West Bengal to find out whether there was something fishy about it."

Hari-śauri: This is the same report Gopāla Kṛṣṇa read you.

Mahāṁśa: You have read this, Prabhupāda?

Indian man (3): It must have come in earlier.

Prabhupāda: But the name is "Kṛṣṇa Caitanya." (laughs)

Mahāṁśa: Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Society.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.

Hari-śauri: Śrīla Prabhupāda, it's ten-thirty. Would you like anything to eat or drink before we take rest?

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, there's puffies and peanuts and hot milk. Puffies.

Prabhupāda: Puffies?

Hari-śauri: Puffed rice.

Prabhupāda: Puffed rice.

Room Conversation -- August 19, 1976, Hyderabad:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We can send this copy to Delhi for those ministers who wanted it.

Acyutānanda: Those. Oh yes. This is the largest circulation in India.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This probably came the big (indistinct) yesterday. (indistinct) has been closed (indistinct) xerox copies (indistinct). We'll have it translated.

Acyutānanda: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So that they can read it.

Acyutānanda: Right. (kīrtana in background-devotees talk in background) Also, this came the day before in the same newspaper. (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: You directly do that. You (indistinct) the idea. (indistinct)

Acyutānanda: And Bhavananda invited the C.P.I. (Communist Party of India) members to come to Māyāpur and see for themselves.

Prabhupāda: Ah!

Acyutānanda: This article invites them.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: These members are now in Delhi so we can send it to them.

Acyutānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: These members are all in Delhi. And when I write the letter which you dictated, they will also enclose it.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They published one English article, "Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement Catches On."

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: OK.

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

Jayapatākā: Some of the local people that were working with me, getting petitions, they came and told me that some people from Delhi or outside were inquiring about us, about Bhavānanda Goswami, about Jayapatākā, about this project, about how the devotees are dealing with the public, whether we are doing any anti-Indian work. All sorts of questions they are asking. So it's very important that we keep very up and up right now. All the time. But otherwise the government, they are happy with our work. And so far, Mr. Choudhuri said, other people have indicated that they have found no bad report about our society, although they are looking so hard. Therefore they are passing.

Gargamuni: The State government is very favorable. But the doubt, of course, is coming from the central government because they don't know us. But the state government, they are very favorable. Everyone we've met within the State, they like us very much. They like the Society, they like your work, and, of course, they like your books.

Jayapatākā: The local police intelligence officer in Krishnagar, when I went to see him, he told me, (Bengali). Like that, he told me. "Definitely I make you an Indian citizen." So they are favorable. I don't know how much they can do, but locally they are favorable.

Gargamuni: Now on the weekend we have tours of the building. Many groups of people come. Fifty in a group sometimes come and visit.

Prabhupāda: Tourists.

Gargamuni: Yes, tourists, and we take then on tour of the building. That's Subhaga. He takes them on tour and he gives some preaching. So many people are coming.

Prabhupāda: Subhaga is in charge of that?

Gargamuni: Yes, he does.

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

Jayapatākā: No, it's not necessary to personally see him. You might write... When you come to Māyāpur we'll write him invitation that he can come and see and visit you there. That was better. Mr. Choudhuri said that "Your Guru Mahārāja, he has got also the Vaiṣṇava pride not to see the politicians." He said, "This is a good stand. I respect this very much." Actually he mentioned once to Abhirāma confidentially that "If this project comes through, then you'll be requiring some liaison officer because there will be so many government things. At that time I can work for you as your permanent advisor and go to Delhi and here and there and do all the work." I think he wants a job.

Prabhupāda: I thought Mr. Choudhuri would do everything, but that is not the position.

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

Prabhupāda: And they are not giving citizenship?

Jayapatākā: Myself? What happened was I applied last September. So now it's nearly one year, so they had sent my application from Māyāpur to Calcutta, Writer's Building. Again back. Again Writer's Building, then to Delhi. Then Delhi sent again back. I went, and I asked the secretary, and I found out that they had sent again back from Delhi, again back to Māyāpur and then re-investigated me. At that time they brought in some local people, and one investigator, he said that "This Jayapatākā Swami, we have heard that he is a very bad person. He beats the people." They said, "No, We never heard such thing." "No, no. We have heard that he is very bad." In this way by negative they are testing. They came and told me that for two hours police is drilling three different people from Navadvīpa and Māyāpur. In this way no one said a bad...

Prabhupāda: No, if you are a famous man, then they'll do.

Gargamuni: Him and Bhavānanda.

Jayapatākā: Now Bhavānanda is more famous.

Prabhupāda: He is notorious.

Room Conversation -- August 21, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is wanted. They want āśīrvāda. Just like so many people come, āśīrvāda. "You are a saintly person, you give me āśīrvāda so my material happiness may increase. I am not interested with the spiritual knowledge. Give me blessing so that for nothing I get, upgrade my material opulence." This is their... So those Tulasīdāsa readers, they are like that. They want material opulence. Ārto-arthārthī, arthārthī, want some material benefit. They chant Tulasīdāsa's Rāma-carita-mānasa for some material benefit. They're not interested in the spiritual advancement. Nobody. That Delhi temple where they have paṇḍita? I'm forgetting his name.

Jayapatākā: One paṇḍita in Delhi? That one āśrama is there. The one whom you stayed with that time?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇadāsa?

Jayapatākā: I just met him once. Tejas brought him. He's got some āśrama. Some ācārya or something. Ācārya something.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that Prabhākāra.

Jayapatākā: Ācārya Prabhākāra?

Prabhupāda: No. Prabhākāra is different. Prabhākāra was first initiated by me.

Room Conversation -- August 22, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: You send. He knows you, Gargamuni. Yes. Say you have mentioned several times my name, so for your benefit, and to open your eyes, I am sending you one article. Please read what ISKCON is doing. Simply write this.

Gargamuni: I have to go to Delhi for my (indistinct). I will go to the office, the Blitz office, and bring them this personally.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Gargamuni: "You have written about me, but I would like to present you this article."

Prabhupāda: Yes. For your benefit.

Gargamuni: Yes, that is a fact.

Prabhupāda: So you are keeping good health?

Prabhā Viṣṇu: Oh, yes, very good health.

Prabhupāda: So, wherefrom just now you are coming?

Prabhā Viṣṇu: Well, we've just come from Eastern coast. We came down from Calcutta through Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. We took some orders in Guntur. And before that...

Prabhupāda: Guntur there is university?

Pradyumna: Yes, there's a new one.

Morning Walk -- August 23, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Now be advocate of Kṛṣṇa. (laughter) Yes. Janma sārthaka kari' kara paropakāra.

Indian man: How long you are going to be in Hyderabad?

Prabhupāda: I am going day after tomorrow.

Indian man: To?

Prabhupāda: I'm going to Delhi.

Indian man: Most of your time you are in the States.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just now I am coming from Europe. States, Europe, then here.

Indian man: What is the method of attaining permanent and impermanent? Permanent ānanda?

Prabhupāda: That is spiritual life. When you are not enwrapped with this material body, then is ānanda.

Indian man: But that life itself is temporary and then...

Prabhupāda: No, that is not temporary. That is permanent. That is to stay with God. That is permanent.

Indian man: But you will do so only so long as you are in your body, is it not? After you leave the body then probably you might attain mokṣa for a temporary period.

Prabhupāda: No. That is impersonalism. And those who actually go to Godhead, they remain in their spiritual body.

Room Conversation -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Indian man: That would be wonderful.

Prabhupāda: Yes, we are trying for that.

Gurukṛpā: Already this Bhāgavatam, First Volume has been printed in Delhi for about three times less cost.

Prabhupāda: So you are not getting that book?

Gurukṛpā: No, in Hyderabad we haven't gotten that.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Gurukṛpā: I don't know. I'm not in a management position. Mahāṁsa Mahārāja is ordering.

Prabhupāda: Get this cheap edition. You can order cheap edition. (break. Paṇḍita chants Śrī Īśopaniṣad and Gāyatrī. Prabhupāda speaks in Hindi, quoting Sanskrit ślokas.) (break)

Mahāṁsa: They will not part with even one thousand rupees. They're exactly what you described. And also these were the people who are with Śaṅkarācārya who came the first time when you had come here. They were with Śaṅkarācārya. And Hariprasad and some Marwaris were with our movement and these people were on the other side. So there was some conflict at that time. And Śaṅkarācārya came and you...

Prabhupāda: Śaṅkarācārya, he says that you are bhagavān.

Mahāṁsa: Yes. Also nirākāra. All these things they have been influenced. But practically now they are slowly coming to accept us. There is one Mr. Badanman who was the host of Śaṅkarācārya and for two and a half years he never came here, he never entertained the devotees.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. That would be poison.

Room Conversation with Pandita from Tirupati and Government Minister -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Minister: Before one hour?

Prabhupāda: So I heard that you were coming at 4:30.

Minister: Five o'clock, they said, because I won't be able to come here. That is why I thought that now I'll just go and have your darśana and take your program of Delhi, whenever you're going to be. Now I've become celā of yours. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: I have asked your wife and children to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra before Bālajī as much time as possible.

Minister: As many times as possible.

Prabhupāda: So she has told you?

Minister: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Minister: They're doing that.

Prabhupāda: It is a great fortune that Bālajī is there in your home. Take full advantage and simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Simple. Then everything will come automatically. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam.

Room Conversation with Pandita from Tirupati and Government Minister -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: It is a great fortune that Bālajī is there in your home. Take full advantage and simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Simple. Then everything will come automatically. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam.

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te
(BG 10.10)

This is the very easiest method. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Sit down as much time as you can devote. The Lord is at your home. It is a great fortune. So do this, both, all family together. Yes. And I have seen, you are fortunate enough that you have got good wife and good children. That is a great fortune. Nobody is against you. Everyone is favorable. Oh, that's a great opportunity. In some family the wife goes another way, the children goes another way. That is very disturbing. But you are so fortunate that everyone is just obedient to the head of the family. So utilize, whole family, this simple method. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Sit down before Bālajī. You are fortunate Bālajī is there. Do this. Then we shall talk further.

Minister: So when shall we meet?

Prabhupāda: As you like.

Minister: I'll come to Delhi.

Prabhupāda: So if you are coming to the airport, then we shall talk further. That all. Thank you very much. You have taken little prasādam?

Minister: Yes, I have.

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much. (end)

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

Prabhupāda: So we have got big program. Any amount of money you bring to us, we shall spend it immediately. (pause) (kīrtana in background) (break) There is a logic, andha-paṅgu-nyāya. One man is blind. Another man is lame. Both are useless. When they combined together the lame man was taken by the blind man. So the lame man has got eyes, he was giving direction, "Go this way." So both their work was done. So I say that India is lame and America is blind. Let us combine together. Then we can give a great culture for the benefit of the whole human society. India has no money-lame. And they have got money but they have no knowledge. So let us combine together. This is logic. Andha-paṅgu-nyāya. So by this cooperation they have... When I was in India I published three parts of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with great difficulty. And now since I have gone there I am publishing every month a book. So on account of their cooperation we are able to publish so many books and organize the sale all over the world. But it is true that this culture is very much welcome all over the world. That is happening. That is real execution of the mission of Kṛṣṇa. Not to keep Kṛṣṇa within the boundaries of certain areas. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4). He's the father of all living entities. They should know it. We have got many other films also. How we are giving protection to the cows in different farms, how we are getting sumptuous milk. Two years ago there was an article in the Navabhārata Times in Delhi, big article, one full page, first page. And the heading was that New Vrindaban (Hindi). They gave this heading. And they gave all details how to use the land New Vrindaban in Virginia, we have got one thousand acre of land and they are utilizing it. How they are living peacefully. So we want to make an example here with this six hundred acres of land, if it is given to us. Kṛṣṇa's formula is there. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Produce sufficient quantity of anna. Everyone will be satisfied. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Kṛṣṇa never says by factory bhavanti bhūtāni. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ (BG 3.14). Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). This formula should be... That is Kṛṣṇa's mission. Kṛṣṇa's mission, what to speak of Kṛṣṇa's mission (Hindi). Kṛṣṇa to carry personally, (indistinct), aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). (Hindi) Kṛṣṇa nirākāra. He's personally speaking. And Vyāsadeva writes bhagavān uvāca.

Morning Walk Conversation About Bombay -- August 29, 1976, Delhi:

Girirāja: I was... At first, I thought there is no use to meet the editor because he's a demon.

Prabhupāda: No, no, there is no...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: The Delhi man who wrote the story, this editor told me he's an outright Communist.

Prabhupāda: Sit down.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually an outright Communist.

Girirāja: The other point that people felt that nobody will take it seriously because everyone knows that it's just junk.

Prabhupāda: Third-class paper. (Child speaking in background.)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It has a wide circulation in India. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...leave this boy in the park and we shall go. Let them come, walking. You come walking? Live here? No. Cannot walk? He can walk. Leave him here. (Prabhupāda is teasing a little child.)

Child: That's the park! Here we are!

Prabhupāda: They will come back by walking.

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

Prabhupāda: We have got branches in almost all important cities.

Krishna Modi: Ten or fifteen. Let them see so that they may be attracted and they may know each and every thing. Because here we know only by this thing. And then let us advertise about.

Prabhupāda: You take this paper. Make a list of important cities. Now suppose if you go from Delhi. So you can go first to Paris, Geneva, Rome, then London, Amsterdam, Stockholm. Then from London I think New York, Boston, Montreal, Canada. Then you go to the western side, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver. Go further, Honolulu.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Then you could go to the Pacific, Australia.

Prabhupāda: Ah yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: New Zealand, Sydney.

Prabhupāda: Australia, Melbourne.

Evening Darsana -- September 1, 1976, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Any time in your home.

Indian man (1): Any time (indistinct) which is convenient to Your Grace. I'll come over to Vṛndāvana on the 15th evening. 15th evening, I'll come over to Vṛndāvana?

Prabhupāda: Oh yes.

Indian man (1): And then what is the program? Your Divine Grace is coming back to Delhi? From Vṛndāvana after three weeks?

Prabhupāda: They have made program to go to Chandigarh.

Indian man (1): Chandigarh. (indistinct) The route is almost the same distance from here to Vṛndāvana. 5 miles, 8 miles difference. Not much difference mileage-wise.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No. The road is okay. You said we should go to Vṛndāvana via Aligarh?

Indian man (2): In my opinion you should. That road is very bad. Five or six kilometers they have raised the road by about six or seven feet and all this is all mud and muck and the car skids. In my opinion you go via Aligarh.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Or we can come to Aligarh from Vṛndāvana.

Indian man (2): Suggest to go back to Vṛndāvana and then come. (Hindi) (Gopāla Kṛṣṇa converses with Indians about which road to take)

Pradyumna: Purport: Samādhi means "fixed mind." The Vedic dictionary, the Nirukti, says, samyag ādhīyate 'sminn ātmatattva-yāthātmyam: "When the mind is fixed for understanding the self, it is called samādhi. "Samādhi is never possible for persons interested in material sense enjoyment, nor for those who are bewildered by such temporary things. They are more or less condemned by the process of material energy.

(More Hindi)

Prabhupāda: He, her son he is the father and mother, he's an Indian, in Detroit, very good boy, getting very nice. He, living in the temple, husband wife, child we have. Bacā, ek bacā? He's getting very happy, very nice boy. (Hindi) Just like their son, he's educated very nicely. Educated boys are joining, from foreign countries and not from here. (Hindi) Here is Gopāla Kṛṣṇa, he was sales manager in Coca-cola. (Hindi) ...dollar, he has given. (Hindi for some time) You have bought that book? Ah. Stillson Judah's?

Room Conversation -- September 3, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Garden? Oh.

Akṣayānanda: Guest house has improved very much. Now we have about twenty paying guests. And during Śrāvaṇa and Janmāṣṭamī it was completely full. Very, very encouraging.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually many of the life members were telling us, we met some in Delhi. They said they couldn't get the whole thing was full.

Akṣayānanda: They were fighting to come.

Prabhupāda: So, they are allowed three days free?

Akṣayānanda: Only. Also book distribution has improved very much.

Prabhupāda: Locally?

Akṣayānanda: Here in the temple specifically. Haihaya has been concentrating very good.

Prabhupāda: Hindi?

Akṣayānanda: Yes, Hindi magazines and what we can get.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Viśāla alone does about two, three hundred every day.

Akṣayānanda: Viśāla is...

Prabhupāda: Where is our Viśvambhara? Viśvambhara is helping nicely?

Akṣayānanda: Oh yes. 100%. (break) And French.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That's the new French Bhāgavatam on the back.

Prabhupāda: Oh. I think I have seen it.

Room Conversation -- September 3, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) So the Gurukula building, how far? (Hindi)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: When devotees come for Gaura-Pūrṇimā... (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: So let them come first of all here from Delhi.

Indian devotee: They come first here.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Thing is, the whole thing has to be completed in three weeks because the American GBCs don't like... They think it is a very big loss financially. (Hindi) Book distribution stops completely. (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: Is that correct? Is that correct key?

Hari-śauri: This one's for some of the locks on the doors.

Prabhupāda: Which door?

Hari-śauri: Ah, from the... I think it was one on the bedroom originally. They may have taken them off again.

Prabhupāda: Find out the door.

Room Conversation -- September 4, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: If stop then how their work will go on? They manufacture ideas and spend money. This is the difficulty. Everyone manufactures some idea. And break it, do it, dig it. Money is coming and they are spending it. They cannot adjust whatever is there. Big big ideas. Big big belly. And money we have to bring from America. "Give me one lakh, give me one lakh, 15,000. I make idea, you pay." So many rooms you can make showroom. Why breaking this door, breaking that door? Too many cooks spoils the broth. And repairing and, what is called, addition, alteration, will never stop. I do not know how to stop it. Now, the other, Yesterday that Viśvambhara said, you were here, no? Viśvambhara said, suggesting there should be raft (?) three feet high, seven feet high, this high... Everyone will suggest. And spend money. Any friend, you bring him, he'll suggest so that you may spend it. And wherefrom money will come? Oh, that is your look after. I am your friend, I am giving you good suggestion. Break it. Do it. I am your friend. You break your head. (laughs) There was a Mohammedan king, Raj Uddin or some... Nizamuddin. Nizamuddin there is a tomb in Delhi. He was poet. So if some friends come he would read some writing, and he will suggest, the friend will suggest, "Why don't you make like this." "Oh, it is good. All right." He'll do it. Whatever he says. And when he goes away, then again makes his own. So the secretary said, "Why you are changing?" "What can I do? Those... That is my friend. And that is nonsense; therefore I am again doing what I wrote." So we have to do that. As soon as you call anybody, he'll give you some suggestion. "Make this alteration, make this alteration." So description of the sādhu is there. It is very nice. Where they will find this description all over the world? Hm?

Room Conversation -- September 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: He has taken four thousand rupees and gone to Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

Devotee: Yogānanda is in Govardhana?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No. Yogānanda is in Delhi. He's going to come here.

Prabhupāda: This is his taste. Sit idly, and become famous as very good scholar.

Rūpa Vilāsa: He did not come to class so often. He did not even come to teach so often. Śrīla Prabhupāda, when Dayānanda prabhu was teaching the children he was a very good teacher and he liked very much to teach. Now I know he is in Tehran upon your order, but still he was very effective as a teacher of Bhagavad-gītā to the children.

Prabhupāda: Restless, that's all. Mind not fixed up. Restless. Now what he'll do with that four thousand rupees? It is very good program. If I get some thousands of rupees and sit down in Rādhā-kuṇḍa and eat, that is very good idea.

Room Conversation -- September 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So if a brahmacārī, gṛhastha, yes, if he wants to travel, so there is no objection.

Haṁsadūta: But what is happening is that for instance, someone will join me, then Gopāla will catch up with him and send the man to Delhi or to Hyderabad. The man will run away and come back again, and again he will be forced to go away. This is what I object to.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, this is wrong. I'll tell you what the facts are. In every temple there are certain key positions for some devotee. In no temple we are trying to keep more than necessary. Sometimes they come and he preaches to them and he gives them money. If he is the temple president... Like in Bombay Haṁsadūta came, he had a fight with Girirāja. Girirāja was ready to write such a strong letter to you. He gave money to few devotees...

Prabhupāda: The temple establishment, that has to be maintained.

Haṁsadūta: That I understand. Prabhupāda, I understand that.

Prabhupāda: So why, why the...? Besides that, if you want to take someone or if anyone is willing to go with you, the president of the local temple, he should be requested. Or the man who wants to go, that "I want to go with him." So if the president thinks that he can be spared, then he can go. But if he thinks that his presence is necessary, why he should go?

Garden Conversation -- September 6, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Oh. Why does he not come to us? He likes Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

Caraṇāravindam: He loves Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

Prabhupāda: Determination. No, if he's in difficulty he may come. We can take care of him.

Vipramukhya: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I go tomorrow to Delhi and I'll leave to go to Istanbul.

Prabhupāda: Very good. Go with the blessings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma. (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) Very good. Kṛṣṇa will save you. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and depend on Kṛṣṇa. Then everything's all right. Don't be afraid that you are going to foreign country. There is no foreign country.

Caraṇāravindam: Kṛṣṇa's everywhere.

Prabhupāda: Īśāvāsyam idam—everything's Kṛṣṇa's. Mārobi rākhobi jo icchā tohārā. Surrender means that. "Kṛṣṇa, I have surrendered to You. Now if You like You can protect me. If you like You can kill me. Whatever you like, do." That's all. Mārobi rākhobi jo icchā tohārā nitya-dāsa prati tuwā adhikārā. "I am your eternal servant. You have got full right. Either you kill me or protect me, that is your business. But I surrender." Bas. This is surrender. Mārobi rākhobi jo icchā tohārā. This is surrender. If you put me into inconvenience, then I'm not going to surrender. That is conditional. (laughs) Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says whatever you like you can do. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching. Āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām marma-hatāṁ karotu vā adarśanān, yathā tathā vā vidadhātu (CC Antya 20.47). Whatever you like you do. Yathā tathā vā. Yathā tathā, whatever you like. It is up to you. I don't object. Yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo.

Room Conversation -- September 6, 1976, Vrndavana:

Hari-śauri: That was just in one state.

Harikeśa: In Delhi or U.P. or something.

Prabhupāda: Nas means veins.

Akṣayānanda: Means?

Prabhupāda: Veins, these, veins.

Akṣayānanda: Veins! I didn't know that. Bandhi means stop it. Stop the vein so the semina will not go. Terrible.

Harikeśa: You're sure about that?

Akṣayānanda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: They told you that's what they're doing. Stops you producing... They cut the tube that produces semina.

Akṣayānanda: I don't know where they do it. Some part of the body.

Hari-śauri: It's somewhere near the testes. They cut the tube. It takes ten minutes. And it stops you producing any more semina.

Akṣayānanda: It's so bad. They give people... (break) ...and eating so much nonsense. So the preaching in India has to be done very, very tactfully.

Prabhupāda: No, just like I was speaking from Bhāgavatam.

Akṣayānanda: Just what you have spoken. But our actions must be very tactful also.

Prabhupāda: If you speak only on the subject matter as it is mentioned in the books, it is already tactful. Yasyāṁ śrūyamāṇāyāṁ kṛṣṇe parama-pūruṣe, bhaktir utpadyate puṁsaḥ śoka-moha-bhayāpahā. Now they are in a position of śoka-moha-bhaya. So you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the best tact. Now it is the time. Now they are put into śoka-moha-bhaya. It is already there going on, śoka-moha-bhaya. But it is now special time for śoka-moha-bhaya. So you have to take it. It may be out of fear, bhaya, they may take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Garden Conversation -- September 7, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: "Dear Shri Modiji. Hare Kṛṣṇa. In Blitz issue of August 21, 1976, an article under the heading of "Blitz Tears the Mask of Ungodly Face of Kṛṣṇa Cult" appeared. This article appeared on page 3 of the issue and was written by A. Ragwan of Blitz Delhi Bureau. We beg to state that this was a mischievous article in which the newspaper accused us incorrectly. It is our firm opinion that the purpose of this article was simply to defame ISKCON because it is engaged in spreading God consciousness based on the Vedic scriptures. For your information, ISKCON is a registered society with the government of India. This society..."

Prabhupāda: For your information we beg to submit.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No. For your information... Before that I have said. "For your information ISKCON is a registered society with the government of India."

Prabhupāda: No, no, "for your infor..." It is not completed. "For your information..." What is that?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, this is a sentence.

Prabhupāda: Okay.

Garden Conversation -- September 7, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I think it came from Delhi from shopping.

Prabhupāda: They are shopping from Delhi?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He was supposed to go to Delhi, few items. They're better and cheaper sometimes. So now I'll work on the other booklet which the defense minister wanted, "What is ISKCON." A small, like "Kṛṣṇa Consciousness is Authorized," on that form with some reviews.

Prabhupāda: You can start this fan. No, no. Yes.

Hari-śauri: This one?

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is stopped.

Caraṇāravindam: The mains has been turned off, Śrīla Prabhupāda. There is no water coming from the mains.

Hari-śauri: They've turned the water off somewhat.

Prabhupāda: No, no, it is dropping.

Room Conversation -- September 9, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: It was all by chance. I was for a few days guest at his father's place in Agra. I did not know that his son is in America. So he was talking about his family. He was little sorry that his eldest son went to America to study electric engineering, and he was entrapped by an English girl, and he married and settled there and did not come back. In this way... So I took the opportunity, that "Why don't you ask your son to sponsor me?" I wanted to go to America. So I did not know how seriously he took it. But I simply told him that "Why don't you ask your son to sponsor me at least for one month. So I am thinking of going to America." Then that was talking, beginning and end, that's all. I did not know that he took it very seriously. Then after two, three months, some documents came. I was receiving my letters in a post box. So when I left Delhi I used to keep my key of post box with some nice bookseller, Atmaram, he was manager. So he opened that, he got that documents. That is No Objection Certificate, Sponsor, and everything. I was out of Delhi. Then when I came back I took it. So everything was there, that sheet (indistinct) from the Indian Consulate, No Objection Certificate. Then I applied for a passport. In this way I had to go. So Gopal was unknown to me, but his father was, his father was known to me. His father was... Then his agent got me on the bus. So on the bus (I) went to Pennsylvania.

Room Conversation (Bullock Cart SKP) -- September 12, 1976, Vrndavana:

Lokanātha: If they add the holy name to their lives, they will...

Prabhupāda: Yes. If they could understand that. That will be helpful if you chant. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's statement will never be false. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). If they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then gradually the dirty things accumulated within the heart will be cleansed. And if he comes to the understanding, clear idea, that "I want to eat something and my necessities... So if I get my necessities, primary necessities of life, and satisfaction of mind, then why shall I go to city?" That they can have very easily. If they follow the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, that "Your first necessity is food." So produce food here. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam (BG 18.44). And you'll find here so much land is lying vacant. Because they have gone to the city for twenty rupees daily to manufacture Goodyear tire. And who will work here? Now I have seen in Delhi, the government is advertising, "Go back to the village." Rascal, you are manufacturing wine and keeping them engaged whole day in the work. So after being tired, he requires some wine. And why he'll go? And no spiritual education, no cleanliness. Simply inviting "Go to the village" they will go?

Lokanātha: Just a propaganda.

Room Conversation (Bullock Cart SKP) -- September 12, 1976, Vrndavana:

Lokanātha: When you went to some place in Gujarat, Sanand? It was reported that thousands of people will come. It was a small village...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Village, if you go out they will come like anything. Even in the city we have got experience. In Calcutta we did Maidan. Thirty thousand they were coming. They could not understand English, still they are coming, simply by kīrtana. This Haṁsadūta was performing kīrtana, and all the Bengali ladies coming from outside Calcutta by train, and they're praying, "take this." (indistinct) Still India is alive. And I was speaking in English mostly. Also in Delhi. Still ladies are sitting. (laughs) What they'll understand English? But that kīrtana was so attractive, they sat down only for kīrtana.

Lokanātha: Nobody outside ISKCON does this kīrtana.

Prabhupāda: What do they know? What they'll do? All rascals, fools.

Room Conversation -- September 16, 1976, Vrndavana:

Haṁsadūta: We had this experience when we were traveling with our bus from Calcutta to Vṛndāvana. We would want to buy watermelon from people who were growing right on the bank of the river, and he would have huge piles. And he would say, "No, I'm not selling. I'm transporting these to Delhi, where one cannot get watermelon." He's getting five times the price he would get in his local...

Prabhupāda: And from Vṛndāvana, we have seen, they are exporting that drumbeats? Vṛndāvana?

Hari-śauri: Drumsticks.

Prabhupāda: Huh? Drumstick. So the transport is a dangerous thing.

Haṁsadūta: Yes, this is a scheme.

Prabhupāda: A local man cannot get. He's starving. And the man in big cities, he's doing nothing, he simply has got paper to sign and paper money he's attracting. All production. And they are starving. This is modern civilization. Everything, milk, vegetables, fish, everything, this chānā. Otherwise, within the village you can get everything. Village economy. Everything very cheap. And as soon as they got these transport facilities, the local men, they could not eat, and these lazy rascals, they are getting everything. Big, big cities like Calcutta, Bombay, they (have) millions of population. They are not producing anything. The producer is different man. They are simply artificially cheating them by paper money and they take. This is modern civilization.

Room Conversation with U.N. Doctor -- September 29, 1976, Vrndavana:

Hari-śauri: That's very nice.

Prabhupāda: You are staying in New Delhi?

Doctor: I stay in the Hague, and come to New Delhi when there are no cases.

Prabhupāda: Hague?

Doctor: Holland.

Prabhupāda: Holland. That is the international court?

Doctor: Yes, the court case located, the headquarters.

Prabhupāda: I went somewhere. That is also international. In Geneva, I think. Is there any...?

Doctor: Geneva is another headquarters of the, of the United Nations. New York, Geneva. But the court is in the Hague.

Prabhupāda: So I went to that place in Geneva.

Doctor: Geneva has got so many specialized agencies of the United Nations, like the I.L.O. and so on.

Prabhupāda: Do you think United Nations is making any tangible progress?

Doctor: Sir, it at least brings people together under one umbrella to discuss. If you did not have that...

Prabhupāda: But discussion, that I have already explained.

Room Conversation -- October 3, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: I took sannyāsa sometime in '59, and... No, that is after I took sannyāsa. No, no. Before, yes. Before or after,...

Hari-śauri: He said it was the day before.

Prabhupāda: No. That was an incident in Delhi. Now I think it was... It was before. Before. That was sometime in 1956.

Hari-śauri: Oh, that's a long time before.

Prabhupāda: And I took sannyāsa in 1959.

Hari-śauri: That was in Vṛndāvana or Delhi?

Prabhupāda: No, Delhi. Vānaprastha. I was alone. But my paper was going on, Back to Godhead. In Delhi I was alone. I was doing everything. Editing, selling, collecting, cooking.

Hari-śauri: There was no Godbrothers helping at all?

Prabhupāda: I did not take. They wanted. I did not like.

Room Conversation -- October 3, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: I was trying to do. It was a struggle at that time. At that time, I lived with some of my Godbrothers, but I did not like, and I left their temple, and I was living alone. Then in Imlitala you know here? Imlitala, Seva-kunj there is a...

Hari-śauri: No, I'm not familiar.

Prabhupāda: My Godbrother's temple. He had a temple in Delhi, Karol Bagh. I left Jhansi and came to Mathurā. I lived there for few months. Then I went to Delhi. In this way, here, there.

Hari-śauri: The boy at the front, he's reading one of your old Bhāgavatams. He has one of your original Bhāgavatams. The boy at the front that's on guard. Akṣaya, the boy that guards. He's been reading one of your original Bhāgavatams, the 1.1.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Hari-śauri: And I was looking at the front and it gives your residence in Vṛndāvana at Rādhā-Dāmodara and your office in Delhi.

Prabhupāda: It was not unpleasant. When I was living alone, doing everything, it was not unpleasant. I was... Very nice. That was an accident. Otherwise, it was not unpleasant. Alone everything I was doing. Rather, I had not so much anxiety for management. Even my, this son came to live with me. I said, "No, you don't."

Room Conversation -- October 3, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: No, after leaving Jhansi I went to this Godbrother.

Hari-śauri: Keśava.

Prabhupāda: I lived there for few months. Then I went to another Godbrother, that Imlitala, Delhi. Then I left there. I used to live alone in Delhi. Then I took one house in Keśī-ghāṭa. Then the Rādhā-Dāmodara men they called me that "You can live here. We give you two rooms. We don't charge. We give you the place." I came to Rādhā-Dāmodara. And from Rādhā-Dāmodara temple I went U.S.A.

Hari-śauri: I was just wondering what exactly the League of Devotees was.

Prabhupāda: Oh, League was that, that was... I was trying to collect some devotees. Some of them, they were medical... Yes. Medical students. So they came and used to live with me. But still, I lived there for two years. From 1954 to '56. I had some surgical operation in my testicles there. They were taking care. This Prabhākāra and... They were not full time. They were students. That's all. They were living with me.

Garden Conversation -- October 14, 1976, Chandigarh:

Prabhupāda: Then why you are not serious, "What kind of body I am going to get?" Here is a body, tree. If you are going to accept a body like this, just how miserable it will be. Why you are not afraid? Just like if you want to go from here, Chandigarh, to Delhi, you have to arrange so many things. So what we are doing, that we have to change this body? And there are 8,400,000 different types of bodies. Which body I am going to get? Why we are not serious? We are spoiling our life.

Indian man (4):. That eight million, is that fixed thing, that...? So many life, so many animals species and genera... have become extinct.

Prabhupāda: 8,400,000 species.

jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi
sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati
kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyayaḥ
pakṣīṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam
Everything is there.

Indian man (4): Those that have become extinct, dinosaurs and those...

Prabhupāda: That is rascals' theory. Nothing extinct.

Room Conversation -- October 26, 1976, Vrndavana:

Devotee: Now he looks like dirty. You know, like brown. The dhotī's not white. It's like brownish.

Prabhupāda: He harassed. "He has not increased my..." Hearing and hearing, he wants to go. So why not, if he found some real disciplic succession, some bābājī, why he did not remain there? He is criticizing that our is not in the proper succession. So why he did not remain where he found the proper succession? Why he's sometimes in Vṛndāvana, sometimes Delhi, sometimes here. Why he is loitering? Crazy. Unfortunate. Unnecessarily picking out some trouble.

Hari-śauri: Faultfinding.

Prabhupāda: The bābājīs, they are against anything preaching. They are very, very much against preaching. So I am preaching. Bābājīs, the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, and all of them, their idea is that I am ruining this bhajana and Hindu dharma. This is the propaganda. What I am writing, they are all wrong. And they are making... And they try to poison my disciples as far as possible so that the whole institution may be poisoned and break. This is their propaganda.

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: ...I want to do something in India.

Haṁsadūta: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So, if you can arrange. Now I am purchasing car, I have given money to Gargamuni...

Haṁsadūta: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So one car here in Delhi side, one in Calcutta side, one in (indistinct) for my going. And he is a good driver, he will drive. Eh? I do not know but he said. (laughter)

Hari-śauri: I don't know about in India, different thing altogether.

Prabhupāda: Haṁsadūta is also a good driver.

Haṁsadūta: I am good for nothing.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Driver we'll get, there is no... So I want to preach little in the village. For that purpose in the big bus like that, we shall go with our tents, and we camp in a place where there is water, and begin our preaching. And Hindi book we are getting. In this way let me try in India, in the village, not in the city.

Devotee: Oh yes.

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

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And we have letters from Swami Premananda and all the (indistinct) from Bombay, and sent all these to Rāmeśvara.

Prabhupāda: Yes, everyone should join. Now people are taking this cultural movement so seriously and if our Indian leaders sleep, that is not good.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, I have... One boy in Delhi went to the British Embassy High Commission, and saw a British paper and even in the British paper the American court case was covered. Headline was "Hare Kṛṣṇa..." I have the paper. Even in the British paper it had a prominent display.

Haṁsadūta: Probably be in German papers too...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. In fact you would probably expect that...

Prabhupāda: British paper. What does it say?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They were covering this court case. They had a nice prominent...

Prabhupāda: No, no. They have taken it. Now, they are after intelligent person. They are... That has been expressed by this gentleman that it is going like epidemic. They must (indistinct). That is their feeling. That Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading so fast, like epidemic, we must take some steps. That is already, they have expressed their feeling. And you said that in Australia, there one man said...

Room Conversation -- November 4, 1976, Vrndavana:

Akśayananda: They send regularly. We are sending. But many times the mail is stolen, magazines, Back to Godhead.

Prabhupāda: That is a fact.

Akśayananda: Yes, it is very difficult.

Prabhupāda: Because there are so many nice picture. I have seen. When I was printing my books in a Delhi press, so one peon was coming there to work part time as compositor. So his mailbag he will put somewhere in the press and he will being composing. And all other compositors, they'll check the mail bag and if something is attractive, they will take. I have seen it. Our magazine is so...

Akśayananda: It's so beautiful.

Prabhupāda: ...full of pictures, so naturally, as soon as they, the picture and..., they take it.

Akśayananda: Yes, that's the trouble. So we have a system in some towns. We find one member who is very much liking us, and we send all the magazines to him, and he goes, sends his, given by hand, to all the other members in that city.

Prabhupāda: That is not possible.

Room Conversation -- November 14, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Why did you approach the governor without asking me? You cannot make the governor so cheap thing that you will go always and ask something. Unnecessarily spend money and waste time.

Devotee: I met him in Delhi.

Prabhupāda: He was there? But how governor can protest?

Devotee: What he suggested in this case...

Prabhupāda: He will suggest hundreds of things, but he cannot protest personally. That is not... What is the court case? That we have to place before the court that "This is genuine cultural or religious movement." We are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. What Kṛṣṇa has said, we are trying to spread. This is genuine, the simple thing. We have not manufactured anything, "transcendental meditation" or like that. That is not our business. We are presenting simply what is stated there in the Bhagavad-gītā. If somebody said that "Bible is not genuine," will it be accepted? Thousands and thousands are claiming to be Christian on the basis of... Similarly millions and millions of people in India, they know Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavad-gītā. How it is not genuine? That we have to prove, that's all. It's not that... Repeatedly we are speaking that what Kṛṣṇa said, that is perfect. That's all. This is our business. Who will object to that? You could not present to the governor that Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... Anyone can say, "Yes, it is based on Bhagavad-gītā. It is genuine." Any Indian can say. You have to take that to present in the court. If from official, it is... How the official can deny it? It is genuine. Now, about this sewer line, after all... (end)

Evening Darsana -- December 3, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Bechel (?). So we want so many men to live there nicely, to eat sumptuously, and preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I have seen while coming from Vṛndāvana to Delhi, hundreds and thousands of young men. They are going to the factories on cycle, coming from distant place, at least twenty miles, twenty-five miles, and it takes two hours to reach the factory or more than that. And there he works hard eight hours and then again goes back, two hours, three hours, on cycle. I do not know what kind of rest he takes. This is life. And if we request these young men that "You come here. You live here comfortably. You eat here sumptuously and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa," they will not. Just see how unfortunate they are. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). This is Kali-yuga. All bad men, unfortunate and disturbed. This is the position. They will work so hard, they'll catch daily passenger trains, Calcutta, Bombay, I have seen. They are actually hanging, and some of them are falling down, lost life, and coming from hundred miles away. But still, if you ask him that "You come here. Live with us. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Even with your family you can come." We are doing that at Māyāpur. He will not. How strong sense gratification propensity is. This is position of Kali-yuga. They are making propaganda, ruṭi kāpar makān. So we are giving, "Come on, ruṭi, makān, kāpar, you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." "No. I want wine. I want meat. I want rundi (?)." This is going on. Simply they say, "Ruṭi, kāpar, makān." But no, they want wine, woman, and sense pleasure, that's all. Ruṭi, kāpar, makān is not difficult. You can get. But they want something more. You see how many advertisements for selling wine in your Hyderabad. Is that, ruṭi, kāpar, makān?

Evening Darsana -- December 3, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. There is distinction. You purchase ticket for Delhi, you can go to Delhi. How you can go to Bombay?

Guest: But among the people there is a misconception.

Prabhupāda: Then people are rascals. Therefore the mūḍhas they are. What value they have got? They have no value.

Guest (2) (Indian man): (Sanskrit)

Prabhupāda: That's all right. You can have respect for everyone. That is good. But it does not mean that by purchasing ticket for Delhi you go to Bombay. And it does not mean that because you do not go to Bombay you have no respect for Delhi. That is not. But if you want to go to Delhi you have purchased a ticket for Delhi. If you want to go to Bombay you must purchase a ticket for Bombay. Why do you speak nonsensically that "Whatever ticket I purchase, I go to Bombay"? (laughter) This is nonsense. They'll take to the nonsense theory. That is Vivekananda's theory. "Whatever you do, it is all right." Yato mata tato patha. And that is not fact.

Evening Darsana -- December 3, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: How? Kṛṣṇa says, yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). How, you nonsense, straightly say that everyone goes to God? This is nonsense. You can go to Śiva, you can go to Indra, you can go... There are so many planets and you'll go there. And that is reasonable. And how do you say that "Whatever ticket I purchase, I go to this, Delhi?"

Vāsughoṣa: They say that all, they're all the same.

Prabhupāda: "They say." Therefore they are nonsense, mūḍha, rascals. They do not know what is God, what is demigod, what is Lord Śiva, what is Lord Viṣṇu or Brahmā. They do not know. If a woman says, "Oh, everyone is my husband," then she is a prostitute. That's all. A chaste woman will say, "No, there is one, my husband. That's all." That is chaste woman. And if she is liberal, if she says, "No, no, everyone is my husband," that means she is prostitute. She does not know what is value of husband. In Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says, kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante anya devatāḥ: (BG 7.20) "Those who have adhered to other demigods, they have lost their intelligence," hṛta-jñānāḥ, "rascals." They'll go. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante anya devatāḥ, antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). Because they are rascals, they prefer like that. The public opinion will be taken out; Kṛṣṇa's opinion will be... Public is rascals. They can say all nonsense. That is not to be taken. You have to take—that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—what Kṛṣṇa says. What do you think? Kṛṣṇa says, kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante anya devatāḥ (BG 7.20).

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: They'll come gradually, not immediately. Immediately, the psychology is, they have got attachment for their house. It may be worse house, but still, their attachment... That is natural. Long, long ago, when I was child practically, I went with my father in the village. So one man from the village was serving us. So my father: "This boy is nice. So why not take him to Calcutta?" So one day he was absent. It was dropping and... So I went in the interior of the village and I saw that his house was broken, there was no roof, and rain was falling and he was sitting, covering with a cloth. Then I told him that "Why not come with us in Calcutta? We shall give you nice place, nice food." So his answer was, nā bābu kanceri jabo nā (?): "Bābujī, I cannot go out of my home." That was his home. (laughter) This is my practical exp... He was sitting idly and it dropping and he could not come to serve. Still, that is his home, and he cannot leave home, that "Bābu kanceri jabo nā (?). That is psychology. It may be very worse condition; still, nobody wants to give up "home sweet home." That is natural psychology. So you have to manage. You see then why they, these Delhi passenger clerks... This morning I was telling that son was asking mother, "Who is this man?" His father, and he had never seen. "You have seen father." No, rather, he had no chance to see father because when the father comes back from the office it is night, ten o'clock or more than that. That time the son is sleeping, and again he has to go early in the morning. That time also, son is sleeping. So he did not know. So one Sunday, when he's grown up, he is asking his mother, "Who is this man?" "So this man..." Not only in India, in everywhere. I have seen in New York from the other island? What is that?

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: The home attachment is so great. These Delhi passengers, they are coming, hanging, and there are so many accidents daily. And few hours he will live with wife. That is his home. And whole other, out of twenty-four hours, seventeen hours are outside, and maybe seven hours at home. But still, he'll come home. The home attachment is very big. Therefore we have to create attachment for this hari-saṅkīrtana. If you create that attachment, then they will give up home attachment, try life, to live here. Athāsaktiḥ. You have to train them in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in such a way.

Press Conference -- December 16, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: 102, big, big āśramas. And we are feeding twenty thousand men daily without any income. The God sends. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). We are spending twelve lakhs of rupees per month in New York and similarly other centers.

Guest (6): Twelve lakhs also in Delhi center only?

Prabhupāda: New York. New York.

Guest (5): Where do you get these funds?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Guest (5): Where do you get these funds?

Prabhupāda: God sends.

Guest (5): God?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with Indian Man -- December 22, 1976, Poona:

Prabhupāda: That is another thing. If you have to go to the Himalaya, you must go to the path which leads to Himalaya. You cannot accept a path which leads to Delhi. There is no different answer, the answer is one. Just like Himalaya is in the northern side. The answer would be, "The Himalaya is on the northern side." Nobody will say, "No, Himalaya may be in the eastern side or the western side or southern side." That is not the answer.

Indian man: I was saying something different. That one person is coming from Himalaya towards Bombay. And one is coming from the desert side. No ulti...

Prabhupāda: Then if he is coming from Himalayas, then why is the question about where is Himalaya? Then why will he question where is Himalaya? He is already coming from Himalaya. So there is no question where is Himalaya. For him there is no question. One who does not know where is Himalaya, the answer will be Himalaya is on the northern side. The answer is one. And if you say that there are many students, so you can answer, that "Either you go this side or this side or that side, Himalaya is there," that is not the answer.

Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona:

Prabhupāda: No, around the road, Hare Kṛṣṇa dancing. (laughter) There is no need of ballroom. They become mad dancing. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. That is ecstasy. So when the ecstasy is there, they understand this is life. (break)

Mr. Malhotra: Mr. Biani, Biani. He is just Birla's tea (indistinct) looking after tea. Last time I was in Delhi about two months back, so I just talked about you that I had to meet you and we could go to Vṛndāvana. Because at that time I was told that you were there. So he knew you very well, he had been to your discourses, Mr. Biani. He's Marwari. They are in Calcutta. Tea business, export tea business. We agreed on one thing, that it is very easy, rather, to make Indians understand the spiritual teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa, because in homes, in houses, forefathers, grandmothers, mothers, they are doing, I mean, always. But to, I mean, impart this knowledge to the...

Prabhupāda: Foreigners.

Room Conversation -- December 26, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: In our childhood, my father's generation, in Calcutta, if a gentleman does not keep a prostitute extra, he is not a respectable man.

Indian man: That was in Delhi? That was during the Mogul time in Delhi? Even after the Mogul time? Not only keeping. In Delhi one of my very, my father's very close friend, Lala Sriram from Delhi...

Prabhupāda: Oh, Sriram is a famous man.

Indian man: No, not that millionaire. Another Sriram. And they were from Delhi. Just I'm talking only about 1939-40. In Karachi he came. He said every boy, before marriage, his marriage, he was supposed to go and take training from a prostitute for a month or so.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā.

Indian man: If a boy was not trained there he could not find a good wife.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā.

Morning Walk -- December 29, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, why these boys are attracted ? They have not come here to see your industry for materialism. They have come here for spiritual. They have not come to see your cycle and sewing machine. Actually, they have come, Vṛndāvana, Māyāpur. And they are not poverty stricken. We go to Europe being poverty stricken. That Lady Wellington, he (she) challenged one of my Godbrothers, Bhakti Tīrtha Mahārāja, that "You Indian people..." She was very proud, Lady Wellington. Wellington was Iceland. She said that "You Indian people..." Of course, it was friendly talk. "You come to our country, we give you some stamp, degree, and you earn your livelihood in India. What you have come here to teach?" This was the challenge. Actually, that was happening. We were sending our men to England to become bar-at-law, to become MS, CP, to become this and that, and they became here big men. So why you people come here to teach us? This was the challenge. In those days a little favor of Englishman was considered a great boon. In Bengal there is a word, saheb śubha. Saheb means European, especially Englishman, and śubha means "auspicious." So if anyone can make friendship with a European, then his life is successful. And that was happening. The Englishmen were opening business houses. If somebody became connected, he gets good business. He becomes a rich man. There is a family in Calcutta, Saubhaga (?) Raj family. So the head of that family, Navinchandra Dev, he was a minor clerk of Lord Clive's. So when Lord Clyde was in Delhi, he was young man, he was sitting on that peacock throne and slept. Young man. So Lord Clyde saw, "Oh, what is this young man?" So the Englishman, then he came to Calcutta. So "You are fortunate, all right I'll make you a king."

Morning Walk -- December 30, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, no. Don't stop. They cannot do it.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It means that Prabhupāda has influenced them to say what Prabhupāda has written.

Prabhupāda: Ranganath was speaking from my book?

Devotee: Yes, he was quoting that śloka, I remember from First Canto, Part One. That one our life members... They were all the... All the big people, they goes there. So he told me when he came, he took a Bhāgavatam. He said that today Ranganath had your book. I said that they had bought two books from me. He opened that like this. Then he saw the cover of our book so he was quoting śloka from that and he was reading the purport and giving speech on that, because there is no such edition in English on Bhāgavatam except yours. So that I was very much pleased actually when I heard that.

Prabhupāda: In the beginning also they purchased. When I published three copies in Delhi they purchased because such translation is not there. So, that is all.

Room Conversation -- December 31, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: I can take it.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, we can't.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So Prabhupāda, I was just finalizing today this year's festival when the devotees come. I think instead of having a festival, a pandal in Delhi like we had last year. We had one in Ludhiana and Mathurā. In Ludhiana Caityaguru promises that he can raise money for the whole thing. Our devotees won't have to spend a penny. In Delhi if we do a pandal it will require an investment of at least twenty thousand rupees. If we do our festival in Ludhiana, book distribution I calculated will be as good and no money will be invested. We have a festival in Mathurā in Janma Bhumi. Every evening by buses devotees will go from Vṛndāvana to Mathurā. You wanted to have a big program there, you remember? When I was in Vṛndāvana. So we can invite different leaders also.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: Does that mean Prabhupāda will have to travel?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Delhi to Mathurā. It's only ten minutes flight. Fifteen minutes. Vṛndāvana to Mathurā it's only fifteen minutes.

Room Conversation -- December 31, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Tire merchant?

Girirāja: I don't remember. But Haṁsadūta and I went way in the beginning and later on he came during the Delhi pandal. He met you and he wanted us to open a center there.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Agra is a very good place. Very nice place. There are devotees. (indistinct) goes there.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We can attract a lot of tourists because Agra always has a lot of tourists. I'm thinking of having a pandal there and Ludhiana.

Prabhupāda: Oh yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Delhi we had one last year.

Prabhupāda: Preaching must go on vigorously.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Especially book distribution is getting very strong with Indians.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Preaching means book distribution. Now utilize here this flag ceremony.

Page Title:Delhi (Conversations 1975 - 1976)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:23 of Dec, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=127, Let=0
No. of Quotes:127