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Did you build a Maha-ratha?

Conversations and Morning Walks

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Yes. I'll show the pictures... It was published in, what is that, Observer paper?... "Rival of Nelson."
Room Conversation with Sanskrit Professor -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Guru-gaurāṅga: These books are all by Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Later on they will write.

Professor: Eh?

Prabhupāda: Later on they'll write. Yes. For the time being, I am writing.

Haṁsadūta: Each disciple writes one book.

Professor: No.

Prabhupāda: And we are printing 100,000 of these small books at a time.

Professor: Each of them, or...?

Prabhupāda: Yes, each of them. And as soon as they brought books in saṅkīrtana, people take it immediately—"Give me one, give me one, give me one..." That's... These books, we charge fifty cents. They pay easily.

Professor: I saw that in the streets of New York.

Yogeśvara: Oh yes, you've seen the saṅkīrtana party?

Professor: No, I have not seen the temple, but I've seen, last time I was in New York, I saw, just in front of the library on the Fifth Avenue...

Yogeśvara: He has seen our saṅkīrtana.

Haṁsadūta: He saw us on the Forty-second Street.

Professor: Not on Forty-second Street.

Haṁsadūta: By the library.

Professor: Yes.

Guru-gaurāṅga: Forty-second and Fifth Avenue.

Prabhupāda: Forty-second Street...

Professor: Yes.

Prabhupāda: ...there is public library.

Professor: That was about Christmas time.

Yogeśvara: Christmas time.

Professor: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: Oh yes.

Professor: It was very cold, standing around this...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Yogeśvara: Then they have to take us seriously. We're there in the summer, and they think it is some kind of a festival, and then they see us...

Professor: It is festival.

Yogeśvara: ...in the middle of winter, and they know we're serious.

Professor: It's also a kind of festival at the same time, no?

Guru-gaurāṅga: Yātrā.

Professor: That's festival.

Guru-gaurāṅga: Yes.

Professor: You had a yātrā, I guess, in San Francisco, didn't you?

Prabhupāda: Yes, Ratha-yātrā, yes.

Professor: That was for the first time in '68, I guess.

Prabhupāda: This time I was present in the Ratha-yātrā. Yesterday, they were showing me the film. It was very successful. Ten thousand people participated.

Professor: In San Francisco, eh?

Prabhupāda: No, in London.

Professor: In London? When?

Prabhupāda: This July 8th.

Professor: This year?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śrutakīrti: Also Melbourne.

Prabhupāda: Melbourne. You have got those pictures? Melbourne?

Haṁsadūta: Yes.

Professor: You are not organizing a yātrā in Paris?

Prabhupāda: Yes, they'll do.

Professor: Next year?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guru-gaurāṅga: We had a very little one in the Bois de Bologne.

Professor: That...

Guru-gaurāṅga: Next year at the Arch of Triumph.

Professor: Well. Wow, it must be something, a kind of happening.

Prabhupāda: And Ratha-yātrā, when we hold Ratha-yātrā, many thousands join. Without becoming our disciple, they chant and dance.

Professor: But did you, did you build a Mahā-ratha?

Prabhupāda: Yes. I'll show the pictures.

Professor: Oh, I see.

Prabhupāda: It was published in, what is that, Observer paper?

Śrutakīrti: Oh, yes.

Yogeśvara: Yeah, the Observer, in London, the London Observer.

Prabhupāda: "Rival of Nelson."

Yogeśvara: It said, "A rival to Nelson's Column." They showed a picture of the Ratha next to the column of Nelson.

Professor: Oh, really?

Yogeśvara: Yeah. Our car was bigger than...

Prabhupāda: And they published it, "Rival of Nelson. The great rival of Nelson." They appreciated. Yes.

Professor: Sure, I know...

Prabhupāda: Everyone, everyone appreciated. After Ratha-yātrā, wherever our men went, they were received very well.

Professor: And what was the attitude of the Indian colony in London?

Prabhupāda: I do not know what is Indian colony.

Professor: There are many.

Prabhupāda: Yes, there are many. These are some of the pictures in Melbourne.

Haṁsadūta: Three carts like this.

Professor: The big wheel. That's nice.

Haṁsadūta: You can see. There it's taking prasādam, serving prasādam. Everyone, so many devotees.

Prabhupāda: Were there color pictures, small?

Haṁsadūta: Yeah, there's a small...

Śrutakīrti: This one here.

Prabhupāda: No, the small...

Śrutakīrti: No, oh, the small pictures...

Professor: Oh, you got three different carts.

Haṁsadūta: Yeah, three carts.

Prabhupāda: Here is the gigantic ratha behind the crowd. The police cooperate.

Professor: Oh, yes?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone likes. Yes. Even Christian priests they also like. No, any sane man will like because... Somebody sends me money: "Sir, you are doing so nice work, spreading God consciousness. Here is my little contribution."

Professor: I see.

Page Title:Did you build a Maha-ratha?
Compiler:MadhuGopaldas, Rishab
Created:26 of Jul, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1