Diorama

Expressions researched:
"diorama" |"dioramas"

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- June 30, 1975, Denver:

Satsvarūpa: ...got another report from that national library convention. They have a big sign that the artist has made and it says, "The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, the World's Largest Publisher and Distributor of Books in the Philosophy, Religion, and Culture of India." Has that on their booth. And many professors and librarians come. They have given out four hundred catalogues. Mostly they don't buy on the spot. They take this catalogue back to their library. And they're from all over the country. From every part of the country they go there.

Prabhupāda: So catalogues being distributed.

Satsvarūpa: Yes. They're taking them. Then they take them back and check them off. And the librarians are saying, as soon as they see our booth, they say, "Any books on India and yoga and meditation, there's a great demand for them. Many young people want to read about."

Prabhupāda: But we have got the largest number of books.

Satsvarūpa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: No other yoga system.

Satsvarūpa: World's largest. (break) ...librarians, they said, "Well, if someone comes in and asks you for a reference book on yoga and meditation, what reference books do you have?" And they admit that there are no encyclopedias or reference books on Indian philosophy. So they're describing that... our men are describing that this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is an encyclopedia of all Indian philosophy.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam idam (SB 1.1.3). The essence of all Vedic knowledge. (break)

Bhāvānanda: ...a few days previous Sudāmā Mahārāja and I were in Salt Lake City. We went to the Mormon Church visitor's center. Beautiful presentation. Dioramas, so many dioramas, and a big ramp, circular ramp like we want to have in Māyāpur. You walk up into a big diorama of the universe with... Lord Jesus is there. Beautiful presentation. A bogus philosophy, but nice presentation.

Prabhupāda: What is the philosophy?

Bhāvānanda: That when you marry, then you are married eternally. And after you die, you go to heaven and you live with your family, your wife and your children, for ever and ever. That's their philosophy.

Prabhupāda: Marry?

Bhāvānanda: Eternal marriage. And when you die, you go to heaven in the same body that you're in.

Brahmānanda: If you don't get married, then you don't go to heaven?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 16, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: How many boys to stay in one room?

Bhavānanda: Two boys to three boys, depending on their size. Little ones, three and four, and the bigger boys, ten, twelve years old, two.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...rooms.

Bhavānanda: These are the remnants of old dioramas that we had.

Prabhupāda: That means you have broken them?

Bhavānanda: They were broken.

Prabhupāda: Huh? Broken by?

Jayapatāka: Time. They were clay. They started just falling.... No doll maker is here. After one year they started to fall apart.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is this last years' exhibit?

Bhavānanda: From three years ago.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Three years ago. Last years' are still good?

Prabhupāda: No, they break.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: More and more our society is getting respect because of the big buildings.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Rāmeśvara: New York.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's why, I think your Guru Mahārāja was in favor like that.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, he said that potthor katha ke usa cane gauri ber katha sundari(?) If you remain poor, then nobody will be...

Rāmeśvara: And this diorama project will also give us a lot of respect.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. We have got many things, stock. We shall exhibit gradually. We have got many things in stock.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Many new ideas.

Prabhupāda: First of all, I started the book. That is, by Kṛṣṇa's grace, it is becoming successful. Then diorama. Then I shall give next idea.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This diorama is a major idea.

Morning Walk -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: That reporter wanted to talk more?

Rāmeśvara: Yes. He spoke with me for another one hour, very interested. And he writes for many different magazines also, not just one magazine. He's called "free-lance writer."

Prabhupāda: (break) ...our philosophy.

Rāmeśvara: He understands our philosophy, but he is not ready to surrender. He very much appreciated the dioramas that Bharadvāja is working on. We took him over to see them. Every one of the newspapermen was anxious to get a story on the opening of the museum.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: He's busy there, but somebody may go there and learn from Bharadvāja how to make dolls and prepare it here. One room. There are so many big, big rooms.

Mādhavānanda: Yes, I was thinking.

Prabhupāda: Make diorama. People will come to see.

Mādhavānanda: They like those things very much.

Prabhupāda: Instead of so-called library, reception, you make doll room. These big, big rooms. All big glass case...

Morning Walk -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: That house is exactly suitable for our purpose in every way. It was Kṛṣṇa's desire.

Hari-śauri: Even the people that passed on the boat stopped. We preached to them as well.

Mādhavānanda: I was thinking, Śrīla Prabhupāda, it would be nice to have dioramas.

Prabhupāda: First of all, give some signboard.

Mādhavānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Then dioramas.

Mādhavānanda: All right.

Comments on Bhagavad-gita Play -- July 12, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: These dull-headed conditioned souls, they do not know their real self-interest, being influenced by māyā. Māyā is also Kṛṣṇa's energy, so it is her duty to punish the conditioned soul because they have decided to forget Kṛṣṇa. Still, Kṛṣṇa is so merciful, He comes personally, He authorizes His devotees, servants, to enlighten these conditioned souls. Now our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an humble attempt to raise the standard of these conditioned souls to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Those who are engaged in this business, they should personally behave as devotee, and by their example they should teach others and elevate them from this gross ignorance of materialistic life. Thank you very much. (break)

Rāmeśvara: Either by your books, by the dioramas and by the dancing.

Devotees: Jaya, Haribol Prabhupāda! (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So what is your opinion, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Yes, nice.

Room Conversation with Fate -- December 27, 1976, Bombay:

Rādhā-vallabha: So this is like the introduction for the entire thing. Then it comes up to the point when they see the diorama of yourself, and there's a certain part where they want to have you thinking.

Prabhupāda: But here diorama should be explained in the local language.

Rādhā-vallabha: Here in India. This is for the American one.

Prabhupāda: Oh, American. That's all right.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- May 2, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So they can swallow, big, big fish. There is immense space in the sea.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually the one in the Museum of Natural History in New York, they didn't even leave the skeleton. They recreated the body so it looks just real. We went with Bharadvāja and Rāmeśvara and myself for studying for the doll project. We were looking at how they made everything very authentic. It's amazing. They even have underwater scenes. Of course, there's no water, but it appears to be underwater by the way they make the diorama. So this evening in the... They'll be coming in to see you, the managers.

Prabhupāda: So let them begin the foundation.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Gurukula.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Let it go on slowly, but it must begin.

Room Conversation With Bharadvaja -- October 16, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bharadvāja: We also have a diorama here of Isaac Newton showing the model of the universe to his friend, and his friend says, "Oh, such a brilliant thing, such a wonderful model. Who has made this?" And he says, "Nobody. It just appeared here." And he makes his point that if such a small thing has taken so much intelligence and skill, then what to speak of the great universe that we see before us? How could it have come from nothing?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Ideas are there. If it is properly exhibited, it will be wonderful thing.

Bharadvāja: Then we have... We are showing that human and animal, they have the same activity basically. So what is the difference between man and animal? So we show in this diorama. And we also show that actually sometimes animals are superior to man because they sometimes have better senses. The dog can smell better, the elephant can eat more, and the pigeon can have more sex, etcetera. So, again, why is man considered superior if animals have better senses? So then the third point, we are showing that human life means responsibility.

Room Conversation With Bharadvaja -- October 16, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: The second chapter. Find out the verses.

Bhakti-caru: Second chapter? Bhagavad-gītā.

Prabhupāda: Yaṁ pravrajantam.

Bharadvāja: Girirāja has gone to get the book. Then there will be some dioramas of different avatāras-Kṛṣṇa, Buddha and Caitanya Mahāprabhu-showing how They have come to protect the dharma, to reestablish the dharma. Kṛṣṇa is speaking to Arjuna on the battlefield.

Prabhupāda: Girirāja come back.

Bharadvāja: He's here.

Girirāja: Yes.

Bharadvāja: On this side, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: The verse yaṁ pravrajantam... Second chapter. When Vyāsadeva is following Śukadeva Gosvāmī.