Edition (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"edition" |"editions"

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview -- March 9, 1968, San Francisco:

Interviewer: Your Grace, what is the basis of your teachings?

Prabhupāda: The basis of this teaching is Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. I have already published my book, this Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. This book is not new. It is very old book, at least five thousand years old, and it is very widely read all over the world. In your country I have seen there are about more than twenty-five different editions, English. Similarly, there is in German language, in England, in Japan. Everywhere, all over the country this book is very widely known, Bhagavad-gītā. In other words, this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The speaker of this book is Lord Kṛṣṇa, and the subject matter of this book is what is our relationship with God. Then, after understanding what is our relationship with God, we can work accordingly.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation With John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison -- September 11, 1969, London, At Tittenhurst:

Prabhupāda: There are different translations. Therefore I have given this edition, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. There are interpretations. In many translations they have got interpretations. Not only in other parts of the world, but in our own country also. Just like Mahatma Gandhi. He was a great man. He has also interpreted. But the point is interpretation where required. Now, here is a fountain pen box. Everyone knows this is a fountain pen box. But if I say, "No, this is something else." That is my interpretation. Is that very nice thing? (Chuckling) Similarly, interpretation is required when things are not understood clearly. If everybody can understand this box is a fountain pen box, where is the necessity of interpretation? This is the first thing. So Bhagavad-gītā is so clear. It is just like sunlight. Sunlight does not require any other lamp.

Room Conversation With John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison -- September 11, 1969, London, At Tittenhurst:

Prabhupāda: Oh, Hrishikesh. Hrishikesh is also one of the pilgrimage. And there is similarly Kurukṣetra near Delhi. Still that place is there. And that is a place of pilgrimage from the Vedic times. In the Vedas also it is stated, kuru-kṣetre dharmam yajayet. If you want to function in a religious ceremony, just go to Kurukṣetra. So it is a place of pilgrimage. Now the name is there. The adjective dharma-kṣetra, it is from Vedic age. Then the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas, they are historical persons. The history is there, Mahābhārata. Then where is the question of interpreting Kurukṣetra as "this body," and the Pāṇḍavas as "the senses"? Where do you get this opportunity to interpret? So these things are going on. But we object, "Why should you interpret in that way when the facts are there?" That means Bhagavad-gītā is very popular book. One has got his own philosophy. He wants to prove it through Bhagavad-gītā. This is going on. There are so many interpretations, 664. Everyone thinks that "I can interpret in my own way." Why? Why this should be? We say, "No. You cannot interpret." Then what is the authority of Bhagavad-gītā? The author of Bhagavad-gītā did not leave it for being interpreted by a third-class man. He is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. He said everything clearly. Why an ordinary man should interpret His word? That is our objection. Therefore we present Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. The MacMillan Company wanted to shorten. (Chuckling) Because they are merchants. They wanted to minimize. Otherwise the book was very big. They wanted to make it only four hundred. Therefore half of the ślokas was not nicely explained. But next time we are going to publish in large and revised edition of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. We must explain everything. So the Bhagavad-gītā is very, very high-class philosophy and theology.

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- November 4, 1970, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: What about? Favorable or unfavorable?

Haṁsadūta: It was an interview with the devotees, if I remember, with Gurudāsa.

Guest (1): The article, original article, was quite favorable. It was all praiseworthy and all that. That is why these two letters say that author of that article is unnecessarily being sentimental and this and that.

Rebatinandan: That was the Sunday edition of Times of India.

Haṁsadūta: November 8th.

Revatīnandan: The magazine section. Two page particle with nice pictures. You liked it very much.

Prabhupāda: Oh, oh, yes, yes. I remember. She is envious, that "Why two page advertisement, publicity has been..." That's all.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 6, 1971, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That is stated in Bhīṣma's teachings. So they got the benefit, but not that everyone understood Kṛṣṇa. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum... (BG 9.11). Many... Even nowadays there are so many scholars... They want swamis. They do not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even nowadays, what to speak of then? Even at the present moment. They are reading Bhagavad-gītā, and they are trying to kill Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa. That's all. That is their business, killing... Kaṁsa's business. Kaṁsa was trying killing Kṛṣṇa, always thinking, "how to kill Kṛṣṇa?" So so many Bhagavad-gītā commentators, scholars, their only business is how to drive away Kṛṣṇa from Bhagavad-gītā. That is their... They do not give on the personality of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I have several times told you. Even scholars like Dr. Rādhā-Krishnan, he says like that, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa, person." Why? Why this demonic attitude? How you can get help from Kṛṣṇa? That is... We are discussing now, daivī-sampāt and āsuri-sampāt. Āsuri-sampāt means to kill Kṛṣṇa. That's all, to wipe out Kṛṣṇa from Bhagavad-gītā and bring something else. Six hundred and sixty-four editions of Bhagavad-gītā. This is going on.

Conversation with Prof. Kotovsky -- June 22, 1971, Moscow:

Prof. Kotovsky: It seems to me that in the Moscow and Leningrad libraries we have nearly all major texts of ancient Indian culture, beginning from Vedas, original text in Sanskrit. For instance, we have in Lenin Library nearly six or eight editions of...

Prabhupāda: (Aside:) You have not brought any books? Eh?

Prof. Kotovsky: ...Manu-smṛti.

Prabhupāda: You have not brought any books? Bhāgavata?

Prof. Kotovsky: Editions is there. Especially in Leningrad, you know, in Leningrad we have...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Prof. Kotovsky: ...about, Leningrad branch, Leningrad branch of our institute—because institute was in Petorussia(?), founded in Leningrad—so in Leningrad now we have now a branch of our institute dealing mainly...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- August 21, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) It never comes to perfection.

Haṁsadūta: It never comes to perfection. It can, you know. For instance, this little booklet, Easy Journey to Other Planets, one of the things that has been holding it up is because the diacritic marks, to get the diacritic marks in there perfectly... We took it to a professional composer. Of course, they're not experienced, so they didn't, at first they didn't want to do it and then... At any rate, my opinion was first let us print it without the diacritic marks, and then the second edition make it with diacritic marks. Improve it by editions rather than wait until it's completely perfect before we put it on the market because...

Prabhupāda: But if once it is made perfect, then it will be easier to print more and more.

Haṁsadūta: That's true, but see, what has happened is the entire sum has been lost...

Prabhupāda: He could not finish any one?

Haṁsadūta: No, not even the magazine was finished. The magazine before this recent one, I put it together myself from old magazines.

Prabhupāda: There are so many German students. They cannot do?

Haṁsadūta: They can do, but the thing is that you have said that he is the chief and unless it goes through him, it can't be printed.

Prabhupāda: No. No, no. No, no. No, no.

Interview with Reporters -- November 10, 1971, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: I have no personal presentation. I am speaking only what Kṛṣṇa... Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Here is the book, you see. This book, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, which we are presenting, and publisher is Macmillan Company, and every year they are printing at least fifty thousand copies. This is for our fifth edition. They are printing this book since 1968. '68, '69, '70, '71, that, I think, I know they have, they are fifth edition, and people are reading it, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Our..., we don't change. Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the Supreme," and we are saying Kṛṣṇa is the same, Supreme. Even I do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa, I am simply presenting what is written in the Bhagavad-gītā. mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no superior element above Me." So we say, "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme. There is no other Supreme." Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). We say that "You follow, think of Kṛṣṇa, you become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, you offer your respect to Kṛṣṇa." So we are not (indistinct), because we are presenting Kṛṣṇa as He is speaking in the Bhagavad-gītā, that's all.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Dai Nippon -- April 22, 1972, Tokyo:

Karandhara: Should be able to produce a volume at least every month.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And the editors must be very expedient. Besides that, I think this Kṛṣṇa Book, smaller edition, that will have very soon another reprint.

Karandhara: At least ten million we will print in the Kṛṣṇa Book pocket size.

Prabhupāda: And Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Macmillan Company's. They have taken. And they are also printing yearly fifty thousand or more than that. At least in Western countries there is no such thought of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is completely... That professor, what is his name?

Karandhara: Dimmock?

Prabhupāda: Dimmock. He has given very good appreciation. And gradually it will be printed in other languages.

Room Conversation -- April 2, 1972, Sydney:

Prabhupāda: Now this Macmillan's report is that ours selling more. Therefore, they have advanced to take up this enlarged edition. Otherwise, they are business. In the beginning they refused. They said, "No, no, we cannot publish so big volume. We can... If you minimize..." Therefore, we minimized it to four hundred pages.

Conversation with Bajaj and Bhusan -- September 11, 1972, Arlington, Texas, At Their Home:

Prabhupāda: You don't go to a professor who has never gone to school and college. Do you go there? So this knowledge... As material knowledge is received by paramparā, similarly, spiritual knowledge is received also by paramparā. Kṛṣṇa says in the Fourth Chapter, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). By paramparā system. Sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa: "Because the paramparā was lost, therefore the science was lost. Therefore I shall again say the same system to you." Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam: (BG 4.3) "I am trying to speak to you because you are My devotee. You are very dear friend." So similarly, one has to become a dear friend of Kṛṣṇa and devotee of Kṛṣṇa before he can understand what Kṛṣṇa says. You see? There are so many Bhagavad-gītā editions in all the countries. So many big, big scholars presented Bhagavad-gītā. There was not a single person converted to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Do you agree to this point? Before this movement not a single person... Now there hundreds and thousands are coming because the Bhagavad-gītā is presented as it is, not with adulteration.

Conversation with Bajaj and Bhusan -- September 11, 1972, Arlington, Texas, At Their Home:

Prabhupāda: This is published by Macmillan. It is eleven hundred pages. They printed in July fifty thousand copies. That is finished. Now they are going to print second edition. Since 1968 they are publishing our Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, and every year they are getting one edition. From the beginning... I think this is the fifth or sixth edition and their business manager, trades manager's report is that this Bhagavad-gītā is increasing sale, others' dwindling, because it is presented as it is. We present Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead." We present Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa says, "You surrender unto Me." We teach people, "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). We say, "You become Kṛṣṇa bhakta. You offer worship to Kṛṣṇa." We don't change anything. And therefore people are accepting. Adulteration, how long it will go on? You know very well. You are from Delhi. There is a Punjabi halwai (?), in the Chowry Bazaar.

Morning Walk -- October 15, 1972, Vrndavana:

Śyāmasundara: This is a new edition?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: Oh, all the dogs are coming. (dogs barking) Is the driver here? There's the driver. Should we walk, or...

Prabhupāda: (Hindi with guest) (break) ...and how it is concerned, we can get many. The thing is, will he get his (indistinct).

Śyāmasundara: Hm. I've been thinking a lot about it.

Introduction Speech By Dr. Kapoor and Conversation -- October 15, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Oh. This is Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. This is being published by MacMillan Co. They printed in the last half month of August, fifty thousand. That is now finished, now going to second edition.

Dr. Kapoor: Ah. Kṛṣṇa is working wonders.

Prabhupāda: So, what is this?

Devotee: Trilogy is not at this place. I think we have it here.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's all right. So by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, whichever book we are publishing, that is being accepted. And people inquire when they go for saṅkīrtana in big, big cities, they inquire, "Have you got this book? Have you got this book?" Yes. And we are receiving mail orders, at least twenty mail orders. And this time I was surprised. They have taken a godown in Los Angeles. This is bigger than the Rādhā-Dāmodara temple, so big. Only for stocking books and incense. We are manufacturing incense. That I suggested. Sometimes I went to Ramakrishna mission and I saw they are selling incense. So I suggested that "Why don't you..." So I gave them idea how to manufacture.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 26, 1973, Jakarta:

Prabhupāda: So if we interpret in that nonsense way then we shall not be able to understand Bhagavad-gītā. We shall miss this point. Science does not mean that you have to change according to your whims. Two plus two equal to four. You cannot make it five or three. That is not possible. Then it is not science. No longer the scientific value of this two plus two remains. We follow that principle, and that is the only principle. So if you're actually serious about Bhagavad-gītā, I do not know what is your commentary. I request you, "Try to follow the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Don't interpret in your own way. Then it will be (indistinct)." Everyone has got (indistinct) all over the world. Therefore we are selling this Bhagavad-gītā As It Is very nicely. Our publisher's MacMillan Co. and their trades managers report is that our Bhagavad-gītā is increasing daily, sales, other decreasing. That is the report, and in October they published 50,000 copies, it is already finished. Now they have to plan it for the second edition. People are very much now, eager to read Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. So, imitating us, somebody's, another (chuckles) man, he said "Bhagavad-gītā As It Was." (laughs with everyone) Like that. So that will not harm our cause.

Room Conversation -- February 28, 1973, Jakarta:

Devotee (1): Translations. Three editions by different authors in Indonesian language. The most recent, I will try to contact the author today, the man who translated it, I'll try to find him.

Prabhupāda: But unless one is realized soul how he can...

Devotee (1): No. It is impersonal interpretations.

Devotee (2): So we must encourage them to translate Prabhupāda's Bhagavad-gītā, because they're inclined. They like... They want subject matters. So why not translate Prabhupāda's books and let the government distribute them and introduce them.

Devotee (1): Only they several times suggest to me that we donate the books because they don't have money to print their own books.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee (1): They have not facilities, money, to actually print and publish and distribute. That is why they are so attracted to us because we have the books and they know we have the power to print and distribute. But they have no money, no power to do it.

Prabhupāda: No. If they want, we can do that.

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

Prabhupāda: Two thousand pieces, and the collection is about eight thousand dollars, no, eight hundred dollars. Eight hundred dollars. So they're very anxiously taking our books. A new literature. They have no such idea, what is God, what is bhakti. How they can be explained. Our Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, publisher MacMillan, within one year... Last August they, the first edition. And... Not yet August. By this time, they have finished two editions and the third edition is in the press. That will be available in July.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Edition of a very number...,

Prabhupāda: Fifty thousand.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Fifteen thousand.

Prabhupāda: Fifty. Five, zero.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Marvelous success.

Room Conversation With David Lawrence -- July 12, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: ...revolution in the spiritual ideas.

David Lawrence: We hope to produce it so cheaply that schools will buy it readily. You know. Almost be, well, you know, not free, but handed out...

Prabhupāda: No, we can give you paperback, cheap edition.

David Lawrence: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We can... If you... We can... A very cheap edition. Or we'll print here, cheap.

David Lawrence: The Kṛṣṇa Books? Kṛṣṇa Books?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with Sanskrit Professor -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Professor: I see.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Than all other editions. Their report is. They, they print at a time fifty thousand copies. So three or four times they have already printed.

Professor: Really?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Since last August, within one year.

Professor: Wow. That's a great success.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.

Professor: That's good.

Prabhupāda: Now they are out of stock.

Professor: Out of stock?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with Sanskrit Professor, Dr. Suneson -- September 5, 1973, Stockholm:

Prabhupāda: Oh, here is. (break) ...eight commentaries by different ācāryas. So I read all the commentaries and give my own. In this way, we are doing. Yes.

Professor: Where do you have these eight commentaries? Are they found in this edition or...?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Vīrarāghava Ācārya, Jīva Gosvāmī, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. Here is the original text, type. It is in Bengali type. (break)

Professor: ...does this one have?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Professor: How many commentaries does this one...?

Prabhupāda: Oh, here. Only Śrīdhara Svāmī's. One commentary.

Professor: That's the one I have read, Śrīdhara's.

Prabhupāda: Śrīdhara's?

Professor: Yes, only Śrīdhara's. Because it's difficult to get the other commentaries.

Prabhupāda: No, they are available.

Room Conversation with Banker -- September 21, 1973, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Some of these are. This one is the most popular. It is printed by MacMillan (indistinct) publishing house. They went through already three editions just in the first year. The sales manager at MacMillan reported that while all the other editions of Bhagavad-gītā are declining in sales, ours was increasing. So there is a good a interest there. So many I think there are so many English Bhagavad...

Prabhupāda: 645.

Gargamuni: This is the boy I told you who knows also Sanskrit and Bengali.

Banker: Oh yes, I saw the photograph of him.

Gargamuni: Yes, he is the same one. We call him Paṇḍitjī.

Prabhupāda: How he saw his photograph?

Gargamuni: I have a photograph of him with all his books. Very nice photograph.

Lady: Is this the same book that you have in three small editions?

Prabhupāda: Yes, we have a small book.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 13, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So that Bhagavad-gītā as it is published by MacMillan Company.

Dr. Kapoor: I haven't read it through, but I saw the publication.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So they are having every year one edition.

Dr. Kapoor: Hmm. I see. Wonderful.

Prabhupāda: Yes, for the last, it has begun from 1968, it is still going on, every year, they publish and they send me royalty $2,000.

Dr. Kapoor: Good.

Guru dāsa: (indistinct) has read Nectar of Devotion.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Devotee: (indistinct) has read Nectar of Devotion.

Dr. Kapoor: Nectar of Devotion I have read. That's wonderfully done.

Prabhupāda: You like it?

Dr. Kapoor: It's nectar, really.

Room Conversation -- February 13, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So I was taking the stock to the booksellers there or some institution or some friend. In this way, sixteen dollars, the full set sixteen dollars. In this way collecting. (break) ...That gentleman who carried me in his car, he is Mr. Kaśinātha Servan(?). (break) ...Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, a large edition, this size, eleven hundred pages.

Dr. Kapoor: I see.

Guru dāsa: We should let Dr. Karan Singh patronize ...

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Guru dāsa: ...an Indian edition of it. We should let Dr. Karan Singh patronize an Indian edition of it, without, with one photo. As he was suggesting, let him patronize it, the Indian printing.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Guru dāsa: Because there is so much demand. He wants to see it. He wants to see it.

Prabhupāda: So why don't you get the manuscript and let us have an Indian edition. I told Rūpānuga that the difficulty is that the enlarged edition when we are attempting to publish, MacMillan says that "We are publishing your book, why not we, we publish." If we publish, then we save our investment to publish. That has not been decided, so therefore I advised my secretary in New York that MacMillan's permission or no permission, you should immediately print. If they print it is all right, otherwise print ourself.

Room Conversation -- February 13, 1974, Vrndavana:

Dr. Kapoor: Hm, yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they demand it. In every center it is going on very nicely. Then we have many customer requested the enlarged edition. So, so everything is ready. Now this controversy, whether MacMillan will publish or we shall publish.

Dr. Kapoor: There is no doubt that you will be saving a lot of trouble (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: And they have got good organization.

Dr. Kapoor: Good organization they have got.

Prabhupāda: All over the world.

Room Conversation -- February 13, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That I am trying, but it has not been decided, but anyway it will be published very soon.

Guru dāsa: Even if they do publish it, they will not distribute it in India.

Prabhupāda: Yes, in that sense we may publish in India.

Dr. Kapoor: You may have an agreement with them, that you have a cheaper Indian edition, which you will sell only in India, you can give them the right to sell it all over the world.

Prabhupāda: I have asked that Shishu Kumar, Shishu Kumar you know?

Guru dāsa: No.

Prabhupāda: The Atmarama & Son's proprietor.

Guru dāsa: Oh yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: He came to see me.

Guru dāsa: Yes, I know.

Prabhupāda: So I asked him the quotation of that small edition of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. He told me that he will inform me.

Morning Walk 'Varnasrama College' -- March 14, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Otherwise, they are little animals with four hand, two legs, two hand, hand animals. That's all. Yes. Rejected them. Vedic civilization rejected them, mlecchas and yavanas. But they can be reformed. The process is the same. Not that because they are rejected, they cannot be reclaimed. They can be reclaimed also. Just like you are being done. Although you are coming from the mlecchas and yavanas, by training, you are becoming more than a brāhmaṇa. So there is no bar for them. Unfortunately, these rascals do not agree to accept. As soon as you say, "No more illicit sex," oh, they become angry. As soon as I say, "There is no meat-eating," they become angry. Mūrkhāyopadeśo hi prakopayati na śamayati (?). The rascals, fools, if you give them good lessons, education, they will be angry. Prakopayati na śamayati. Payaḥ pānaṁ bhujaṅgānām (?). The snake, if you give him nice milk and banana, the result will be he will increase his poison. Payaḥ pānaṁ bhujaṅgānāṁ kevalaṁ viṣa-vardhanam. But Kṛṣṇa's grace, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's grace, they are being now trained up. Now you be trained up and revise the whole edition of the western civilization, especially in America. Then a new chapter will come in. This is the program. Therefore varṇāśrama school required.

Morning Walk -- March 27, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: And washes everything. That is God's grace. Without machine, they keep it clean.

Guest (1): Without taking any charge.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...same thing is happening here in a different edition. That's all.

Guest (1): All are nationalized. Only men and women can...

Dr. Patel: They're also nationalized. Man is nationalized.

Prabhupāda: We consider according to our position in this material world, "This is good, this is bad." This is simply a mental concoction. Everything is bad. Only Kṛṣṇa is good. You are criticizing Russians. Why do you...? What is the, what is your state of...?

Dr. Patel: Russians are good people. They were a very good people... That is why... (break)

Prabhupāda: ...rascal... For some time, another rascal will come, another rascal...

Dr. Patel: Russians, technically, they are Russians. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...advertise, but do you know?

Dr. Patel: I know it.

Prabhupāda: I know it very well.

Morning Walk -- April 29, 1974, Hyderabad:

Gargamuni: Yes. He has not sold any.

Prabhupāda: No, he has sold some, but still lying in the store. He published only one thousand copies. Our Nectar of Devotion, the translation of the same book, is selling like hotcakes. Yes. In the university, Temple University, they have made a textbook. And everywhere they like it, Nectar of Devotion. I think... What is our edition at the present moment? Fourth or Fifth edition. And we don't publish less than ten thousand copies. So we have to depend on Kṛṣṇa sincerely. Serve Him, everything, what is required, that will come, some way or other. That is miracle. Why should we try to cheat others, that "I can manufacture gold"? This rascal, if he can manufacture gold, then why he is doing himself business? That is simply jugglery. Even the magicians, they can do. They create so much money. But he is a poor man. Why he remains poor? And everyone thinks of us, that we have got unlimited wealth.

Room Conversation with Irish Poet, Desmond O'Grady -- May 23, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: Some of the books, you can show him. Here is one book, Bhagavad-gītā.

Yogeśvara: You have seen the Bhagavad-gītā, haven't you, in English?

O'Grady: Oh, yes, but not this particular edition.

Yogeśvara: This we just recently published in German, a German edition. (Yogeśvara discusses books with O'Grady for a minute)

Bhagavān: All these books are illustrated by our artists in New York.

O'Grady: They illustrated this?

Bhagavān: Oh, yes, they are beautiful.

Bob Jackson(?): Some fantastic work. When you came to the house...

O'Grady: The text is in...

Bhagavān: There's original text in Bengali. This book is in Bengali.

O'Grady: And Sanskrit.

Bhagavān: Sanskrit, which Prabhupāda translates himself and gives the explanation and purport. Every night Śrīla Prabhupāda dictates into a dictaphone, and his secretaries type and edit. And then we have a press in New York which composes and prints.

O'Grady: It's a very nice edition, that Macmillan edition. Very nicely done.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they have fifth edition within two years. Five editions.

Room Conversation with Irish Poet, Desmond O'Grady -- May 23, 1974, Rome:

O'Grady: Five editions in two years.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And each time they print fifty thousand books.

O'Grady: This new printing.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. In London about few months ago we got report they sold thirty thousand copies in two months.

O'Grady: Thirty thousand.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with Catholic Cardinal and Secretary to the Pope -- May 24, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: The real necessity of human life is to understand God. Not only to understand God superficially, but to understand our eternal relationship with Him, and then prayojana, the ultimate goal of life, is to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is ultimate goal. And if you simply try to understand God, as we get it from the revealed scriptures, then after giving up this body, tyaktvā dehaṁ... Deham means this body. After this death... There are many deaths in many bodies, but after this death, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), he does not enter again into the material body. In his original spiritual body he goes back to home, back to Godhead. So this is sum and substance of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and we have got many Vedic literatures about it, especially the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So we have published Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. The publisher is Messrs. MacMillan and Company, and we are selling. It has already gone fifth edition. And each edition they have published fifty-thousand copies and this is the preliminary study book, to understand God. And then, when one is passed of this knowledge, then he can be given the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam which we have published like this, sixty volumes, all original verses from Bhāgavatam, and explained. Then... This is graduate study.

Room Conversation with Catholic Cardinal and Secretary to the Pope -- May 24, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: Here is my foreword by Professor Dimock.

Yogeśvara: This is a professor from Chicago University who wrote the foreword to this edition. He makes an interesting comment.

Prabhupāda: You read, read it.

Dhanañjaya: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Professor Dimock's.

Cardinal Pignedoli: It's very strange and famous. That's the gospel.

Prabhupāda: Read it.

Dhanañjaya: (reading) "Swami Bhaktivedanta comments upon the Gita from this point of view. And that is legitimate."

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is legitimate.

Room Conversation with Catholic Cardinal and Secretary to the Pope -- May 24, 1974, Rome:

Dhanañjaya: "In this translation the western reader has the unique opportunity of seeing how a Kṛṣṇa devotee interprets his own texts. It is the Vedic exegetical tradition, justly famous, in action. (reads rest of foreword of MacMillan edition of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is)" This is stated by Professor Edward C. Dimock, Department of South Asian Languages and Civilization, University of Chicago. Please take this.

Cardinal Pignedoli: Thank you. It will be a source also for unprofessionals, also to give true interpretation yes, by devotees.

Prabhupāda: The trades manager of Messrs. MacMillan Company, he has reported that this book is selling increasing, and other editions, they are decreasing.

Monsignor Verrozano: A great sign of interest.

Cardinal Pignedoli: Thank you. Well, may we be united in hopes and prayer and...

Prabhupāda: Yes, kindly pray to God.

Morning Walk -- May 28, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: This is civilization. Not that "I am now human being; I shall become demigod. Or I am dog, I shall become human being." The karmīs, they are thinking this is advancement. This is not advancement. Real advancement: no more accepting any material body. That is the real advancement. Just finish. This sense can come in human form of life, that "I have suffered so much. I have come through so many species of life. Now I have got sense." So the reply is there that mām upetya kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvataṁ nāpnuvanti: (BG 8.15) "Anyone who comes to Me, he does not come again to this miserable condition of material existence." We should take advantage of this. That is human civilization. What is this human civilization? Jumping like dog, in a motorcar, that's all. This is not civilization. This is dog civilization, that's all. And actually what benefit they have derived? They are not satisfied. One man has got this car, and next year another car, another car. And the car manufacturer also giving fashion. "This is 1974 edition, this is 1975 edition." And they are earning money with hard labor. "All right, get a motorcar." And again, next year change. What is this civilization? No satisfaction. They do not know where is the point of satisfaction. It is dog civilization.

Room Conversation with Professor Oliver La Combe Director of the Sorbonne University -- June 14, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: "They must be cynic, crazy, another edition of hippies." Like that, they say like that.

Devotee: They think that... They won't allow even a westerner to marry their daughter, because the westerners have a reputation of marrying for a week and then flying away. So they think like that of the people. Even our own men, sometimes the Indian girls wanted to marry the brahmacārīs, the American brahmacārīs, but the parents would not allow because they said, "After you are married a week, he will just run away back to his country and leave you here." So they are thinking like that about the westerners, that they, the life is so fast.

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Another brahmacārī saved.

Prabhupāda: One of our man has done so. You know that Rāmānuja? The Mexican boy?

Devotee: There's that boy in Bombay he married one Indian girl.

Prabhupāda: He is staying.

Room Conversation with devotees about Twelfth Canto Kali-yuga, and Conversation with Guest -- June 15, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Then, then, distinction, then it is to be considered which is perfect, the later edition or the original. (French)

Jyotirmayī: They are saying that according to their understanding, God revealed Himself little by little, and then at certain moment, He revealed Himself in His totality. But in the Vedic literature, there it is said that the whole knowledge was given at the beginning. Everything together. He said that he's very much respecting your research, and that he's asking that we should not say that these two research in Christianism and the Vedas, the scriptures, are the same. They are two different things. (French)

Yogeśvara: He says, for example, the verse you read yesterday, that was similar to what is taught in the Vedas, but if we take the rest of that chapter from the Bible, we find some discrepancies, differences.

Prabhupāda: What is that? (French)

Yogeśvara: For example, in that chapter, it also says that the word of God became flesh and that flesh was the son of God, Lord Jesus Christ.

Prabhupāda: But that means Jesus Christ is transcendental, not of this material world.

Morning Walk -- June 20, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: (break) ...understood that this group is another edition of hippies. Gradually they are learning that they are not hippies. They are serious. (break) ...paper it was published that "Swami Bhaktivedanta has come in the right time." And what is that?

Satsvarūpa: Yes, in a number of articles, the writer notes that Prabhupāda came at a perfect time in history, and went to the right place, the lower East Side of New York, and then again in Haight Ashbury, just when the hippie movement was big but they were looking for spiritual life. That is a historical expert move that you made.

Prabhupāda: No, that is very good remark, appreciated. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is known as patita-pāvana, the deliverer of the most fallen. Patita-pāvana-hetu tava avatāra: "My Lord, Your incarnation is for the reason to deliver all the fallen souls." So He gave one example by delivering Jagāi and Mādhāi, but by His grace, now thousands of Jagāi-Mādhāis are being delivered. He gave the example that here is the typical patita, fallen. So this movement will deliver this kind of people. That is His prediction. Or it... factually by this movement, so many Jagāi-Mādhāis are being delivered. Jagāi... What was their fault? The fault was they were number one woman hunter and all other good qualifications: (laughing) drunkard, meat-eaters and thieves, rogues. That is their qualification. And immediately Caitanya Mahāprabhu turned them to become Vaiṣṇava. "Simply promise that... You say that you shall not commit anymore these sinful activities." "Yes, Sir, I will not." So that process we are going on.

Room Conversation -- August 12, 1975, Paris (with French translator):

Devotee (1): There is no edition of Bhagavad-gītā like your edition ever in France. This is the first time.

Prabhupāda: Aurobindo is hodgepodge. It is simply vocabulary. No concrete contribution. Simply words. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). In order to learn the science, one must go to the bona fide guru. Otherwise it is not possible. In the Bhagavad-gītā, find this verse.

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

French Devotee: Chapter Four?

Devotee (1): You should read the French. (French devotee reads Sanskrit and French translation)

Prabhupāda: Purport. (devotee reads Purport in French) You come here. Sit facing them. If they have got any question about this?

Yogeśvara (translating): He said he would be happy if the spiritual master was speaking French because Kṛṣṇa is only speaking French now.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa speaks in all languages, and He speaks so perfectly that everyone thinks that He speaks only in his language. He could speak with the birds even. There is a Sanskrit word, babhudak. This means one who can speak all languages. So it is stated there in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Nectar of Devotion, that on the bank of Yamunā He was one day talking with a bird. Every living being has got a different language.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: These complaints are not at all good. They have become very serious. Complaint must be stopped. Why they are...? Now print cheap edition here and give them books. Sell also.

Rūpānuga: They cannot accuse of being cheating.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Rūpānuga: They cannot accuse us of cheating them.

Prabhupāda: It is not good at all. Why there is complaint?

Jagadīśa: So make the agenda.

Jayatīrtha: I have nine points on the agenda so far.

Jagadīśa: What is it?

Jayatīrtha: The...

Prabhupāda: Just like Śyāmasundara. He was appointed the BBT member. And what he is doing?

Jayatīrtha: There's been a very high attrition rate on GBC...

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Jayatīrtha: There's been a very high attrition rate on BBT trustees.

Prabhupāda: So this thing should be arranged first of all.

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

Prabhupāda: Now big, big scholars, they have taken the trouble to write on Bhagavad-gītā. But nobody has taken the trouble to write on other scriptures like Bible or Koran. Nobody has taken. No scholar, no philosopher have tried to comment or study because they know it is not very important. Here is important. This is the proof, wisest. And that is only ABCD of God's knowledge. So people should take advantage. It is accepted indirectly. There are so many editions of Bhagavad-gītā, in your country, English. Why they take trouble to read Bhagavad-gītā so carefully? Big, big scholars, philosophers, why? (break) It is the impersonal, cloth. So Śaṅkarācārya has tried to impress this fact, but the rascals followed in a different way. Just like a cloth, big cloth, that is impersonal. Now, you cut it into coat. It becomes like person. So similarly this whole material world is impersonal, but because we have taken a certain portion of it and make my body, it looks like person. And God is not like that. He is spiritual person.

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

Dr. Judah: ...it has many imperfections of which I am well aware. Mistakes that I hope in another edition can be corrected.

Prabhupāda: But many parents are very happy because their...

Dr. Judah: Yes.

Prabhupāda: They are very happy. Some of them come to me to give me thanks.

Morning Walk -- June 27, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: What is the position of Bhagavad-gītā? Macmillan, you are not taking supply, so they have stopped?

Jayatīrtha: We've informed them that the..., we want to make the..., because they no longer have it in print, that the abridged edition, we want to break the contract.

Prabhupāda: No, that is already, they have permitted. Anyway, you can...

Jayatīrtha: But as far as the other one is concerned we have a stock on hand.

Prabhupāda: What they are doing?

Brahmānanda: They're picking the papers.

Prabhupāda: Oh. He's earning forty dollars daily?

Jayatīrtha: At least.

Car Conversation -- August 3, 1975, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: ...God conscious or he is another edition?

Brahmānanda: He has some leanings toward some mysticism.

Satsvarūpa: Yes. His philosophy is... Dr. Wolf sent you a clipping on it when you were in Bombay. He wants that people should just live on the land and raise crops and live in a simple way like that and, yeah, worship God.

Brahmānanda: There is even some talk that he was wanting to join a monastery and live a life of austerity and contemplation.

Jagadīśa: He also favors a monarchy, a religious monarchy.

Prabhupāda: That is my philosophy.

Press Conference -- October 2, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: Show him. So they are appreciating. Appreciation has begun. Formerly they thought it is another edition of hippie movement, but now they are realizing it is not. A cultural. He has given the name of the book, Hare Kṛṣṇa and Counterculture. He is selling at the cost of twelve dollars; still, all high class, educated class, are purchasing.

Guest (3) (Indian man): Have you any program for the common people?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Common people have joined. Everyone. We are opening centers so that any common man from any caste, any creed, any nation, they can come and join.

Room Conversation -- October 5, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: Then, English edition we have got. French edition... You can speak in French and explain. He can speak in English.

Guest (1): Yes. We can stay in a village for about seven days or eight days, so that every night, for example, as we do it here, we can do it in a village.

Prabhupāda: So if you can organize like that, then I will come personally. I will go and encourage you.

Guest (1): I can organize it, Swamijī. There are many people who would like to see you, to talk to you, and to... Not especially to you but to all the swamijis.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So if you think so, then I can come back again. I'll come back.

Room Conversation with the Rector, Professor Olivier and Professors of the University of Durban, Westville -- October 8, 1975, Durban:

Prof. Olivier: I got a copy of the Bhagavad-gītā at the last occassion when your representatives were here, which I thought was a very well brought out and a very well documented edition. The printing is also very good. So we are trying at this university to, slowly, to delve down into the infrastructure of education. Of course, one..., in the Western society one has got to take cognizance of so many developments in the various fields of science. And the element of spiritual science certainly has been neglected. I would concede this point immediately. That is perhaps where this university can also still play a meaningful part. Of course, here we have representatives of three of the world's greatest religions: Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. This will be part of Professor Oosthuizen's department, to try and take the best out of these and formulate for our students, and maybe for the rest of South Africa and the world that will listen, the essences of religion that would really satisfy as we go along.

Prabhupāda: We say that religion means the law given by God. So any religion must accept God. Then there is no difference. The law may be little different according to time, circumstances. But religion means dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Religion means the law given by God. Just like law means the codes given by the state. That is law. Just like you are keeping, "Keep to the right" or "left" here. In America it is right. So somewhere, "Keep to the right," or somewhere, "Keep to the left," but because it is given by the state, it is law. Similarly, whatever law is given by God, that is religion. This is our definition of religion.

Morning Walk -- November 19, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: If they do not accept authority, why they become authority? Who will accept them? If everything is depending on mental speculation, then why they should be accepted as authority?

Yaśomatī-nandana: That they cannot answer. Only insincere people, foolish people, they are misled by them. Otherwise I don't think anybody even knows their philosophy. Everyone knows your philosophy because they see your disciples, and no one goes to read their books. Mostly I see in their books, "First edition, copies, two thousand," "three thousand," something like that. And you never see a second edition.

Prabhupāda: (break) Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu for the last twelve years he was lying idle, and this time he went, and people appreciated so much he was giving delete.(?) He is advertising like that.

Morning Walk -- November 26, 1975, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Dimmock. "Here is definitive..."

Haṁsadūta: Version.

Nitai: "Definitive edition."

Prabhupāda: "Definitive edition." That is the credit. Not "may be." No "maybe," sir. That is rascaldom.

Harikeśa: In our social science we find that God is only necessary to define the unknown. Otherwise He has no purpose.

Prabhupāda: No, our God is not unknown. Known. We know God's residence. We know God's father, God's mother, God's activities, God's friends. Everything we know. There is no "maybe."

Harikeśa: Just like in the former days when the savages saw thunderbolts...

Prabhupāda: The savage... You may be savage. We are not savage. You may be savage, but we are not savage. We are civilized.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walks -- January 22-23, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Recently we have published abridged edition of Bhagavad-gītā, 350,000... Three hundred and fifty hundred thousand.

Guḍākeśa: Three and a half lakhs.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Already, though, over half of it is sold out. In one month we've sold over half the printing.

Indian man (4): Even among Indians, it is so popular, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Which one?

Indian man (4): Your Bhagavad-gītā. All the Indians, in meeting they all come. Two or three times I have met. Some of them say, "You have got more? You have got more Bhagavad-gītā?"

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) Why they look inquisitive? No commentary. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) Cent percent cheater beginning from the top. They have lost their own culture, Vedic civilization, and they are not competent to earn properly. They must be cheater. Beg, borrow, steal. They have lost their own culture; therefore they have no one honest. Formerly Indians were so honest that after one man's death, his son comes... Even we have seen it in childhood. "Sir, my father took from you the five thousand rupees.

Morning Walk -- February 6, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: What is these jñānīs? They are also another rascal, another edition of rascals. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Therefore so-called jñānīs, after many, many births' practical realization, they surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā (BG 7.19). Then he understands that Kṛṣṇa is everything. But such great person is very, very rare. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ, very, very rare.

Morning Walk -- February 29, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: This is the real point. All other points besides this, they are Rāvaṇa's point. (Break) ...adjust things, taking Sītā from the clutches of one Rāvaṇa to the another Rāvaṇa. The material... At the present moment... Just like the Communist. They are trying to take away money from the capitalists. So this process is taking Sītā from clutches of Rāvaṇa, and it goes to another Rāvaṇa. Because both of them are Rāvaṇa, so there is no meaning to it. There will be no benefit. It has failed already. The Communist movement, it is simply now Lordism (?). Just like there are many rogues and dacoits. They plunder money and sometimes give to the poor. So this is another edition of the same thing, one Rāvaṇa to another Rāvaṇa. Just like Ramakrishna Mission-daridra-nārāyaṇa-theory only, and that is also not perfect. It cannot be perfect. Communist theory is to take the money from the capitalists and distribute it to the poor, to the mass people.

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

Prabhupāda: So if we invite them to see it, that how they are helping efficiently with latest machine.... Therefore it has been possible. Otherwise while in India with great hardship I could publish three books only.

Reporter (1): They are very beautifully printed.

Reporter (5): Where did the money come from to print such lavish editions of your books?

Prabhupāda: The money comes.... We are selling books daily.

Reporter (5): No, but initially you do require a...

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Reporter (5): Initially it requires some money to print such a lavish book.

Prabhupāda: Initially I took some books from here. They are not so nicely printed, but still, I sold them. Then gradually increased. They paid the money and then.... They made contributions. One of my student, he first, Jayānanda.... He.... No, first paid me.... He, he has first paid me five thousand dollars. Then Brahmānanda paid me five thousand dollars. In this way gradually money came.

Room Conversation -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand:

Prabhupāda: So don't spoil the movement by manufacturing ideas. Don't do that. Go on in the standard way, keep yourself pure; then movement is sure to be successful. But if you want to spoil it by whimsical, then what can be done? It will be spoiled. If you manufacture whims and disagree and fight amongst yourself, then it will be another edition of these so-called movements. It will lose the spiritual strength. Always remember it. You cannot.... Now, actually, people are surprised: "What this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra has got power that it is changing so quickly?" And on the other hand, it is to be admitted, unless it has got power, how it is changing? So we have to keep that power. Don't make it an ordinary musical vibration. It is a different thing, spiritual. Although it seems like musical vibration, but it is spiritual, completely. Mantrauśadhi-vaśa. Even, by mantra, the snakes can be charmed. So mantra is not ordinary sound vibration. So we have to keep the mantra in potency, potent, by offenseless chanting, by remaining pure. If you pollute the mantra, then it will lose its effect.

Room Conversation -- May 7, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Oh yes. Just find out what is the venues to push our books. As much as possible.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Should I concentrate my time for this?

Prabhupāda: Yes, only. This will be your only business. All over the world, see how the books can be pushed. In their language or in English, now we have got several languages. You have seen the latest Portuguese edition?

Guru-kṛpā: Spanish.

Prabhupāda: Spanish. You have seen?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I don't think I have.

Prabhupāda: Give it to him.

Hari-śauri: It's on the bottom shelf.

Prabhupāda: Last.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This one?

Prabhupāda: Last, last book, yes.

Interview with Kathy Kerr Reporter from The Star -- June 17, 1976, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: These foolish things are going on. They think the body, by some chemical and physical combination and electric power.... Although they have not been able to do so, but still they'll theorize like that. In this way the whole human society is going on in a deep, ignorant platform. So, that is the defect of the human society at the present moment, and we are trying to mend this defect by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. People are trying to understand. Our books are being very nicely received by the educated circle. We have got so many books. About, for the time, we have got over fifty-four books like this. This book is selling very nicely, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. We have printed recent edition, 350,000 copies, that is finished. Again we are going to print 500,000 copies. So it is a great science meant for all human beings, not for the Hindus or the Muslim or the Christian. Science, mathematic, is meant for everyone. So it is spiritual science. Everyone should take advantage of it. Otherwise what was the use of my.... I have not come here to preach Hindu religion. Why you should take Hindu religion? You are already Christian. So what is use of replacing Christian religion to Hindu religion? We have no such distinction. We are not after increasing the number of Hindus; we are after making the human being perfect in knowledge. That is our aim.

Room Conversation and Reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 and 12 -- June 25, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Vāyasaṁ means crows. The crows, they take pleasure in a place where all rubbish and refuses are thrown. They take pleasure. So what is this newspaper? All rubbish things, they are collected together. Nobody likes it to read. They just glance over for a few minutes, and then it is thrown away, rubbish. And even it is thrown, nobody touches. So they are spending huge, so many newspapers. Each newspaper several editions in a day, huge establishment, but there is no substance of life. That is being described.

Garden Conversation -- June 28, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Dhana-māna. Because they have got money, whatever they think, that's all right. And their gurus also will say, "Yes, it is all right." If the guru says that "It is not all right," then nobody will come to him. He has to say "It is all right," because he's also after money and woman. That's all. He does not come here to teach something. This is going on. Therefore they come in so many numbers. They have now taken a good field. And in America you go, you say any nonsense, and they'll accept. And pay money for that. From the very beginning it is going on. Now, because it is going on like that, we are also counted amongst them. "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." This is the difficulty. They are also taking this movement, "Oh, these boys are chanting and dancing. This is also another sentiment, another edition of hippie movement." There is a, I think, Gresham's theory: "Bad money drives away good money." You know this? This is a economic theory. "Bad money drives away good money." Because nowadays bad money, that paper money, is going on, that gold coins no more in existence. Formerly we have seen gold coins in our childhood. You have not seen any. We have seen.

Room Conversation After Film -- June 28, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Now make Indian Bengali edition. It will be very much appreciated in India. Yes. Is it not?

Ṛṣi Kumāra: Yes, everything looks so pleasing.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They will very much like this movement. Make some Hindi version, Bengali.

Kīrtanānanda: I think it will be a great success in India.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Kumbhamela we can show. You had been in Kumbhamela?

Ṛṣi Kumāra: No, I haven't. Last time it was Kumbhamela, I was in Bombay. I had to do some business with books and stuff.

Prabhupāda: So you begin this preaching work in India with this film. With few assistants go village to village. They'll appreciate very much. Here also they will appreciate. What do you think? School, college, university. They'll get an idea of new life.

Interview and Conversation -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Oh, '44 edition is here?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, Library of Congress.

Prabhupāda: How they collected?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, it has kept very nicely. Paper was... Quality was very good, printing and everything, from India, thinking... (laughs)

Prabhupāda: There are some mistakes also.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, printing mistakes.

Prabhupāda: That is India's special...

Svarūpa Dāmodara: (laughs) Quality.

Prabhupāda: ...qualification. It was printed in the best place of Calcutta; still, they committed mistake. Sarasvati Press. That is the best publisher in Bengal.

Morning Walk -- July 9, 1976, Washington D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Ah. Then publish in a book.

Rūpānuga: That's good. Like we did with your Bhāgavatam one time, we made little chapter editions. (break)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: ...when they mention that the trees, the trunk of the trees we'll use for clothes. Barks of trees?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: How would they do that? Would they take the same type of...

Prabhupāda: They knew how to do. (break)

Rūpānuga: ...question about Geology.

Prabhupāda: What do I know about geology?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: In geology, there are certain rocks, especially in the west coast, they found out that the top layer in the rock is older than the one in the bottom. Upside down.

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: And they have several explanations, mostly based on speculation.

Prabhupāda: Everything speculation.

Evening Darsana -- July 11, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Many Christians also... There are so many Christian editions. That is another thing.

Bali-mardana: We have accepted.

Prabhupāda: But all these Christians, they all my students, they are coming from Christian. How they accept Kṛṣṇa as the father?

Guest (1): Prabhupāda, did Christ return to the spiritual planets then, when he left the earth, to be with Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: He is coming from spiritual planets. He is authorized representative of Kṛṣṇa, we accept him as śaktyāveśa-avatāra. So I was invited in some priestly meeting in Melbourne, they asked me the question, "What is your opinion of Christ?" So I said "He's our guru." (laughter) Actually, we accept him as our guru. He's preaching God's message; he's Vaiṣṇava. Anyone who accepts God, he's Vaiṣṇava. He was explaining kingdom of God, God. So according to time, circumstances, audience... Now we can just imagine what kind of people he had to deal with, that his commandment is "Thou shall not kill." Then understand how much they were accustomed to killing. So what kind of men they were? And not only that, in spite of hearing his instruction "Thou shall not kill," they killed him first. So what kind of men they were, just imagine. He said, "Thou shall not kill," and they decided, "We shall kill you first." So this class of men he had to deal with.

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

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.

Room Conversation -- July 17, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Second edition of Muhammadans.

Indian man: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Ārya-samājī means another edition of the Muhammadans.

Indian man: Some are Śiva followers, Śaivaites.

Prabhupāda: The Ārya-samājīs, they do not believe in God, so how they are Śiva followers? Hodgepodge. No sāmajīs but hodgepodge.

Indian man: Yes, it is. They don't know what is Personality of Godhead.

Prabhupāda: Opportunity followers.

Conversation at House of Ksirodakasayi dasa -- July 25, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: With a letter that "Prabhupāda says like this, that you print in the Hindi edition of Bhāgavata-darśana so that everyone will see, and will judge how it is done nicely."

Harikeśa: Should I make this?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: I'll send first chapter complete.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Kṣīrodakaśāyī: Duplicate it and keep one copy with me here and one copy send off, and they can publish in the Back to Godhead here.

Prabhupāda: The difficulty is that in India, in different parts of India different standard. Somebody says, "This standard is good"; somebody says, "This standard is good."

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

Prabhupāda: What is the news, Italy?

Yogeśvara: They've finished the preparation for the printing of the French edition of Kṛṣṇa book and Śrī Upadeśāmṛta and the Italian Bhagavad-gītā, and they should be ready within the next ten days.

Prabhupāda: French language.

Bhagavān: And Italian Bhagavad-gītā is done.

Prabhupāda: What is the political position of the Fascists and Communists?

Yogeśvara: Very mixed up.

Bhagavān: They are called Christian Democrats.

Prabhupāda: They can manufacture so many. Fertile brain in the tract of deserted world. This world is desert, and they have got fertile brain. They call? The fertile land in the deserted land, in the desert, is called oasis. So similarly, these rascals, they have got fertile brain in the world of desert, where there is no happiness. But they have got fertile brain, how to manufacture happiness. And māyā kicks on their face and baffles everything. This is the illusion. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā (BG 7.14). They, the world is desert, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), but they have got fertile brain, how to become happy. And as soon as they make some arrangement, kicks on his face and he falls down. That's all.

Meeting with Italian Printer -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Bhagavān: Prabhupāda once gave the analogy sometimes when the horse is sick, the doctor takes the pill in the hand, he puts it down the throat.

Prabhupāda: No, we are prepared. Just like horse is not prepared to take the medicine. But four men force him to take the medicine. Nobody was crying for this edition of Bhāgavata, but we are forcing, "You must read. You must take." We are printing and forcing everyone. French edition, Bhāgavata's edition, they were not dying for this book, but this is our force.

Translator: He says thank you for this first meeting, I hope we will meet again, and when we do I will make these books even look nicer.

Prabhupāda: Very good. Do that. That will be service to Kṛṣṇa. The more you...

Translator: He says he's making the effort in order to know better.

Prabhupāda: That is nice.

Room Conversation with Professor Francois Chenique -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Yogeśvara: Professor's upstairs putting on a dhotī. He brought his daughter. Professor Chenique teaches a course in Bhagavad-gītā at the University, and he is also doing translations of Śaṅkarācārya and teaches for the Federation of Yoga. He considers himself a Christian Advaitist. (break) ...some questions regarding the publications in French. For example, on the front of Back to Godhead magazine, in the English edition and other language editions, they have kept the phrase "Godhead is light, darkness is nescience. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience." Now in French it is difficult to translate that. There is no word Godhead. And if you say "God is light," in French it sounds very impersonalist. In French, Dieux est lumiere, "God is light." Many groups say like that. We use the word Godhead, and that distinguishes us from the other groups. Now is the phrase very important, and do you want us to keep it on the front of the magazine? It should be there.

Prabhupāda: There is a little difference between God and Godhead.

Yogeśvara: So when we will have to try to find...

Prabhupāda: Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ. Īśvara, more or less everyone, but īśvaraḥ paramaḥ, that is Godhead. The Māyāvādīs, they do not distinguish between one īśvara to another īśvara. That may be on the ordinary level, but there is parama īśvara.

Room Conversation with Professor Francois Chenique -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: That is difficult to understand.

Yogeśvara: It was the full twelve cantos, but a very limited edition, and only available in library archives. No one has..., very few people have seen it.

Bhūgarbha: He feels that the French public is very demanding in questions of editing and writing, and he feels that the French that's used in our translations should not, he said, smell of English. Sometimes French translations seem like English written in French. He said those should be in perfect French, and that in the French language there's a need to make things more compact and condensed. He's wondering if we can condense them more than in English.

Prabhupāda: So one of us who knows French nicely, he can do that. But there is no difference. They are taking the ideas from English and translating.

Room Conversation with Professor Francois Chenique -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Professor Chenique: I was, up to recent time, I was commenting Bhagavad-gītā in the camping. For eleven years every summer I am commenting the Gītā in the camping. I commend very warmly this edition of the Bhagavad-gītā. I think it's the best that you may find in France. But when I'm reading the commentary for my students, I find some sentences which are not good French. I think because it is not a very good style, and I hope it won't be that matter with... (French)

Bhūgarbha: Perhaps Professor Chenique could go over our translations and make any suggestions.

Prabhupāda: I have no objection.

Yogeśvara: Professor Chenique is offering to re-read our publications. To read them and when he sees something he thinks can be corrected, he will make some indication.

Prabhupāda: I have no objection. It is welcome.

Yogeśvara: (devotee enters) This is Hayeśvara. Hayeśvara dāsa, in charge of the Dutch publications, Dutch translator. He has done the Bhagavad-gītā, this edition, in Dutch.

Prabhupāda: Jaya. Thank you very much.

Room Conversation with Professor Francois Chenique -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: The idea is, suppose I am in France. I do not know French language, but there is fire in my room, and I have to call my neighbors. So somehow or other I call and take their help. (laughter)

Yogeśvara: Professor Chenique wishes to know whether we cannot do one very small pocketbook edition that will sell very inexpensively. Something like I think in India they have done.

Hari-śauri: Like the abridged version in America they did?

Yogeśvara: No, something like this, very small.

Prabhupāda: I have no objection. It is nice proposal.

Hari-śauri: Like that Chinese one? First six chapters.

Prabhupāda: Where is that Chinese?

Bhūgarbha: He feels that if we bring out a very small, compact edition, it will sell very nicely.

Prabhupāda: First of all, we printed seven hundred copies. And now we are going to print five thousand.

Room Conversation with Professor Francois Chenique -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Oh. The definition of religion is just like law. Law can be given by the government. You cannot make law. If you make at home some law, nobody will touch it. It is not obligatory. But if government says "Keep to the right," it is obligatory. This is law. So religion, you cannot manufacture religion. Religion means the word of God. And if yearly or quarterly you change the words, that is not religion. That is not religion. That is mental concoction. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. No change. Others, they are interpreting in their own way. That is not Bhagavad-gītā. That is something else. (to devotee:) Keep it there. He will take. In the words of God there is no question of changing. You cannot change. As soon as you make a change, immediately it is material; it has nothing to do with spiritual world. The same example, the law of government is one, and if you make change, that is not law. Government says "Keep to the right," you have to keep to the right. You cannot make "Keep to the left," no. That is nowadays happening—which edition of Christianity? There are so many. Therefore it is, the purport of Christianity is lost. That is lost.

Morning Walk -- August 14, 1976, Bombay:

Acyutānanda: No. But in some editions of Bhāgavatam they have a Bhāgavata-māhātmyam, and there's a story about bhakti and jñāna and vairāgya and Nārada Muni.

Prabhupāda: That no ācārya has mentioned.

Harikeśa: That's Gītā Press again. That's Gītā Press.

Acyutānanda: They say how this is the instructions for how Bhāgavata should be read in seven days up to this canto.

Prabhupāda: Gītā Press was Māyāvādī.

Room Conversation with Endowments Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh -- August 22, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: It is very difficult. Very difficult. You see. Big, big scholars, big, big politicians, they are supposed to be preaching Bhagavad-gītā. They take their photograph in front of Bhagavad-gītā, but without Kṛṣṇa. They'll never talk of Kṛṣṇa any time. Banish Kṛṣṇa. Even Gandhi has said, "My imagination of Kṛṣṇa is different." Perhaps you have read in his Gītā-Press edition.(?) Kṛṣṇa is speaking... Radhakrishnan said when Kṛṣṇa says man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, he says "It is not to the Kṛṣṇa person." Kṛṣṇa says man-manā bhava mad bhaktaḥ, and he says it is not to the Kṛṣṇa person. Just see how misleading it is. And if a person like Dr. Radhakrishnan, Gandhi, misleads, then who will hear me? What I am? There is one big person in Bombay, he said that he has set aside ten lakhs of rupees for Gītā-pracāra. But when I proposed Gītā-pracāra means Kṛṣṇa pracāra, so he said, "No, I want Gītā without Kṛṣṇa."

Morning Walk -- August 23, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Both the parents and the children, all of them are going again in the cycle of birth and death and wasting the opportunity of getting a human body. This is modern civilization. They do not know this science. They are kept in darkness. This is so-called education. Mūḍho 'yaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ paramaṁ mama (BG 7.25). Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi... They do not know what is the destination of life. In darkness. There is no education practically. The modern education is how to eat nicely, how to sleep nicely, how to have sex nicely, how to defend nice. And that is the business of the animals. They know how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex, and how to defend. So the extra intelligence of human being is making a royal edition of eating, sleeping, sex and defense. That's all. What is called? Deluxe edition. The modern civilization is deluxe edition of animal life. That's all. Animal-deluxe edition. That's all. They do not know what is the aim of life. So as you are life member, you should study our, this philosophy. Life members, they are given books. And preach this, and save this human... That is the duty. Paropakāra. Human life is meant for paropakāra. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission.

Room Conversation -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Harikeśa: We're working on printing them in cheaper editions in India.

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.

Press Interview -- October 16, 1976, Chandigarh:

Prabhupāda: Fourth Chapter, you find, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Kṛṣṇa says that this Bhagavad-gītā knowledge was first of all given to.... Fourth Chapter. Yes.

imaṁ ivasvate yogaṁ

proktavān aham avyayam

vivasvān manave prāha

manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt

evaṁ paramparā-prāptam

imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ

sa kāleneha (mahatā)

yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa

(BG 4.2)

"Now, this paramparā system being lost, I am again reviving the Bhagavad-gītā again to you, Arjuna." That means the author says if one does not understand Bhagavad-gītā through the paramparā system then the whole thing is lost. So you cannot interpret Bhagavad-gītā in your own way. Then the authority and the purport of Bhagavad-gītā is lost. So we are trying to revive this paramparā system, and fortunately we have sold million copies of this edition of Bhagavad-gītā. We are printing five hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, like that. And all over the world... There are many Bhagavad-gītās. There are about six hundred and forty different editions. But still our, this Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, it is being accepted very widely, and therefore we are very much hopeful. And as practical example you can see so many European, American, they have taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness very seriously. And before this movement, many swamis, yogis, and scholars went to the foreign countries, but not a single person became a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That's a fact

Press Interview -- October 16, 1976, Chandigarh:

Prabhupāda: Yes. When we print locally it will be sold at half-price.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This Bhagavad-gītā for example, it's going to be sold to the masses at fifteen rupees in about three weeks. We are printing the Indian edition with 48 color plates. The government of India is giving us concessional paper for printing. They are very pleased with our... We're getting lot of concessional paper so we are expanding the printing.

Interviewer: What is the price of this edition?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This is, in America it's seven dollars, seven dollars ninety-five cents.

Prabhupāda: And what the home member has said?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: The home minister recently said that he wants this movement to be spread all over the world. One of the prominent people said he wants this movement to be spread all over the world.

Interviewer: Now, sir, from your lips, how to attain this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and to maintain it?

Prabhupāda: Once you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you will maintain.

Press Interview -- October 16, 1976, Chandigarh:

Prabhupāda: Other philosophical and religious works published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust also present a golden opportunity to the Western philosophers and scholars to drink deep at the celestial fountain of ancient Indian philosophy and spiritual wisdom." I'm just reading a few very quick ones. There's one from a leading professor in Chandigarh who you must be knowing. Dr. Jagadish Sharma, M.A., (indistinct) Delhi? He's from Punjab University. Author of nineteen books including Encyclopedia of India. So here is what Dr. Sharma says. "India's contribution towards the revivalism of the Hindu civilization culture by way of printing the Harvard Oriental Series was tremendous. But the work done by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda is unsurpassable." He says it's even greater. "His Holiness has done a great service to the Indian culture by re-interpreting the concepts enshrined in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This edition of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will go a long way to help the scientists in rediscovering phenomena of the universe which is yet to be discovered. The printing and the get up of this book is excellent. The thoughts of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam radiate to anyone who sees it. This book helps to brighten the gloomy and dark clouds which are covered by the nuclear fear and apprehension of society."

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: I don't think in any other edition such explanation is there. Dr. Radhakrishnan, other this Dada (?) Krishna. Radhakrishnan and Dada Krishna. Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam. Hm. Nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam. Therefore they cannot understand what is God, especially the communist countries. Completely in ignorance. (Sanskrit) They're thinking that by external adjustment, by following the Marxist theory or Lenin's theory and killing the capitalists, inventing some bogus ways of happiness... (pause) You have been in Moscow?

Haṁsadūta: Hm, several times.

Prabhupāda: Hm. I think they are poor. Is it not?

Haṁsadūta: Very poor.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Room Conversation with Dr. Theodore Kneupper -- November 6, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Christianity is to some extent, but you have got different edition of Christianity. So far I know, as soon as they say, "Christian," immediately the question is, "To which Christian party you belong?" What is that?

Hari-śauri: Christians, yeah, Protestants, Methodists, Catholics...

Prabhupāda: So which is correct Christianity we do not know. But we have no such thing. There is no party. Bhagavad-gītā, there cannot be any party. If anyone makes any party, he is immediately cancelled. But at least we believe in the Ten Commandments. Now, Lord Jesus Christ said, "Thou shall not kill." But why all the Christians are simply busy in killing? That is my first question.

Dr. Kneupper: Not all of them.

Prabhupāda: 99%, they are maintaining all big, big slaughterhouse, all Christians. And Lord Jesus Christ ordered, "Thou shall not kill," but they are killing. What kind of Christian he is? Disobedience to the order of Christ? And still he is Christian? These things are going on. Then again party, this ism, that ism, that ism. First of all, all of them are disobeying the Ten Commandments, and then there are parties.

Morning Walk -- December 30, 1976, Bombay:

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.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Roof Conversation -- January 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Īśopaniṣad.

Mr. Gupta: Īśopaniṣad. I read the other Gītā. But after I finish this, then I'll start your edition. I have read Gītā, the ordinary one from Gita Press, Gorakphur. I've read Dr. Radhakrishna in portion, Dr. Rajagopalacarya. I hope to gain something more.

Prabhupāda: The difference between other Gītās and our Gītā... We therefore said, "As It Is." No interpretation. That is the disaster. Authority, Kṛṣṇa, and to interpret on His word, this is very disastrous.

Mr. Gupta: Lord Kṛṣṇa has been good to me right from my childhood. I was brought up in a good religious family. I have always been able to have my way. I think that's what's wrong. I get very strong desires, likes, dislikes. I have been successful, very, very successful, in material sense, in work. I want to... Doesn't leave me with peace.

Prabhupāda: Hmm? Hare Kṛṣṇa. What is your full name?

Mr. Gupta: Rabindranath Gupta. I'm not a Bengali. I belong to Delhi. I've lived eight years in Bengal, Citra and then Durgapur.

Prabhupāda: Oh. So you can speak in Bengali.

Room Conversation -- January 7, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Chinese, yes. And Chinese... Now we have begun in Russia also.

Indian (1): Let me see Russian edition. (break) Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa... (break)

Prabhupāda: (Hindi)

Indian (1): No, we are prepared to...

Prabhupāda: Nobody is prepared.

Indian (1): Myself is prepared, our Kali... (?)

Prabhupāda: (Hindi)

Trivikrama: All night he is translating. At night he is translating all night.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) ...machine. At night we translate. In daytime they type, and they send to the press, and the books are printed. Then they sell. So in this way I am bringing ten lakhs of rupees per month and investing in constructing these temples.

Morning Discussion about Kumbhamela -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Hari-śauri: We have to make a good impression.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that people may not think, "This is another edition of hippies."

Gurudāsa: So we won't have at all. Now we have a general list of when everyone's big programs are.

Prabhupāda: Many are coming? Hippies?

Gurudāsa: There's a lot. There's a lot. Well, yes, there's a lot.

Prabhupāda: So you consult amongst yourselves, but people may not have a bad impression.

Gurudāsa: I think I will not do it because if you think there's any small chance of them associating with us...

Prabhupāda: Alpa-chidre. A small... White, white cloth and a small black spot, it becomes prominent.

Room Conversation -- January 10, 1977, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: About 11.50, eleven rupees, fifty paisa. But the export edition is going to be cheaper because when you export, you get a lot of duties, so...

Prabhupāda: Now, in export and exchange with paper, good paper.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We can import paper. The government will let us import paper for exporting without any problem. But I'm just saying that the export edition of Gītā is going to cost us about two rupees less than the Indian edition for Indian market because...

Prabhupāda: So why not import paper? It will be very nice.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Because on paper now there's high duty, but if it is for export, the government...

Prabhupāda: Then America can order from you also.

Rāmeśvara: On the Gītā, his price is not better than America.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That is because of the...

Rāmeśvara: America, the printing is better and the price is better on the Gītā, because we are printing so many copies.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: On the Bhāgavatam the prices are better here.

Prabhupāda: It is a quantity. They are giving nice price for large quantity.

Room Conversation on 1976 Book Scores -- January 16, 1977, Calcutta:

Prabhupāda: All parts.

Rāmeśvara: Yes. Then it lists the Bhāgavatams. We sold 7,000 volume one, First Canto; 46,000 First Canto, volume two; 41,000 First Canto, volume three; 6,000 2.1's; 8,500 5.1's; 8,500 5.2's; 17,000 6.1's; 16,000 6.2's; 16,000 6.3's; 45,000 7.1's, Prahlāda Mahārāja; 15,000 7.2; 16,000 7.3; 16,000 8.1; and 15,000 8.2. Total Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sales in English last year, 275,000 hard bound volumes. Then Bhagavad-gītā. Macmillan edition, 5,000; the abridged edition, paper bound, 11,000. Then the abridged edition, hardbound... (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Choking.

Rāmeśvara: 606,000 hardbound volumes, for a total sale of Bhagavad-gītā last year in English, not counting what was printed in India, 622,000 hardbound volumes. Then Kṛṣṇa book, hardbound, 28,000, volume one; 12,000 volume two; 12,000 volume three; making a total of Kṛṣṇa book hardbound sold of 51,000 hardbound volumes. Then Kṛṣṇa trilogies, paper bound: 17,000 volumes one; 19,000 volume two; 24,000 volume three; making a total of 60,000 Kṛṣṇa trilogies. Then 6,000 Teachings of Lord Caitanya, 7,000 Nectar of Devotion, 160,000 Śrī Īśopaniṣad, 100,000 Nectar of Instruction, 253,000 Easy Journey to Other Planets...

Prabhupāda: This is the largest sale.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Gargamuni: We go to him.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (laughing) So he has written one book about his experience, and it is selling like anything, because it is technical. Yes, he gets for every edition three thousand, five thousand, like that. That is his extra income. But because it is technical, people purchase it.

Gargamuni: Yes. Especially in India now, that's all they want to read, is anything on technology, any field.

Rāmeśvara: They have been brainwashed.

Prabhupāda: No, in the Western country also. Western country, now this higher English, higher mathematics, higher philosophy is no student admission. Nobody's going. They're going to close.

Hari-śauri: Yeah. Philosophy and all the arts.

Prabhupāda: No, anything higher study, don't care for it.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Yes. And that is our mission. We want to save.

Rāmeśvara: Here. "The set edition of the Bhāgavata series we hope will serve as a boon to the English-knowing world for its abiding values and ennobling thoughts of spiritual perspective to give the correct lead to mankind in the midst of sickening contemporary problems."

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our mission. Who has written that?

Gargamuni: That's Dr. Krishna Gopal Gosvāmī.

Rāmeśvara: Head of the Department of Sanskrit at Calcutta University.

Prabhupāda: He has got good experience because university students they have become so rascal. In the university they don't care for professors, teachers. Don't care.

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: No, all of them Ph.D.'s. All...

Rāmeśvara: And here, Dr. Jagadish Sharma. He's the author of nineteen books, a very well-learned man. He says, "The work done by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda toward the revivalism of Hindu culture and civilization is unsurpassable. His Holiness has done a great service to Indian culture by reinterpreting the concept enshrined in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This edition of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will go a long way to help the scientists in rediscovering phenomena of the universe which is yet to be discovered. The thoughts of this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam radiate to anyone who sees it. This book helps to brighten the gloomy and dark clouds which are covered by the nuclear fear and the apprehensions of society."

Prabhupāda: So let the judge read this opinion, read this book.

Room Conversation with Sannyasis -- January 22, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Anyway, they have become interested in our literature.

Satsvarūpa: Yes. Whether he completely agrees or not, he's fascinated by it.

Prabhupāda: That is another thing. But...

Rāmeśvara: From Dr. Jagadish Sharma. He wrote that "This edition of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will go a long way to help the scientists in rediscovering phenomena of the universe which is yet to be discovered."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- February 16, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Now these books I have read, either Bengali or Hindi, they are well-written, very convincing. All our books are convincing.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is a very handsome type of binding. It's called... I'm not sure who has done... I think the libraries do. It's called "permabound." It's your pocketbook edition but bound into a hard cover. Very handy book.

Prabhupāda: Recent publication?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I don't... I'm not... I don't think that actually the BBT did this binding.

Evening Darsana -- February 19, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. And he wanted to live with me. So what happened to him? (Bengali) Now we want some Bengali literature, Bengali, Hindi. (Bengali) He has got command of the right... (Bengali)

Pradyumna: No. It's new edition.

Prabhupāda: You find out that man. (Bengali) ...chai ne, drinking ne, smoking ne. It became too much inconvenience. Wife is separated. This is tapasya. It cannot be accepted by ordinary person. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). Tapasya begins from brahmacarya. And brahmacarya means "no," so many. No "yes." Only "no's." "Not this, not this, not this." It is very difficult. Therefore the Americans are surprised: "How our sons have accepted so many 'no's' unless there is brainwash? And this man knows some mind control, and he's controlling their mind, independence. Bas. Deprogram. Capture them." This is the... "How our sons can accept so many 'no's'? " And important items—no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no intoxication.

Evening Darsana -- February 24, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Volume One. Was there any difficulty for getting our present edition here?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think one of the points that Jayatīrtha Prabhu was making is that some of the... He found that some of the editions were especially orientated to American reading public. For example, there was an edition about bicentennial celebration. So that celebrates the American...

Prabhupāda: Independence.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Independence from Great Britain. So that is not a very popular matter. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- February 27, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: What is that book?

Harikeśa: It's Perfection of Yoga and Beyond Birth and Death in the same cover, because...

Prabhupāda: Oh. Like the German edition.

Harikeśa: Hungarian.

Prabhupāda: No, Germany, they have put three books in a packet. Like that?

Harikeśa: Oh, that. No, no. It's in one little book.

Hari-śauri: It's one book, but it has both books together.

Prabhupāda: Oh, I see. That's nice.

Room Conversation -- March 27, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Our abridged edition of Bhagavad-gītā is there in the pandal?

Hari-śauri: Oh, yes. All the big books. The Bhāgavatams, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Gītā. (pause)

Svarūpa Dāmodara: We need some artists in Bombay, some artists to paint.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Some artists. I was told that some are coming from Los Angeles?

Prabhupāda: Why?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: (converses with Hari-śauri about art for journals)

Prabhupāda: So you are feeling on this stronger platform? Hm?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: That is wanted.

Morning Conversation -- April 11, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. So Jayatīrtha wants to print it on his own. Means he doesn't want to take BBT funds. So the trustees felt that that was very good, since funds were scarce; he does a nice printing. He said that he would take responsibility for printing and distributing it. Because it is a very limited edition, it's not going to be sold to the common people, just to devotees.

Prabhupāda: No. Few copies.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. "6) Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja will settle the Portuguese money through Satsvarūpa Gosvāmī." I don't exactly know the meaning of that. "7) Sa-vijñānam Journal"—that's the Bhaktivedanta Institute Journal, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the scientist journal—"will be printed and paid for by BBT India and exported to the Bhaktivedanta Institute." So that monthly journal or quarter, you know four times a year journal, will be printed here in India, because we felt the printing could be done much less expensively. And it will be sent from here.

Prabhupāda: But he was going to print it at Los Angeles.

Morning Conversation -- April 11, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, not...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "14) All foreign language editions of BTG will include a section of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam."

Prabhupāda: Hm, that's nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "15) Foreign temples will receive records for approximately 75 cents, while North American temples will pay one dollars. All profits made by the BBT for records will go to ISKCON Food Relief. Prices may increase if the costs rise. 16) Harikeśa Mahārāja will take responsibility to prepare the Māyāpur brochure. 17) The BBT Trustees for each division are responsible for setting priorities in each division." That means printing priorities. "18) The US BBT will experiment with importation of books from India as soon as..."

Prabhupāda: What happened to that book, Dialectic Spiritualism?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Spiritual Dialectics?

Prabhupāda: Yes, Dialectic Spiritualism.

Room Conversation with Ratan Singh Rajda M.P. 'Nationalism and Cheating' -- April 15, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: For us, we can live underneath a tree. But if I would have lived underneath a tree, you would not have come. (laughter) Therefore this building is required. So give them, one each, this magazine, latest edition. Here is. Mr. Rajda, Mr. Parik. Rajda's copy is in the red binding? That's it. No. Give him. Give him.

Mr. Rajda: So we thank you very much.

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much for your coming. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. (Hindi)

Mr. Rajda: Before leaving, I will come again, after 24th, here.

Indian (1): Thereafter, I will come, no? Once in a week or at least a fortnight.

Prabhupāda: And you are Parik.

Indian (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: You can study whether we are genuine or bogus, pariks.(?) Thank you. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya.

Conversation with Yadubara (after seeing film) -- April 17, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: You can give in this course(?) Bhagavad-gītā, Sanskrit, dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Or the English translation. You have got that abridged edition?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, we don't have a copy of it here.

Prabhupāda: How is that you don't have copy? Find out...

Yadubara: To show that on the film? At the end?

Prabhupāda: It is best to impress them: "You read this book; you get all information."

Yadubara: It's a little bit difficult to change the film.

Prabhupāda: No. That I am suggesting. If it is difficult, that is another thing. But this should be.

Evening Darsana -- May 12, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Prabhupāda: That Bhagavad-gītā, abridged edition, we have 300,000?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Of the abridged edition?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Where is that abridged edition?

Devotee (1): It's in the corner.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So foreign countries, foreign religions, and they are foreigners. So why they are purchasing these?

Devotee (2): Three lakhs and three thousand copies, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.

Prabhupāda: We are printing huge quantity.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They just printed fifteen lakhs more.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: New printing is fifteen lakhs, one time, abridged edition.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) It will distribute India's glories. People will feel obliged to India, that "We have got this knowledge from India." Actually knowledge is here. There is no such knowledge all over the world.

Conversation, 'Rascal Editors,' and Morning Talk -- June 22, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So how they can be reliable, so-called, this way...? (background whispering) Hm?

Yaśodā-nandana: In the Gurukula we were teaching Īśopaniṣad class to the children. So we took... (break) ...Prabhupāda and the words which the recent edition of the Press is wrong. Many changes were brought. They were trying to make better English, but sometimes, to make better English, I think they were making philosophical mistakes also. There is no so much need of making so much better English. Your English is sufficient. It is very clear, very simple. We have caught over 125 changes. They're changing so many things. We are wondering if this is necessary. I will show you today. I have kept the book.

Prabhupāda: I know that these rascals are doing. What can be done? How they can be relied on?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: It's not the responsibility of the BBT trustee, to see these things don't change without Prabhupāda's sanction?

Prabhupāda: And Rāmeśvara is indulging this. The great rascal is that Jagannātha? He's there in Los Angeles.

Room Conversation during lunchtime -- July 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Hindi.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. I gave him the English edition. And he said he would write as soon as he got back. He got quite a nice send-off, four or five people. Bhagatjī, Guṇārṇava, Tamāla Nārāyaṇa, the temple commander. It's a little (indistinct). And they sat him down in the seat and made sure everything was all right. Everyone gives him a lot of respect. They know that he is your son, so when he walks out everybody was offering their namaskāras. (pause) Śrīla Prabhupāda? I was thinking I wanted to take a little rest. Is it all right? At three o'clock I go up to Bhakti-prema's to try and understand how the universe is going on. So this is a good news, I think. Los Angeles is a good news.

Prabhupāda: Very good. Jaya. (end)

Room Conversation -- November 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: English?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Another edition.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is the first time this is published. You haven't seen this yet.

Brahmānanda: This is 10.2.

Prabhupāda: Oh, Tenth Canto.