Evening (Conversations 1967 - 1975)

Expressions researched:
"evening" |"evening's" |"evenings"

1967 Conversations and Morning Walks

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Hayagrīva: I think that's clear.

Prabhupāda: Huh? That's clear. Accha. Then fourth scene is lunar eclipse. You'll have to arrange a scene that just in the evening there is appearance of the full moon on the side of the Ganges and people are taking bath half in the water and half above the water, and they're all chanting, this same scene, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, with mṛdaṅga and... Yes. So somebody comes, Advaita. Advaita comes in the scene to take bath in the Ganges and begins to dance. "Oh, my mission is now fulfilled! My mission is now fulfilled!" He'll talk. He was very sorry to see the condition of the people that everyone is engaged simply for material sense gratification. Nobody is engaged in love of Godhead.

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: When Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was meeting the King, the King inquired that "I have heard that there is a big sannyāsī has come here. What is the details of the sannyāsī? I've heard that you have also become a disciple." So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya explained, "Yes, He's not ordinary sannyāsī. He's Kṛṣṇa Himself so far I've studied." So Bhaṭṭācārya, he was authority, a great learned man. And the King, when he heard that He is Kṛṣṇa, he also became a devotee. So all expenditure, all everything was supplied by the King and his officers to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So many people... Always four hundred, five hundred men were visiting Him. So whoever would come he would supply food and place. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He began His chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa in the Jagannātha temple. The same scene is being performed here before the Jagannātha temple, Lord Caitanya is dancing. When we perform the class I remembered that scene. Yes. That Caitanya Mahāprabhu is dancing before Jagannātha. Every evening four parties. In each party four mṛdaṅga and eight karatālas. So one party this side, one party this side, one party back side, one party front side, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the middle would dance and the four parties will chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa... That was going on every evening so long He stayed at Jagannātha Purī.

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: But he was devotee, but undoubtedly, but outwardly he was a governor. Outwardly. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not go him, but he understood that "Here is a nice sannyāsī." He came down and offered his respect and sat down before Him. And there was acquaintances, and Lord Caitanya said that "Bhaṭṭācārya has already informed Me about you. You are a great devotee. So I have come to see you." And then he replied, "Well, what devotee? I am a pound-shilling man, politician. But Bhaṭṭācārya is very kind to me that he has asked Your Holiness to see me. So if You have come, so kindly, kindly deliver me from this material māyā." So there was appointment of time with Rāmānanda Rāya and both of them met again in the evening and there was discussion about, I mean to say, spiritual advancement of life. Lord Caitanya inquired from him and Rāmānanda Rāya replied. Of course, that's a long story, how He questioned and how he replied.

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Every day. Especially at night. (Hayagrīva laughs) Simply... The whole program was the whole day He would see the visitors. And so many visitors were coming. In the evening He'll chant and dance in the temple. And at night instead of sleeping He was doing all these... Sometimes falling in the sea, sometimes here, sometimes there. That was His business.

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview -- March 9, 1968, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: ...consciousness, the next question. Now, this is the basic principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So for attaining Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there are several stages. The first stage is faith or inquisitiveness. Just like you have come to me. This is the first stage, out of inquisitiveness or some faith, that "These people are teaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have heard it is very nice. Let us see what it is." This is the first stage. This is the first stage. One should be inquisitive and have little faith or little respect for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "It is very nice, they are speaking, doing nice work." This is the first stage. The second stage is that in the first stage, if you find it, it is interesting, then the second stage is to associate with us, to understand more. Just like we are having our classes three days in a week. We are having class morning daily, but for public we are holding classes in the evening from seven to nine in our temple.

Room Conversation -- July 16, 1968, Montreal:

Prabhupāda: Please bring your friends if you are really friend. So it is very nice thing. Sthāne sthitaḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir. You remain what you are. We don't say that you change, but you hear. Śruti-gatāṁ. Śruti means this ear. God has given you this nice thing. You just inject this transcendental vibration through this ear. And when you will, you purify yourself, then you'll know how to make your life successful by your occupation. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya saṁsiddhiṁ labhate param (BG 18.46). Saṁsiddhi. Saṁsiddhi means perfection. So even fifty years... Not fifty. About sixty years before, in our childhood, or more than, sixty-five years before, when we were five, six years old, this system of hearing in the evening, in every village there was current. And my maternal uncle's house was in the suburb of Calcutta. So in our childhood, when we used to go to our maternal uncle's house, all the ladies and members being discussed. They will sit down. All the members of the neighboring people, they will come, very big crowd, and they will hear, and whatever they can pay, they will pay. And with that impression, at nine o'clock or ten o'clock, they will go to bed. Very nice arrangement.

Questions and Answers -- Montreal, August 26, 1968:

Prabhupāda: So Caitanya Mahāprabhu had all these facilities. He was learned, very honored young man in His country; He had many followings. In one incidence we can understand how beloved leader He was. The Kazi challenged His saṅkīrtana movement and first times warned Him not to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and when He did not care for it, then he ordered that, er, that mṛdaṅga should be broken. So the constables came and broke the mṛdaṅgas. This information was given to Lord Caitanya, and He ordered civil disobedience. He was the first man in the history of India who started this civil disobedience movement. It is not Gandhi who is the originator of civil disobedience; it was Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He said that "Defy the order of the Kazi." Kazi means magistrate. So "This evening we shall go at the Kazi's house in hundreds of thousands, with mṛdaṅga and kīrtana." So simply by His order many hundreds of thousands young men—not young men; young, old, all kind of men-gathered, and... The point is just how popular leader He was. Even in His young age, when He was only twenty years old, how popular He was. So..., and because He was a learned brāhmaṇa, people would send Him many presentation. A brāhmaṇa is not expected to work.

Interview -- September 24, 1968, Seattle:

Prabhupāda: Same principle as I told you, faith. One of my friend, he dragged me forcibly to my spiritual master. And when I talked with my spiritual master, I was induced. And since then, the seedling began.

Interviewer: Would you discuss your dancing with me please and explain something of it. I first saw it Tuesday evening, and I would like to know more about it.

Prabhupāda: We don't this dancing as an art. It is automatic. We dance, we cry, we chant, we laugh not by artificially learning it. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. As you begin to chant, naturally you feel for dancing. So it is not taught artificially. It comes simultaneously with development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Interviewer: What is the hand attire which you are wearing? What is the meaning of this?

Prabhupāda: I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa whenever there is opportunity, and there are beads. So I am chanting on beads. There are 108 beads and each bead we chant sixteen names, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. So my disciples, they chant at least sixteen rounds.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 12, 1969, New York:

Brahmānanda: Oh, he's so attached.

Prabhupāda: Yes. "She'll go later on. She'll go." So he went back. The father used to..., went back. In this way, several times. Then it was agreed that the girl would go there, father's house, and the father took the girl in the morning, and in the evening Tulasī dāsa went there. (laughs) His wife chastised, "You are so rascal fool that I have come this morning and you have, evening you are here? You have so much attachment for the skin?" Just like husband and wife talking. That struck him very badly, and he immediately left that place and went to... Left home for good. Yes. And that was the initiation that he took up writing about Rāma. That is Tulasī dāsa's life. Just being, I mean to say, hurt by the words of wife, that "I love her,"... Later on he understood, "Yes, she is right.

Room Conversation -- May 10, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Prabhupāda: Param Brahman. We are all Brahmans. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Every one of us, living entity, Brahman. But He is the chief Brahman. Just like you are all Americans, but your president is the chief American. Do you understand? So similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the chief Brahman. You are all Brahman, but He is the chief Brahman. Is it clear? That's all right. (Break) ...that "This boy hears very nicely. He does not go away," the first impression he gave to other godbrothers. "So I shall make him disciple." These very words he said. Actually I did not follow him in the beginning. High philosophical speaking and I was a new boy. I could not follow him, but actually I was so much glad to hear him. That's all. So that was my qualification, whatever you may say. I was simply asking, "When Guru Mahārāja will speak? When he will speak? When?" And I will sit down and go on hearing, and I will understand or not understand-others will disperse—I will not disperse. That he marked. Yes. First. There was first one instance. At that time I was not initiated. There was a circumambulation of whole Vṛndāvana. So although I was not initiated, I was one of the important members of the... So I thought, "Let me go. What these people are doing, circumambulating all over Vṛndāvana?" So I went to Mathurā. Then I went to the Vṛndāvana interior, which place was known as Kosi. So in that Koṣi one of my godbrothers declared that "Prabhupāda is going tomorrow back to Mathurā. So he will speak this evening. So anyone who wants to hear him, they can stay. And others may prepare to..." Sit down.

Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 12, 1969, Columbus, Ohio:

Allen Ginsberg: Yes, we have to work on the music boxes. We have to start material preparations for the evening.

Prabhupāda: That is not material. (laughter) We have no,...

Allen Ginsberg: A śabda preparation.

Prabhupāda: Yes, śabda is originally spi..., śabda-brahman.

Allen Ginsberg: We have to find out if all the...

Prabhupāda: Simply you have to understand that there is nothing material, everything is spiritual. That is required. So long you do not understand that everything is spiritual only, that is our defect.

Meeting with Devotees -- June 9, 1969, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Two hours for eating?

Paramānanda: Eating and taking rest.

Satyabhāmā: Well, noon prasādam, morning prasādam, milk in the evening.

Paramānanda: Morning and evening, half hour, noon, one hour.

Hayagrīva: Bathing, bathing takes an hour.

Prabhupāda: So you want to stop chanting and reading?

Satyabhāmā: No. No. (laughs)

Kīrtanānanda: We don't want to stop chanting. I don't want to. That's not the proposal. The proposal was...

Satyabhāmā: Which comes first? If... The work seems to have to be done, but the...

Prabhupāda: You can forego your sleeping and eating.

Lord Caitanya Play Told to Tamala Krsna -- August 4, 1969, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: He left His home at the age of 24 years. Then He made His headquarter in Jagannātha Purī. For six years He traveled all over India. That means up to thirty years. And after that He remained in Jagannātha Purī for 18 years. He was chanting in the evening in the Jagannātha temple, and taking bath. And during this car festival all devotees, especially from Bengal, would go there and live there for four months. And after seeing the Rathayātrā ceremony, they will remain there for four months. Then they will come back. This was going on year after year.

Discussion about New Vrindaban Gurukula -- December 24, 1969, Boston:

Prabhupāda: Three hours in the morning, two hours in the evening. That's all. Not at a stretch. Morning, evening. And in the noon they should take their prasādam, take little rest.

Hayagrīva: Because our literatures are a little difficult to read...

Prabhupāda: Yes. You have to make some suitable literature.

Hayagrīva: Something... When they can do that, then they can read Bhagavad-gītā. They try a little, but it's very difficult to begin.

Prabhupāda: No.

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- November 4, 1970, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: This class of question is answered..., no, criticized... (Hindi) There was a big market, because in the village there is haṭṭa every weekly. So in the village one old woman, she saw, "Oh, how I shall provide all these men at night? Where they will sleep? So many guests has come. What can I do?" She began to cry. So her son said, "Mother, you don't bother. They will go away." "No, no. How can I provide?" So in the evening he brought the mother: "Now see." So when she saw that, nobody is there. Theoretically, she began to cry, "Where shall I provide all, so many guests?" And this class of question is like that. Simply on theoretical they are asking.

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Prabhupāda: All right, then make...

Haṁsadūta: Evenings are all engaged.

Prabhupāda: Oh, evenings are... But evenings up to which date? Tuesday?

Guest (1): Up to the sixteenth.

Prabhupāda: Up to the sixteenth? Then probably on the seventeenth we may go. Not fixed up, but there is chance. That is chance because we are thinking of an appointment with the prime minister in Delhi by the eighteenth, so if that is fixed up, then we have to start.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 14, 1971, Gorakhpur:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Or both. You might get both.

Prabhupāda: Yes. I have seen, they have spoken like that. Because the patient will think, "Oh, I take injection, I'll be very quickly cured." He will canvass like that. Because if he gives a bottle of medicine, that will not be very costly. But injection in his hand, he'll (have) at least five rupees, that much. So he'll canvass like that, "What kind of treatment you want, injection or ordinary medicine." So he'll say, "Sir, best medicine I want." "Then you take injection." That's all. It is a fact that the whole human civilization is a society of cheaters and cheated. That's all. Any field. mayaiva vyavaharite. The whole world in this Kali-yuga: mayaiva vyavaharite. Vyavaharite means ordinary dealings, there will be cheating. Ordinarily, there will be cheating. Daily affairs. Not to speak of very great things. Ordinary dealings, there will be cheating. That is stated in the Bhāgavata, mayaiva vyavahari. The sooner you get out of this scene is better. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So long you live, you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and preach Kṛṣṇa's glories, and that's all. Otherwise, you should know that this is a dangerous place. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ (SB 10.14.58). In every step there is danger.

Mālatī: This lecture was recorded in Gorakhpur, U.P., India, on the evening of Feb.

Room Conversation -- August 15, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: Everywhere this class must be there, morning evening class. Either it is festival or temple. If you go on simply festival, you don't require to start many centers.

Śyāmasundara: Yeah. Starting more centers is not necessary.

Prabhupāda: No.

Śyāmasundara: We have the big cities covered. If people want to go and join us they can go to the big city and join.

Prabhupāda: Because opening center means so much responsibility.

Room Conversation -- August 17, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Visit. Keep them alive. "Simply because we have opened a center, the business is finished." No. You must keep them alive. Alive means this morning class must go on, evening class must go on, there must be regular program for prasāda distribution. Busy. That is alive.

Revatīnandana: And they must also study your books.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Otherwise, so many Indian temples or churches, they think, "The church is there; everything is finished." No. Why people are losing interest in church? There is no preaching. Neither do they know what is preaching. They simply think that "This building will attract people." So they are now on sale.

Room Conversation with Mayor -- November 10, 1971, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: Hariścandra, yes. And daughters?

Guest: Daughters they will be bringing with them this evening also, the two daughters.

Prabhupāda: Oh. So how old they are?

Guest: One is about seventeen.

Prabhupāda: One I think ten years.

Guest: Yesterday the two younger ones came. Of the two elder ones, we'll bring this evening. They are eighteen..., seventeen and eighteen.

Prabhupāda: So...

Guest: One is studying to be...

Prabhupāda: You are trying to find out some groom? Not yet.

Room Conversation with Dr. Karan Singh, -- November 25, 1971, Delhi:

Dr. Singh: We go to work in the office, which is equally hard, I can assure you. (laughs) We go from morning till evening. I wish I could go to the field, in fact.

Prabhupāda: You cannot put a cart before a horse. That is not possible. Of course, the Communists, they are trying to do that, but they have also failed. I went to Moscow. They have got a worker class and they have got a manager class, manager class. They cannot do without it. It must be there. Someone must be their manager. So this division of the society... Just like natural division, one can study by his own body. This body has got four divisions—the head division, the arm division, the belly division, and the leg division. All of them are important in cooperation. But the hand cannot do the work of the leg, nor the leg can do the work of the head.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation Including Discussion on SB 4.13.48 to SB 4.14.11 -- January 18, 1972, Jaipur:

Because there was no king, so people became always like..., almost like animals. Paśu-sāmyatām. Paśu means animal, and sāmyatām means equal. So when there is a political, less strong political situation, not very strong government, at that time a class of men take advantage. Just like in Calcutta. Because the government was very lenient, not very strong, a demonic class of men took advantage of it and they began to create atrocities and fearfulness in Calcutta city. We have seen, practically people are not going out after evening, they are always staying in the fearful state. Nobody knows whether he will come back home again when he goes out of his home on the street. People are so much disturbed. So in the absence of strong king, these people take advantage and create disturbances. That is always there. So that happened. The people became paśu-sāmyatām. Therefore, the sages called a meeting of all respectable ministers and saintly persons and brāhmaṇas and decided, "Let us make this boy king." So he was enthroned. But because he was demonic, he was very strong. So as soon as he became king, all the bad elements of the state, they stopped their nefarious activities. Śrutvā nṛpāsana-gataṁ venam atyugra-śāsanam. They knew that this king is very strong and for any little criminal action, he will strike very severely. So the bad elements, they subsided.

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Bob: We are part of Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everything is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Because everything is generated by the energy of Kṛṣṇa. And everything is energy of Kṛṣṇa. (break) ...tomorrow fasting.

Bob: Tomorrow's fasting?

Acyutānanda: Tomorrow we fast. Up until evening.

Prabhupāda: Up to evening.

Acyutānanda: Until the moon comes. Then we take ekādaśī or feast?

Prabhupāda: You can feast. Feast.

Acyutānanda: So we'll fast up until the rising of the moon and then take feast, full prasādam. (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sometimes it happens that one day out of the week all the shops close except for one. I've experienced in India that all the... (break)

Bob: ...the people coming and jumping on each other trying to get, afraid that the prasādam would finish before they got served.

Prabhupāda: No, assure them that we can... "Don't be jumping. We shall supply you." What can be done? (break) ...the place where we shall perform sacrifice, fire sacrifice, the tablet should be taken there and we shall worship. And then we place it.

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: No, you can stick to all regulative principles provided you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness process. Otherwise it is not possible.

Bob: Yeah, but this is it. I have... When I'm back in Bihar and my friends may say... Well, we're sitting in the evening, and there's nothing to do but fight mosquitoes, and they'll say, "How about smoking some marijuana?" And I say, "Sure, there's nothing else to do," and then I sit down and I enjoy myself for the evening. Now, we did this... we got carried away, we were doing it every day and realized we were hurting ourselves and stopped, but still, on occasion we do that....

Prabhupāda: You have to live with us. Then your friends will not ask you, "What about marijuana?" (Bob laughs) Keep the association of devotees. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-ras... (SB 3.25.25). We are opening centers to give chance people to associate with us. Why we have taken so much land? Providing for those who are seriously desirous. They will come and live with us. Association is very influential. Satāṁ prasaṅgāt. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. If you associate with drunkards, you become a drunkard. If you associate with sādhu, then you become sādhu.

Room Conversation Vaisnava Calendar Description -- March 11, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: ...Rādhāṣṭami, and birth, birthday of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. This day the function is observed by fasting up to twelve noon, and then, uh, offer prasādam to the Deity, and generally in the evening we should hold meeting discussing the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa pastimes, especially the glories of Rādhārāṇī. Amongst the gopīs, her super-excellence..., that is the way of observing. Rādhārāṇī's... Fasting is up to twelve noon and after that you can take prasādam, feasting.

The next important day is on the 26th, no, 12th September, 12th September, 1970, the advent day of Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhu. (pause) On that day there are three functions. First of all, Ekādaśi, a special Ekādaśi called Pārśvaika Ekādaśi. Then on that day, actually, Ekādaśi according to calendar, Ekādaśi was to be observed on the 11th September, but because the next day is Vāmana Dvādaśī.... Vāmana Dvādaśī means the advent of Lord Vāmanadeva. Therefore we have fast., Ekādaśi fasting, and we observe two fastings in one day, Ekādaśi and Vāmanadeva, Vāmana Dvādaśī. The same process as we observe Ekādaśi, and the evening there should be a meeting discussing on the life and work of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī.

Room Conversation Vaisnava Calendar Description -- March 11, 1972, Vrndavana:

Devotee: The death, I mean the disappearance

Prabhupāda: Yes, but not for demise of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, but because that is Ananta Caturdaśī Vrata, the, generally the fasting is observed till evening, up to 5 o'clock. The next day, Viśvarūpa Mahotsava, feasting.

Devotee: On the 13th of September, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda's Appearance is there any special observance?

Prabhupāda: No, special observance means to discuss about the life and works of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, thats all. Then 26th September, Ekādaśī. Then 10th October, Vijayā-daśamī, appearance date of Śrīla Madhvācārya, and the victory day of Lord Rāmacandra. So there is no fasting, but in the evening we should celebrate some feasting and discuss about the life and works of Śrī Madhvācārya as well as Rāmāyaṇa incidents where Rāma and Rāvaṇa fought.

Room Conversation -- April 18, 1972, Hong Kong:

Prabhupāda: You preach Bhagavad-gītā. You stand with your photograph. There is Bhagavad-gītā. Why don't you preach Bhagavad-gītā? Now politics is finished. You have got independence." But this politics is so sweet to these politicians, that until he was killed, he could not give up politics, until he was killed. He was advocating non-violence, but he was forced to die by violence. He wanted Hindu-Muslim unity. He was forced to accept partition of India. He was so much baffled, but still, he would not give up politics until he was killed. On the day of his death, in the morning, because he had so many letters, so many secretaries, so he said, "I am very much useless. I want to die." He said like that. And actually, in the evening he was killed. He was thinking that "My next solace is only death," because he could understand, "I have created simply problems. No problem I have solved. I have simply created problem." He was a sane man. He could understand it. So similarly, everyone is creating simply problems, without solving... This United Nations, what they are doing for the last twenty years? Simply creating problems. So without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no question of solving problems. That's a fact. Any sane man, any philosopher, any scientist may come. I shall convince him.

Room Conversations -- April 22, 1972, Japan:

Bhānu: Does evening ārati vary according to the sunset? Or it is just...

Prabhupāda: No. Sunset.

Sudāmā: And how many full āratis should we perform, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Three main: maṅgala-ārati, bhoga-ārati and sandhya-ārati. These are main. Then you can offer śayana-ārati before going to bed. śayana-ārati. And these four, and dhūpa-ārati just after lighting, or before lighting. Then, after rest in afternoon, dhūpa-ārati. After dressing, dhūpa-ārati. So two, three dhūpa-ārati, and three, four full āratis. Three must be, and four also, four, full āratis. And dhūpa-ārati at least three, four. In this way.

Bhānu: The full ārati will be in the morning, maṅgala-ārati, there will be the noon ārati, supposed to be one in the evening. When should the other full ārati be?

Prabhupāda: When the Deities are going to bed. Before going to bed. Yes. śayana-ārati, it is called śayana-ārati. Sundara-ārati, bhoga-ārati, maṅgala-ārati. You write down. Maṅgala-ārati early in the morning, bhoga-ārati at noon, offering prasādam, then sundara-ārati just after half an hour or one hour sunset, then śayana-ārati.

Conversation with the GBC -- May 25, 1972, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: It is not the question I believe and don't believe, it is a fact. God is there—you believe or not believe—but God must be there. Your believing, not believing, it doesn't matter. If I don't believe there is no president, it does not mean there will be no president. There must be president. I do not know who is president. (indistinct) So people are in misconception that there is no God, God is dead, I am God, you are God, God is not person, so many God theories. But we have no theory, we have got a positive presentation, "Here is God." With that conviction we have to push on. So you must be prepared in that way. There will be so many questions, so many opposing elements. You have to face them by your arguments, by your knowledge. This is required. At least we must have faith in that way. We have to push on. This is the fact. We are Brahmā sampradāya, Lord Brahmā's sampradāya. So, Brahmā sampradāya, Lord Brahmā is giving. Just like last evening we were reading about Brahmā's thought. He is posing, "Yes, here is, You are God." Although He was child, "He appears to be a child, but You are God." That is Brahmā (indistinct). He is giving support on that point.

Room Conversation -- June 14, 1972, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: He is completely well versed in the transcendental science. And what is the symptom that he is well versed? Brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. He has taken shelter of Brahma or Kṛṣṇa or God. Upāsanā-finishing all desires. These two things: he is a devotee and he has no more material desires. He must be well versed in the science, he must be a devotee, and he has no attraction for material things. These three things, if you can find, then he's perfect guru. Everything is there in the śāstra; therefore books should be consulted. If you have no books, those who are discussing books, you should approach them, you should hear them. Just like we are holding class, morning, evening. People can come here, take advantage what we are speaking, then gradually they can understand. But we cannot avoid that. That is not good idea. If I say that "I went to church. I'm not very much enlightened; therefore I give up this attempt," oh, that is not good.

Room Conversation and Interview with Ian Polsen -- July 31, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: You come morning, evening, you come, as far as possible associate with us and try to give some service.

Ian Polsen: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Suppose you are getting some money. We have no money. If you try to serve, that will... Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). This line is service. The more you render service, the more you become enlightened. If you simply philosophize, theorize, you'll get no benefit. You must render service.

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Devotee: How many days? Two days?

Prabhupāda: No, no. One day, two days, yes. Even if it runs fifty mile per hour, so from morning, early morning to noon, say six hours if we run, it's three hundred miles in the morning and three hundred miles in the evening, and stay at night. And then the next day three hundred miles, three hundred..., six hundred miles. Twelve hundred miles anywhere you go from Calcutta to Bombay, Calcutta to Madras, Calcutta to Delhi, within twelve hundred miles. Within two days from anywhere to anywhere you can go. India's length and breadth is not so wide as in your country. You have got... That is also not good roads, in your... But in Calcutta, to Calcutta-Bombay, Madras, Delhi, there are good roads.

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: That is the way of taking milk. And this masala, it does not taste good. In India, especially in Northern India, Punjab, they will take at night, milk, (indistinct). No other things. They, all business men, the Marwari society, they'll take food before evening and then again they work. Then after ten they will come home and take little milk and go rest. (pause) So foundation committee is being established in Bombay making her the president of the trust. Then Giriraja will have no difficulty.

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

Satsvarūpa: So please come to the temple tomorrow, to take darśana. I know everyone works or is busy, but try to come at least in the evening and see this. As Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying, the name is not different than Kṛṣṇa. We chant on our big japa beads. The holy name is the same as Kṛṣṇa is in His form or in the picture or the same as His philosophy. And so these Deity forms, we don't consider them as marble Deities but as Kṛṣṇa Himself. People misunderstand. They think this is idol worship, that we are worshiping some idol, bowing down to idols. Same with the food, they don't understand. We offer food to the Deity. But Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "If you offer Me a little fruit or a leaf or water..."

Prabhupāda: So Śyāmasundara, you can invite all these gentlemen tomorrow.

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

Satsvarūpa: So that is actually Kṛṣṇa Himself within the Deity and He accepts the food by our prayers. So just by His seeing, by His glancing... Try to come and see all these things. And every Sunday we have a festival there. Every evening we have classes on Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. And as long as we students repeat what Śrīla Prabhupāda said, they have the same potency. We don't try to make something up that our guru didn't teach us. We just try to present his teachings.

Guest (2): That's good. Please take it and then we're going to distribute it to everybody. This is Sister Lucille Perry. She has been to India.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Come here.

Morning Walks -- October 1-3, 1972, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is stated. You don't read Bhagavad-gītā? You don't read?

Rāmeśvara: In class we have, every evening.

Prabhupāda: So in the Tenth Chapter it is said, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). Do you know this verse? Bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. "One who is engaged in devotional service with love and faith," buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi, "I give him intelligence." That is stated. Satata-yuktānām, "Twenty-four hours engaged with love and faith in My service, I give him intelligence, not to others." That is the qualification. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi te yena mām upayānti. What kind of intelligence? By which one can come back to home, back to Godhead. Not for material enjoyment, or bluffing or cheating. Not that intelligence. That intelligence also given by Him, indirectly. "If you want to cheat, all right, I will give you how to cheat others." That is material. In the material world, we can cheat. In the spiritual world, there is no question of cheating.

Room Conversation -- October 25, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: And I was in month of June, still in the morning the wind was so cold. And there is double glass in every window, double glass. Just like aeroplane, double. And at half past eleven in the month of June, when in your country it is half past eleven o'clock, that is evening. And at half past three o'clock, morning. And still the little night, that is just like dusk; it is not completely dark. And laborer class... (speaks to someone in Hindi) Keep it open. (break) (indistinct) Every corner of the street, Lenin's picture. All books are sold, they are Lenin. No other literature. You cannot get taxi. Poor men, they cannot pay for taxi. Very little number. When I was talking with Professor Kotovsky, so I asked him, "Now we shall go. Get me taxi." So he, "Yes, it is Moscow." So he got down, he personally showed me, "Instead of taking taxi waiting, please go in this way when you go to your hotel." He showed me shortcut. People are walking, and they are running for the bus. It is not at all a rich country. A poor country. And if you see the shops, you will find old (indistinct), just like antique shop. Because you cannot purchase generally, everything you have to purchase from government store, and in queue. It is botheration. And actually in India it is going to happen like this. Everything you have to purchase in queue.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- March 17, 1973, Mayapur:

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Yes, so at that time Vinode Bhai, later on Keśava Mahārāja, he informed that "Prabhupāda is going to Mathurā tomorrow morning and he will speak Hari-kathā this evening. Anyone who wants to remain may remain or otherwise they may prepare to go to see Śeṣaśāyī." So at that time, I think only ten or twelve men remained. Out of them Śrīdhara Mahārāja was one of them, and I thought it wise, "What shall I see, this Śeṣaśāyī? Let me hear. Prabhupāda will speak, let me hear."

Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York:

Prabhupāda: ...but one should know the whole duration of change. Just like we know that sunrise, from the morning 'till evening, there are so many changes, but I know what is that changes. That is knowledge.

Krishna Tiwari: That is true, but you...

Prabhupāda: But you cannot say that "I know seventh year. I do not know what is going to happen ninth, eighth year."

Krishna Tiwari: No, that is not the point. Point is that..., point is how to, how long this earth where we all live... Now we're talking about only this earth. How long this earth, we know, existed?

Prabhupāda: I'm not talking of the earth. I'm talking of the whole universe.

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- July 11, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: No, why? There is... Go and sleep.

Guest (1): Go and sleep?

Prabhupāda: Yes, go and sleep. Take rest. Go on.

Guest (3): You know, Prabhupāda, when you came to my house that evening...

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Guest (3): You had hari-kīrtana at our house and everything.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- July 11, 1973, London:

Guest (1): In the evening tomorrow, Swamiji, have you got any special program or...

Prabhupāda: No, anyone can come after four.

Guest (5): Four to...?

Prabhupāda: Four to six.

Revatīnandana: I think tomorrow evening there'll be special, some special guests coming. Tomorrow evening.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Revatīnandana: Not tomorrow...

Prabhupāda: No, you are also. You come. You are also. You come.

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- July 11, 1973, London:

Revatīnandana: Yeah, except tomorrow evening, I..., Śyāmasundara's arranging a very special conference. And I don't think...

Prabhupāda: That's (all) right. They also come and here what is... It is open to everyone. Our special conference: Bhagavad-bhakti.

Guests: Thank you very much.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Guest (5): Otherwise, you know, we are disallowed...

Prabhupāda: No.

Guest (1): ...we have got your permission, then.

Prabhupāda: They will also hear. Yes. (Hindi) Jaya.

Room Conversation with Dr. Arnold Toynbee, Famous Historian, at his home or office -- July 22, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: You get on the plane in the morning and go in the evening there. Simply you have to pay. Otherwise, there is no difficulty. So let us... So thank you very much for your...

Dr. Arnold Toynbee: It was very kind of you to come.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Dr. Arnold Toynbee: I'm sorry I couldn't see you next week which would have been more convenient to you, but unfortunately next week I was very much occupied, and I'm very grateful to you for coming this afternoon. It was kind of you.

Prabhupāda: Thank you.

Room Conversation with French Journalist and UNESCO Worker -- August 10, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: What does he know about Earth? His knowledge is not sufficient. He, he's speaking like a woman who saw in the marketplace in the morning thousands of people have gathered, and she began to cry: "Where I shall give place to these men?" So her son came: "My dear mother, don't cry. You come in the evening. We shall find some solution." So when she came in the evening, there was nobody.

Yogeśvara: You can translate that story? (French) (to Prabhupāda:) She went there to buy her foodstuffs?

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Morning Walk -- August 30, 1973, London:

David Lawrence: I haven't seen him yet, but he'd left last evening I believe before I got up.

Śyāmasundara: I talked to him last night.

Prabhupāda: About this booklet?

Śyāmasundara: Yes. Also he's reading Kṛṣṇa Book right now, George. He's in the fourth chapter, just starting to...

David Lawrence: As regards a publishing date, they've asked for a manuscript at the end of September and as you'll probably have gone back to India then...

Prabhupāda: So we have to see the manuscript.

Morning Walk -- August 30, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: Those who know Sanskrit, they know what is the meaning of Veda. Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda-vid jñāne. Jñāna means knowledge. That means the history of Veda means from the date of creation of this material world. Now find out the date of creation of the material world. Approximately, nobody can give what is the date of. We can, we cannot... Date of Brahmā, he got the, first of all, the Vedic knowledge. Now, one day of Brahmā you cannot calculate. One day of Brahmā. And the... When Brahmā's night is there, there is devastation up to some extent. So again in the daytime of Brahmā, that creation takes place. There are two kinds of devastation. One devastation is at the night of Brahmā and one final devastation is the whole cosmic manifestation finished. So these teeny people, they are after the dates of Vedas, and that is ludicrous, that is...(laughs) Just like there are many microbes, they grow in the evening and die just in the day beginning. So whole night is their span of life. So our life is like that. What history you can write? Therefore, we receive Vedic knowledge from the authorities.

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

Paramahaṁsa: Yes, tomorrow evening at seven-thirty.

Professor: No, I'll try to come. Do you think, this one, do you think I could...?

Prabhupāda: Yes, this is also available.

Professor: ...for myself, or...?

Paramahaṁsa: Unfortunately, I think we have to order these.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Śrutakīrti: I don't think they have it here yet in your...

Prabhupāda: We are getting the consignment. Now we have only one copy.

Room Conversation -- September 18, 1973, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh, where we are getting money? Where we are getting money? Just like In London, George Harrison has given us a house, fifty-five lakhs worth. So if I wanted to possess this house by doing this business, three lifetimes would have been required. Not even three lifetimes. We are spending like anything. But we have no stock. We do not know what we shall eat tomorrow morning. We do not know. It is our position. We do not know what I shall eat tomorrow or this evening. But do you think we are starving? We have no problem.

Room Conversation -- September 19, 1973, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So there are so many members of the society against cruelty to animals. But they are all meat-eaters. Read something from Bhagavad-gītā and discuss. So in the Nepeansea Road, whether regular other things are going on or not? Or simply it is going out and coming and eating and sleeping?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, we want to have morning class and Monday, Wednesday and Friday have evening program there, evening discourse.

Prabhupāda: Whether it is going on?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, we just fixed up the place. The day you arrived was the first day it was painted. Until then, it was not fit for anyone to come in. It was very nasty.

Prabhupāda: But you are living since a long time there.

Room Conversation -- November 2, 1973, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: I got everything, still, I haven't got anything. (laughter) So you can invite the neighboring people. We can hold an evening class or morning class. I'll give you one matter for... (break) This is a nice place. If you invite the neighboring..., they may come and take advantage.

Śyāmasundara: It looks like an American neighborhood.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Śyāmasundara: It looks like an American neighborhood.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is very nice place. So you are also helping Tejas?

Śyāmasundara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Morning Walk -- December 20, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: And what is the Vedānta?

Hṛdayānanda: Speculation. They are speculators. They mostly have very elderly members, and they sit around in the evening and discuss.

Prabhupāda: A few. Not even a dozen.

Karandhara: In their āśrama they say they have eight or ten people living there.

Prabhupāda: No young men.

Karandhara: No, all old ladies and men. The only reason they are allowed to live there is because they have given huge sums as donations.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...last almost one hundred years, eighty, eighty-five years. So how many followers they have got?

Karandhara: They have made no significant impression on anyone.

Prabhupāda: No. (break) Ramakrishna is God. Kālī is God. And they offer prasādam, what is that? Chicken...

Karandhara: Chicken, turkey, even meat.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 9, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: When he has sent it?

Guru dāsa: Telegrammed yesterday..., day before yesterday, evening.

Prabhupāda: Day before yesterday.

Guru dāsa: Evening.

Prabhupāda: Evening.

Guru dāsa: Late evening.

Prabhupāda: So they must have received the money by today.

Room Conversation -- February 13, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: We are holding kīrtana here, morning and evening if one is interested.

Guest (2): There are about thirty Westerners there.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Guest (2): We have thirty Westerners there, that everyday we go to a Mahārāja's darśana.

Prabhupāda: Thirty Westerners?

Guest (1): Yes, that's right.

Prabhupāda: Oh. That, I have no objection, (indistinct) those who are organizing.

Morning Walk -- February 17, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Or ready-made. Ready made. So in the evening they should come, they should take bath, be cleansed, and give dress. Next day when they come, change the dress. Let them be habituated. They are coming...

Dr. Patel: In cleanliness, you give them impression of cleanliness.

Prabhupāda: ...voluntarily, to dance, to take prasādam. So why you should not take care of them? This is my point. We don't make distinction whether they are coming from Christian or Hindu or...

Dr. Patel: No, no, no, no, man is a man. I mean those Christians think that we are Hindus and they are Christian. We don't think because in Hinduism or in actually Vedic religion everyone is created one.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- February 17, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: I see. Oh, yes, yes. (break) One old lady... You know, in the villages there is fair, or market. So in the morning she saw that so many hundreds of men have assembled. So one lady of that village, she thought that "They have become my guests." So she began to cry and was asking his son, her son, "Oh, how I can accommodate so many people? How can I receive them as guests?" So the son said, "My dear mother, don't be agitated. In the evening you come." So in the evening when she come, there was nobody. There was nobody, because a marketplace. So this botheration is just like the old lady. After seeing so many men, she is agitated. And in the evening there is none. So it requires intelligence, that "They are coming and going. Why I should be bothered about that? Let me do my duty as human being." That is required. (Hindi:) Ek sat me dekhila. (break) ...unlimited number of living entities. Ananta. Ananta means you cannot count. Within your body, within your stool, there are millions of living entities. They are provided, maintained, by your stool, by your urine. So why do you bother? If your stool and urine can provide so many living entities, why you bother yourself? (Hindi) You do your duty as human being. Dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ sa... Don't become animal. That is required. (Hindi) (break) ...the essence of knowledge. People are diverted in so many ways. Human duty is... (Hindi) (break) That is human duty. Be surrendered to God. That is your duty. Then everything will come automatically. Everything will come. And without knowledge, how you can take care? That is not possible.

Morning Walk -- March 6, 1974, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma... (break) ...to take evening walk. This part, on the field, agricultural field. (break) ...if you have any land to purchase immediately, then I can ask Mahadevia, He can pay for that. (break) ...Americans without machine, they cannot sleep. They must smell, "Here is a machine." Then they can sleep. There was a fisherman. So at, in the evening... That is still in India. In the evening you can ask shelter from any householder's house. They'll give you shelter. So he came in the evening, "Sir, I want to pass night in your home." "All right, you are welcome." So the fisher basket, fishing basket. "You keep this here, outside, and you sleep inside." So whole day, he was restless. Then whole night, he could not sleep. Then the master said, "You are not sleeping?" "No, sir." "Why?" "Now, because my baskets are kept outside." "What is in the basket?" "No, unless I smell, I cannot sleep." (laughter) So these Americans, unless they smell about machine, they cannot sleep. "Habit is the second nature." For ordinary muscle work, they'll bring so many machines. I have seen. Karandhara was doing. At least that machine must come. (Makes sound like machine:) kat kat kat kat kat kat kat kat. Making hole. That machine is compulsory.

Morning Walk -- April 12, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That is avidhi-pūrvakam. That is said, avidhi-pūrvakam, "Not in order."

ye 'py anya-devatā-bhaktā

yajanti śraddhānvitāḥ

te 'pi mām eva kaunteya

yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam

That is not vidhi. Vidhi is here. Śravaṇam kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. The first word is Viṣṇu, of Viṣṇu, not of any other. So these are the demonstration of bhakti. Śravaṇam kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ (SB 7.5.23). This is arcanā. Just like we perform in the morning, in the evening, at noon, arcā-vigraha. Viṣṇu, arcayam, Viṣṇu. It is not idol worship. Arcayaṁ viṣṇu-śilā-dhiḥ. If one thinks the arcā-mūrti, the worshipable Deity in the temple, as stone or as wood, arcayaṁ viṣṇu-śilā-dhiḥ guruṣu nara-matiḥ... To accept guru, in the paramparā system... All the gurus in the paramparā system... Evaṁ paramparā prāptam (BG 4.2). Nara-matiḥ, consider him as ordinary human being... In this way there is a list.

Room Conversation -- April 26, 1974, Tirupati:

Prabhupāda: Yes, I came yesterday at about eleven.

Indian man: We saw you in the evening going to the temple.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is very nice place.

Indian man: Very nice, beautiful place. Very inspiring. Where's (indistinct) American? (?)

Prabhupāda: I am, of course, Indian, but I have got my headquarters in America. (chuckles) Yes.

Indian man: America. (chuckles) I think I have seen you at Bombay once.

Prabhupāda: Yes, Bombay I have got my headquarters.

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

Michael Robert: We have heard many profound things here this evening, Your Grace, Your Divine Grace, and I believe that this has been the most useful session and that the poet O'Grady has asked some good questions too. I should like to invite yourself and your followers perhaps to the Overseas School of Rome next Tuesday, if you'd care to come. No doubt your followers who are recording the session so carefully will record the address and the time. Tuesday at the Overseas School of Rome at 10:00 in the morning, if you'll care to come and met our students. They're invited to come.

Prabhupāda: Where it is?

Yogeśvara: It's a school in Rome.

Prabhupāda: Oh. They want me to go there? Yes, I will go. It is my duty.

Room Conversation with Robert Gouiran, Nuclear Physicist from European Center for Nuclear Research -- June 5, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: He can talk with (indistinct) He do not, he does not understand what I've given. I say there is no healing.

Robert Gouiran: Yes. I understand that.

Prabhupāda: That's all. But your business is temporary healing. That's all.

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: My spiritual master is trying to stress this evening that because we are eternal spirit soul that our real business is not with this temporary body or with temporary cures. And therefore, because we are involved with these temporary struggles, karṣati, we're simply struggling time and time again to make something permanent out of that which is always changing...

Robert Gouiran: How do you, why do you eat? It's taking a medicine. Food is a medicine.

Prabhupāda: But we don't say that is healing. Temporary relief, that's all.

Room Conversation with Roger Maria leading writer of communist literature -- June 12, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Why? He should stay with us. Let us conclude. Why you are flying away? We have started one discussion. Let it be finished. Why you are going away? (French) That means he is escaping.

Yogeśvara: He says because he works in the evenings. He's a theater critic.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Some way or other, he's escaping. (French) A man...

Yogeśvara: With pleasure, he would like to come back to finish the discussion.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (French)

Jyotirmayī: And with friendship.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Oh, yes. That's it. Don't escape. (French) When we have begun the discussion, let us finish. Don't escape. Thank you. Haribol. Jaya. Thank you.

Room Conversation with Roger Maria leading writer of communist literature -- June 12, 1974, Paris:

Paramahaṁsa: (to devotees outside room) ...Prabhupāda is very tired. He's just finished a long evening.

Prabhupāda: So when there is discussion, you should all be present. It is very interesting. Those who are our men, GBC men, they must know.

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: They come in like Keśī demon, and they go out with prasādam in their mouth.

Prabhupāda: They are escaping. We are not escaping. We want to capture everyone. (laughter) He has no clear idea what is the aim of life.

Morning Walk -- June 13, 1974, Paris:

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: We studied a verse yesterday evening in the Bhagavad-gītā in the Eighteenth Chapter. Kṛṣṇa says, "Work always under My protection."

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Kṛṣṇa says to always work under His protection, that "One may be engaged in all sorts of activities, but, in the end, by My grace, you will come back to Me."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

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

Prabhupāda: That I was discussing from Bhāgavatam, how people will degrade in this age. And this is due to lack of God consciousness. (French)

Yogeśvara: He says your lecture yesterday evening was very objectionable to many of the young people who made so much disruption. They found many of the things you were discussing...

Prabhupāda: Because the young people gradually degrading. They do not acknowledge authority. (French)

Yogeśvara: Yes. When they saw how much we were speaking authoritative, they rejected it. They reacted.

Prabhupāda: So that is their degradation, due to degradation. They cannot accept any authority. And knowledge cannot advance without authority. (French) But one thing I may say that the disobedience to the authority has begun from their fathers.

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Haṁsadūta: There are many guests downstairs, some professors. We were wondering if you would like to lecture this evening.

Prabhupāda: No, let them come here. (break) We are publishing all these books, what is spoken by Kṛṣṇa or His representative. We don't speculate, because already there is so much profound knowledge given by Kṛṣṇa and His representative. There is no necessity of researching. If we simply take advantage of things which are already there, we become perfect. I have published about fourteen books like this.

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Dr. P. J. Saher: Yes, that's the same what the Christian criterion when St. Paul speaks. They had the same...

Prabhupāda: No. We say that you follow Christian principle, you become perfect. But the difficulty is nobody follows anything. He follows his own opinion. That's all. "In my opinion." What you are, your opinion? That is the difficulty. Yes you can take.

Vedavyāsa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the Bible there are a lot of statements regarding chanting, instructions that people should chant the holy name of God. Like in the Old Testament it says from the morning to evening you should chant the holy name of God.

Prabhupāda;: Yes. That is the business in this age. Chant the holy name of God.

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Prof. Pater Porsch: I seldom saw so many happy faces as today, this evening, below.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the case. In America also the ladies and gentlemen ask them, "Are you Americans?" Because they do not see Americans with such nice face. One Christian priest—I was going from Los Angeles to Hawaii—so he came to talk with me. He inquired "Swamiji, how is that your disciples look so bright?" He inquired. Yes.

Prof. Pater Porsch: Without drugs.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And one Christian priest he showed one pamphlet that these boys, they're our boys but before this they're not coming to the church. They do not want to ask anything about God. Now they're mad after God. How is it? He admitted, "They're our men." And I give you another example. In our Los Angeles temple—this was a church, big church—but it was not going on. It was being closed. And it was sold to us. And now you go and see there is daily thousands of... the same men, the same place. The crowd is so... Why? I have not brought all these men from India. Judge. Unless it is something sublime, how they're accepting it? And they're all young boys. Not that they have become old, therefore they're seeking after God. (everyone laughs) And young men have got so many aspirations, they go to the restaurant to smoke, to enjoy girlfriend, boyfriend, these... They have given up everything.

Room Conversation -- June 20, 1974, Germany:

Devotee: We'll be leaving the 15th, evening of the 15th, late the 15th.

Guest: Yes, and this is the 13th. I'll take this to her. Thank you very much.

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much for your coming here.

Guest: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotee: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Jaya. (indistinct) was very successful. Very, very successful, all big, big men came. They are going to have again for two days.

Room Conversation with Pater Emmanuel (A Benedictine Monk) -- June 22, 1974, Germany:

Pater Emmanuel: Near Passau, say, I think five hundred kilometers from here, with train, yes. I am coming yesterday in the evening to Frankfurt. In the morning I came to here.

Prabhupāda: Oh. You can stay here. We have got place.

Pater Emmanuel: Yes, tomorrow, till tomorrow.

Devotee: He has a room upstairs.

Pater Emmanuel: Yes, yes, thank you very much. I am Benedictine monk in a monastery.

Prabhupāda: You are Roman Catholic?

Pater Emmanuel: Yes, Roman Catholic. But I follow the eastern rite of the Greek Orthodox church. In our monastery you get the two rites, the Roman Catholic and also the customs of life... It's like the Greek Orthodox monks. We also have the rosary.

Prabhupāda: Like us.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 3, 1975, Hawaii:

Rāmeśvara: Well, it seems somewhat hypocritical because chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa means you are praying to Kṛṣṇa to please be engaged eternally in His service and to become completely dependent on Him. So we try to explain like that. And to follow all the teachings and instructions, attending maṅgala āratik and morning and evening class.

Prabhupāda: So they are doing that or not?

Guru-kṛpa: No. They are not even following regulative principles.

Prabhupāda: Then?

Rāmeśvara: They think just by chanting, they will go back to the spiritual world. That is enough.

Prabhupāda: Then what is the meaning of the ten kinds of offenses? If he is chanting without offense, then it is all right, but if he is committing offenses, it will not be effective. There are ten kinds of offenses. Whether he is strictly offenseless? Then it is all right. If he is offender, then it will not be fruitful. It will be fruitful; it will take long time because first of all you have to become offenseless. Then you will be admitted. (aside:) Don't come very near. That's it. So they are committing offenses, so how they can become perfect? He is committing not following the rules and regulation. That means he is thinking that "Whatever I do, it will be adjusted by chanting the name." Is it not?

Guru-kṛpa: Yes.

Morning Walk -- February 3, 1975, Hawaii:

Siddha-svarūpa: They are strictly following regulative principles and chanting their rounds and having morning āratik in their homes. And evening also, they are chanting. So instead of fighting, I think we should only try to encourage everybody to chant and follow the regulative principles.

Prabhupāda: No, that is... Whether you live in temple or outside temple, the rules and regulation and the process must be followed. Then you are successful. It doesn't matter that you have to live in the temple. Gṛhe thāko vane thāko, 'hā gaurāṅga' bo'le ḍāko. Not that everyone has to live in the temple. If he does not agree with other Godbrothers, friends, he can live separately. But he must follow the rules and regulation. That is wanted. But if you live with devotees, it will be automatically done.

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

Prabhupāda: Where is that Prajāpati? He's not here? That play yesterday... Last evening I saw. It was very nice.

Gurudāsa: Yes. They also did Pralambāsura for the guests.

Prabhupāda: No... Now we have got Caitanya-caritāmṛta and Bhāgavatam. If such demonstration are done very nicely, it will be very much appreciated even by the public. We can collect some money.

Jayatīrtha: Yes. We plan to make a tour this summer all the way up the West Coast, and in the amphitheaters...

Prabhupāda: And in India also. Simply you have to change the language, dictate.

Morning Walk -- March 1, 1975, Atlanta:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is a fact. That authority I have got. That's a fact. Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau, tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakaśānte (ŚU 6.23). They become manifest, all the meanings of the Vedic literature. Yasya deve parā bhaktiḥ. (aside:) Don't come very near. (break) ...explaining last evening. Don't speculate, hear. That is the qualification. All others, they are simply speculating. How long their energy will go on, limited energy? How speculating will help them? It is not possible.

Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Guest (1): They have been steeped in ignorance for such a long time, it will take a long time to bring them into the fold of spiritualism.

Prabhupāda: No, it has been made easy by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That you don't commit sinful activities and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and don't commit sinful life, that's all. And sinful life we have given them, no illicit sex—we don't say, "no sex"—no illicit sex, no illicit sex, no meat eating. Suppose... They are not now eating meat, are they unhealthy? They are known now as bright-faced. So no illicit sex, no meat eating, no intoxication, and no gambling. This is avoiding sinful life. And chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Do you see the result? Do you see the result? Within four, five years how they have advanced. Not that they're Vedantists or they have studied all the Vedas, not that. Simple thing. Have you ever come here in the evening when they perform ārati, kīrtana? Just see how ecstatic it is.

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

Prabhupāda: You have read Caitanya-caritāmṛta?

Tripurāri: Yes. We study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the morning and Bhagavad-gītā in the evening. Then in the day we read Nectar of Devotion, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and Kṛṣṇa book at night. All the devotees are reading...

Prabhupāda: It never becomes old.

Tripurāri: No.

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) Yes.

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

Prabhupāda: You may say that "I am not interested to become a guru," but Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that if you are not interested, that is not very good. You should be interested. You must be guru. That is success of your life. You can speak the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, even to your family. That also guru. You are actually guru. The father or the head of the family is guru to the children, to the wife. In India still, the wife addresses the husband as pati-guru. And father is guru. That is natural. So why don't you become real guru to your wife, to your children, and instruct Bhagavad-gītā as it is? This is our mission. You sit down in the evening, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and teach little instruction from the Bhagavad-gītā. See how the life changes. Is that very difficult task? Boliye.

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

Prabhupāda: So, give him prasāda. Give him the whole plate. (laughs) You can take whole plate. So I am very glad to see you.

Ambassador: Yes. And she was hoping to come later, but if you're only going to be here two days I don't know whether she will...

Paramahaṁsa: We're leaving the 15th, evening of the 15th.

Ambassador: Yes, but this is the 13th now. I will take this to her. Thank you very much.

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much for your coming. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Ambassador: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Jaya.

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

eYoga student: Because they are permitted to say two of the prayers at noon and two of the prayers in the evening at one time, rather than spreading them through the afternoon and the...

Prabhupāda: So why they are disobeying the order of Muhammad?

Yoga student: Yes. The... They follow... It's essentially the same practice as the...

Prabhupāda: No, you cannot amend on the words of Muhammad if you are a true Mussulman.

Yoga student: I don't think they have to amend it. They're...

Prabhupāda: Why? There was five. Why they have made three? That is amendment. You cannot do that.

Morning Walk -- March 15, 1975, Tehran:

Guest: Because they are permitted to say two of the prayers at noon and two of the prayers in the evening at one time, rather than spreading them through the afternoon and ...

Prabhupāda: Why are they disobeying the order of Mohammed?

Guest: Yes, they follow. It's essentially the same practice as the majority.

Prabhupāda: Yes, you cannot amend on the words of Mohammed if you are a true Muslim.

Guest: I don't think they have meant to amend it, its just that...

Prabhupāda: Now why? There was five now they have made three. (indistinct) You cannot do that.

Interview with a German Girl and Assorted Devotees -- March 30, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: That is my rascaldom. Why I shall be misguided? I must know who is the right person.

Guest (2): They are fallen from. A lot of people in India, they have all misguided and misleading, their own adjusted, their own...

Prabhupāda: I have to gather knowledge from my superior. (Bengali) You came last night?

Guest (2): Ah, no, last evening.

Prabhupāda: Oh, last evening? What is your...?

Guest (2): He told to come at nine o'clock.

Prabhupāda: Ah, yes. What do you want to say?

Guest (2): I like, I like to join in the special (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: That's all right. You are welcome. You stay here with the devotees and learn.

Room Conversation with Carol Cameron -- May 9, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: How they can deliver if you don't post?

Paramahaṁsa: Well the next time someone goes in. This evening someone can post.

Prabhupāda: There is no letter box?

Gaṇeśa: There's not one close. I can post them tonight.

Prabhupāda: No, night is useless. Nobody is coming to clear.

Gaṇeśa: Yes, there's one collection at eight o'clock in the night time.

Prabhupāda: Oh, then why not post there? It is six.

Gaṇeśa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, if the knowledge was handed down by the saintly kings, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2), how is it that the knowledge was lost?

Prabhupāda: When it was not handed down. Simply understood by speculation. Or if it is not handed down as it is. They might have made some changes. Or they did not hand it down. Suppose I handed it down to you, but if you do not do that, then it is lost. Now the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is going on in my presence. Now after my deparature, if you do not do this, then it is lost. If you go on as you are doing now, then it will go on. But if you stop... (end)

Morning Walk -- May 16, 1975, Perth:

Amogha: Oh, Śibiya? That's Africa.

Prabhupāda: No, maybe there. There were... All the kings of the world, they joined, either this party or that party. Friends, friendly countries, they joined. Just like Kṛṣṇa. He personally joined Arjuna, but He gave His soldiers to Duryodhana. It was family war. So the friends divided, "I will join you." It was sporting. For the kṣatriya fighting is sporting. They have football match. They did not take it as enmities. Just in the evening they are friends. This party goes to that party, that party goes to... It is a decision, who will be king, that's all. Test of strength. Actually it was not enmity. "Let us fight, and who is strong he will be king, that's all."

Morning Walk -- May 17, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: Only she is anxious: "Oh, so many men. Where shall I keep them? Where shall I give them food?" And in the evening her son brought him (her)—everything is finished. Everything is finished by the evening. Nobody in the market. And she was very much anxious "How to feed them? How to keep them?" It is like that.

Paramahaṁsa: But even if we can't stay here, we all have to die, our sons and their sons, if we do something now, then maybe they won't have to suffer so much in the future.

Prabhupāda: So why you are thinking of your son's future, your grandson's... Why don't you think of your future?

Paramahaṁsa: It makes me happy to think that they'll be happy.

Prabhupāda: That is madness. That is madness.

Morning Walk -- May 20, 1975, Melbourne:

Devotee (2): Rain would fall in the nighttime so that...

Prabhupāda: No. Who said that nighttime?

Śrutakīrti:: It mentions in Kṛṣṇa book that in the evening it would rain.

Devotee (2): So as not to disturb the activity of the inhabitants through the daytime.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the way. If nighttime it rains and daytime there is sunshine, then the land becomes very fertile to produce. Yes. There is a common saying in Bengal, dine jal rātr e tā rā sei janme sukha dhā rā.(?) If it rains heavily during daytime and at night you see the stars, then you should know there will be scarcity of rain. There will be scarcity of rain and scarcity of food grains. Best thing is at night there must be heavy rain, and daytime, there should be sunshine. Then the field will be very fertile.

Morning Walk -- June 10, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Oh. (break) ...such cannons are meant for killing aircraft. (break) ...London blitz, blitz, they were attacking from aircraft and from ground also, simultaneously. (break) ...beginning, they were conquering over Belgium and neighboring... Morning, one country, and evening, one country.

Bali-mardana: Blitzkrieg.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...is the name of somebody?

Siddha-svarūpa: There was a queen named Queen Kapilani.

Prabhupāda: Oh. (break) ...Hawaiian queen?

Siddha-svarūpa: Yes. (break) No.

Prabhupāda: Oh yes.

Room Conversation with Dr. John Mize -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles:

Brahmānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda, Rāmeśvara would like to show you some paintings. They are bringing the book to the printer this evening.

Prabhupāda: All right. I am coming. (break)

Rāmeśvara: "...and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self."

Prabhupāda: Unmotivated means "Oh, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, service of Kṛṣṇa, is so nice. Let me begin immediately." Now, "What will be the result? What shall I gain? What is the profit?" No such consideration. "Begin immediately." And if you begin in that way, there is no impediment. Apratihatā. It is so nice thing. In the material world, if you want to begin some work, then you require some preliminary qualification. It doesn't require any preliminary qualification. Whatever qualification you have got, that is sufficient. Begin. And nobody can say, "Oh, I am not educated," "I am not rich," or "I am not born of a high family." There are so many. No. These things are not impediments. Educated or uneducated, culture or no culture, it doesn't matter. You can begin immediately.

Morning Walk -- June 24, 1975, Los Angeles:

Devotee: Every evening āratika there are almost one hundred visitors at evening āratika.

Nitāi: To see the temple, whole buses come. Over a hundred rupees a day are collected just by...

Prabhupāda: Visitors?

Nitāi: Visitors or are giving for prasādam, contributions to the Deities. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...is neat and clean?

Nitāi: Yes. It's very nice, very nicely kept.

Prabhupāda: ...Pradyumna? (break)

Nitāi: I have heard many people in Vṛndāvana say that our temple is the best in Vṛndāvana.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's a fact.

Morning Walk -- June 24, 1975, Los Angeles:

Nitāi: Yes. End of the class. The whole evening is taken up by ārati, class...

Brahmānanda: Who gives the class in the evening?

Nitāi: The devotees trade off.

Brahmānanda: In English?

Nitāi: Yes. And beginning at six o'clock in the evening they have Hindi class.

Prabhupāda: Ah. Who gives Hindi?

Nitāi: The Indian devotees there.

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

Prabhupāda: What Śaṅkarācārya impressed, that they are after demigods, so "The demigods, they are not actual person. Real person is Nārāyaṇa." That is Śaṅkarācārya's version. Nārāyaṇa... You will find in his comment on the Bhagavad-gītā. First word he writes, nārāyaṇaḥ paro 'vyaktād: "Nārāyaṇa has nothing to do with this material world." And he accepts in his comment, sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ: "That Nārāyaṇa has appeared as Kṛṣṇa." And he has given specific name of His father as "the son of Devakī and Vasudeva" so that nobody can misidentify. If you have got Śaṅkara's bhāṣya, commentary on Bhagavad-gītā, you bring it I shall show you. (break) Kṛṣṇa also confirms. That verse, which we were reading last evening... Kṛṣṇa says, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā: (BG 9.4) "This jagat, this material world, is impersonal. And that is My energy. Therefore the whole world is resting upon Me, but I am not there. As person, I am not there." This is the statement of Bhagavad-gītā. Just like the sunshine is spreading all over the universe, but the sun is aloof. Take this example. Not that because the sunshine is here, we are now getting, the sun has come here. The sun is shining from the distant place. He is aloof. Similarly, God is person and His shining is all this creation. That is impersonal.

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

Prabhupāda: That visitors coming in full bus?

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

Prabhupāda: So gradually it is becoming...

Jayadvaita: The buses come from town or from Delhi?

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

Rādhā-vallabha: Pilgrims come from all over India?

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

Nitāi: Yes.

Morning Walk -- June 29, 1975, Denver:

Devotee (1): They have no faith or trust that this can be done.

Prabhupāda: See us. You rascal, see, open your eyes, see that we have no business. We have no food stocked; still, we are not worried. We do not know what we shall eat in the evening, but still, we are not worried. See factually. We are not worried, "Oh, what shall I eat?" I came here without any subsistence. That I mean I had to work very hard?

Kuruśreṣṭha: I think that if the karmīs tried to keep up with you, Śrīla Prabhupāda, they would probably wear out.

Prabhupāda: The karmīs, they work hard because they are asses. The ass example is given. Just like the picture you have seen, ass?

Brahmānanda: In the movie, yes.

Prabhupāda: There? You see? He is loading so much, and what he is eating? Little grass. So the ass does not know, "The grass is available here. Why shall I work for him?" That is ass. He is working so hard for a few morsel of grass, and the grass is all over the world, but he will take the load. That is ass.

Room Conversation with Lt. Mozee, Policeman -- July 5, 1975, Chicago:

Prabhupāda: And I have known many instances. In Calcutta one very rich man's son in the evening he would take his bath and dress nicely, and he would go to the Howrah station and beg, cheat men: "I have lost my purse. Will you kindly help me?" And any gentleman: "He has lost..." And he will go to the restaurant and eat and go home. That was his habit. He was a very rich man, but his habit was this. So we have to change the habit by changing the heart. You know very well. Many thieves, they have committed many times theft and put into the jail. So he knows that "If I commit theft, I will go to the jail." He has practically seen it, and he knows it. Still, he steals. Why? Because heart is unclean. So this process will cleanse the heart. Unless he cleans the heart, you cannot stop criminality simply by laws. Laws are already known. The professional thief, he knows the law. The professional murderer, he knows the law. But still, he commits because heart is unclean. And our process, to cleanse the heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), it is Sanskrit, "Cleansing the heart." Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam, "Then all the troubles of this material world will be solved."

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

ePrabhupāda: You are staying here?

Prof. Hopkins: No, I'm going back to Lancaster this evening. I have tomorrow... Tomorrow morning we are getting a group of students together to go to India.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Prof. Hopkins: I am not going but we're sending seventeen students to India, leaving tomorrow evening.

Room Conversation with Devotees -- August 1, 1975, New Orleans:

Devotee (1): Just like Nanda Mahārāja, he also had land. Nanda Mahārāja.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He was therefore called king. But he was a vaiśya. He engaged his land for agriculture and cow keeping. And Kṛṣṇa took charge of the cows, the calves, although still calf, He, (indistinct) This is the system. He was going with the calves whole day, playing with the boys and taking care of the cows, in the evening come back. Mother then washes and bathes and gives nice food. And immediately goes to sleep. And Kṛṣṇa is clever. At night He goes to the gopīs. (laughter) Then Mother Yaśodā did not know, when she thought, "My good son is sleeping." And the gopīs also would come at a place and they'll dance. This is called life, childhood life. And when He was grown up, then He was brought to, I mean to say, Mathurā and He fought with His maternal uncle, killed him, and then His father Vasudeva, took care, sent Him to, what is that? Sāndīpani Muni. He was educated. He was learning every subject every day.

Morning Walk -- August 7, 1975, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: So out of five hundred dollars if you have to pay 175, rent, then why it is not poverty? Almost one third money is finished by paying rent. (break) ...seen in India the Narmada Falls? Huh? Jabalpur? Ah, it is wonderful.

Indian man (1): The location of that church is very nice because there are so many thousands of cars pass every morning and in the evening.

Prabhupāda: Where?

Indian man (1): Avenue Road. It is very busy street. There are so many cars coming in the morning, I think, twenty thousand a day.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And they will see the signboard. (break)

Indian man (2): ...that India, I traveled after several years. I last went in 1966. It was not so demonic. But this time I found the younger generation of India is very, very demonic and they don't believe God at all.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- August 7, 1975, Toronto:

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

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

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

Morning Walk -- August 24, 1975, Delhi:

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

Prabhupāda: What is this building?

Tejas: This is Ayana Bhavan. (break)

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

Tejas: Yes. Till noon?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- August 29, 1975, Vrndavana:

Dhanañjaya: Well, the ceremony would begin about ten in the evening, and we would bathe with water, ghee, honey, yogurt.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi conversation with someone) (break) We shall go. How many? Four? Five?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Four, five. Should we have small kīrtana there also?

Brahmānanda: If we have kīrtana, we shall have to bring more men.

Prabhupāda: As they will send car.

Brahmānanda: They've sent, as far as I know, one car. So besides yourself, then three others could go. Maybe four.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But it's so near that we can... (break) Jayapatāka is taking quotes over there, and he'll... (break)

Prabhupāda: Offset you can take. It will be very cheap.

Morning Walk Excerpt -- September 17, 1975, Vrndavana:

Dhanañjaya: Is that right? Until this evening?

Harikeśa: No. He didn't say that.

Dhanañjaya: Oh. What did he say? He said fast all day.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, no. Harikeśa said that.

Brahmānanda: On our calendar it says tomorrow is Vāmana...

Harikeśa: Tomorrow is Vāmana-dvādaśī.

Prabhupāda: You can come back, half past six, in my room.

Morning Walk -- September 18, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Does not give list—then don't bring. Everyone must supply list in the evening and once it should... (aside) Jaya. It is not that Daivī-śakti gives one list—you have to go. What is this? Everything purchased in the morning, that's all. And rice, dahl, attar, ghee, for fifteen days. Only the raw fruits and vegetables should be purchased every morning. That's all.

Morning Walk -- September 18, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Then why don't you do that business? In the evening, four o'clock, you can speak. The whole day you can read and reproduce in the four o'clock. Then you understand what is the philosophy. If you simply reproduce what is written there in the book you become preacher. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). We haven't got to manufacture anything.

Morning Walk -- September 18, 1975, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Morning or evening, unless there is crowd, what is the use of using mike?

Praṇava: For broadcasting outside.

Prabhupāda: No, no. No, no. When there is crowd, you use mike. (break) ...Saheb is doing?

Dhanañjaya: Mr. Cyavana? Now he is sitting at the reception desk in the morning, and Nayanābhirāma...

Prabhupāda: What is the reception? Who is coming?

Dhanañjaya: Some people are always coming. They are inquiring about the guesthouse, about life membership. And Nayanābhirāma is instructing him how to inform the people about membership and about the guest rooms. Actually Rājasabhā, he keeps a hotel in Madhya Pradesh.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Dhanañjaya: He has his own hotel business, so he is quite experienced.

Prabhupāda: So he can manage.

Dhanañjaya: Yes.

Morning Walk -- September 27, 1975, Ahmedabad:

Prabhupāda: No. So when you can arrange meeting?

Indian man (3): When it is convenient to you. Today, tomorrow. Can it be tomorrow evening? No.

Brahmānanda(?): Tomorrow morning we are leaving.

Indian man (3): Tomorrow morning you are?

Brahmānanda: We are leaving.

Indian man (3): You are leaving tomorrow morning? Only today you have got time?

Prabhupāda: Yes, today I can see.

Indian man (3): Today in the evening you are at Rajasthan's house?

Prabhupāda: Rajashtan-seva.

Morning Walk -- September 27, 1975, Ahmedabad:

Indian man (3): So you can postpone your going tomorrow?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Tomorrow morning, if you can, then we can go in the evening. No?

Girirāja: There's a flight at 4:30, but I think some of the... We informed the devotees you were coming, and I think many important people might be coming Sunday evening to meet you.

Prabhupāda: Oh. All right. Then what can be done?

Harikeśa: Maybe they can come to the paṇḍāl.

Indian man (5): It may be possible.

Girirāja: So next time.

Prabhupāda: Yes, next.

Morning Walk -- September 29, 1975, Ahmedabad:

Brahmānanda: You've said that a fly sitting on a throne is still a fly.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...one gentleman, young man, he was very rich man's son. He would come in the evening in the Howrah station nicely dressed and would approach any gentleman, "Sir, I am very sorry. I have lost my purse. Can you give me? Otherwise I cannot return." So he will collect five, ten rupees and go to a restaurant and eat and go home. (break) It is the second nature. Now the door is open? We can go?

Kartikeya: Yes. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...enter. Not the cows.

Indian man (4): Physical world, this earth is there. Are there any other earthly planets of this type where human beings or other beings are staying other than spiritual beings?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Press Conference -- October 2, 1975, Mauritius:

Brahmānanda: Here in the evenings.

Prabhupāda: Actually I want to speak only to the intelligent... (break) ...the common mass, they will not understand. But we can perform kīrtana for the common men, so that they may be purified.

Guest (1): Excuse me. I mean in your presence there must be some program like kīrtana or...

Prabhupāda: Anyway, this idea of society, of your culture, general mass of people, especially nowadays, it is very difficult. So if the leaders understand-yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ (BG 3.21)—then the common mass will follow.

Press Conference -- October 2, 1975, Mauritius:

Brahmānanda: If you come this evening, we have a nice film about our movement all over the world.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We go interior to African village.

Guest (4): Swamiji, can I ask a question? How old are you, or, maybe I should say, how young are you?

Prabhupāda: Eighty years old. Eighty.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Here is one black American, a sannyāsī in the renounced order of life. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...the bodily concept of life, he is no more African, no more American. He is spirit soul.

Morning Walk -- October 4, 1975, Mauritius:

Prabhupāda: ...Christian missionaries. They are trying to convert others, but they are closing their churches. They are selling their churches to us.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Finding new suckers. In South Africa they put up big paṇḍāls, and because the Indian people, they have no entertainment in the evening, so they go there and they are entertained, and they learn how to sing the hymns that they have. Then you find that the children are singing the hymns because that's the songs that they're learning. If we can provide entertainment like that in the form of saṅkīrtana, then they'll also sing Hare Kṛṣṇa and become devotees of Kṛṣṇa. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...own Christian priests, they asked me that "Why Christianity is dwindling? What we have done?" So I told them, "What you have not done?" (laughter)

Morning Walk -- October 9, 1975, Durban:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I think because in Mobeni Heights, where we had the program, we've been there so many times practically everyone has all of your books. One night about two years ago we had a program there, and we sold six hundred dollars' worth of books in one evening.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They've taken your books in the past. (break) ...preaching, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we don't know whether to be diplomatic towards these other so-called religious movements or whether to simply expose the philosophy which they are putting forward.

Prabhupāda: No. You should be diplomatic. You should give positive information of our philosophy. Where need be, absolutely necessary, you can criticize others. (break) ...preaching is successful.

Morning Walk -- October 12, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: If he is known to you, you can approach, that "Here is a good cause, International..."

Indian man (3): I will send a message to him to come and see you this evening.

Prabhupāda: Ah, that will be very nice. Then I can talk. Yes. When you will bring him?

Indian man (3): I think you are meeting the officials of various organizations this evening?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They've been invited.

Prabhupāda: Oh, the organizations.

Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 :

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: In the villages?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because the proprietor left and the poor cultivators, śūdras, they are accustomed to live in cottages. India's civilization was based on village residence. They would live very peacefully in the villages. In the evening there would be bhagavata-kathā. They will hear. That was Indian culture. They had no artificial way of living, drinking tea, and meat-eating and wine and illicit sex. No. Everyone was religious and satisfied by hearing—what we are just introducing—Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, Purāṇas, and live simple life, keeping cows, village life as it is exhibited by Kṛṣṇa, Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa, if He liked, He could have lived in the cities. (pause) So the education was meant for teaching people to hate everything Indian.

Morning Walk -- October 28, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: I know that. In Calcutta, Kukumcha. This firm was very big. One of the richest Marwari. So eighty years old, he wanted to change the hormone to become young. Not only... There are many Marwaris. You know the (name witheld)? (name witheld)? His elder brother, (name witheld). His only business is to keep one wife and have a big establishment. He has got four, five wives—one Bengali, one U.P., one Marwari, one this—and each wife's establishment not less than ten thousand per month. And his business is morning to this wife and evening to this wife and noon to this wife, this wife. And he is old man. The wives do not care for him, and she is doing everything whatever, with the secretary. That's all. It is going on. I have seen. I was guest in his home, and this rascal is doing this. He is earning money, black market, white market, this mar... At any cost, and spending like this. That's all. There are many persons. Oh, in Europe also, the same thing. In Paris very, very old men, seventy-five years old, eighty years, they go to the night club. Entrance fee fifty dollar, then pay for the woman, wine. Spend few hours and spend two hundred, three hundred, five hundred dollars-go home. Then tranquilizer pill and sleep. This is going on. Therefore mūḍha.

Morning Walk -- November 11, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That is very preliminary knowledge. That is not... Just like you can predict that after two months there will be winter. That does not mean that you are very advanced scientist. (laughter) Any child can say. The rascal predicted that there is some comet, and it never appeared. He did. So therefore they are rascals. What is already scheduled, everyone knows. He can say that. (break) ...story about Kali dāsa. Kali dāsa was such a fool. It is a long story. It will take time. So he was sitting on a branch of a tree and cutting. So some intelligent man came, was passing: "Oh, you rascal, you'll fall down." So he did not care. He would go on. And when he actually fell down, he, "Oh, you are so nice astrologer." What is astrology? It is a common sense. If I say, "At six o'clock in the evening there will be no sun," (laughter) is that astrology? Even it is astrology, this astrology is known to everyone. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Morning Walk -- November 12, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, no, for bronchitis this open air is very good.

Indian man (3): Good. Ah. That is good. During night, I can't get sleep, so if I go in the evening to the sea, so morning I think... Four days, I am better.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, very good. Even if you cannot walk, you can sit down and breathe the open air. (break) Progress is going on?

Saurabha: Yes.

Morning Walk -- November 16, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Very good analysis. Why asses? And you load the ass with as much cloth, washerman, and he cannot move. But he will go on, and the washerman will give, after that, little grass, and he will stand there up to the evening again to be loaded. The ass does not know that "This much grass I can get anywhere. Why I have become servant of this washerman?" Therefore he is ass. He will eat two capātīs, but he is working like an ass whole day.

Indian man (3): Yes. And he cannot eat more than two capātīs.

Prabhupāda: That's all. So if the ass, he will eat a little grass, which can be had anywhere, but he is working for the washerman. Therefore he is ass.

Morning Walk -- November 16, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Just like the queens of Dvāraka were plundered by the Ābhīra. That's why. There is no pasturing ground. Otherwise this cow would have been taken there. He would have eaten grass. That's all. What she will eat here in the town? Even Sumati Morarji's cows, they are not healthy. (Hindi) (pause) It appears to be so because in the evening the milk, whatever you give me, that appears to be powdered milk.

Brahmānanda: It was powdered milk?

Prabhupāda: It appears. Now it is confirmed.

Yaśomatīnandana: Maybe we should have our men stand there and milk and get directly from...

Prabhupāda: Everyone will say, "We should have," but who will have? There is no men. As soon as try to find out a man, there is no man. Simply we shall suggest, "We should have." That's all. And who is the man, that is not to be found, although we have got so many men. Why this deficiency? Everyone suggests that "There should have been a man," but who is that man? No man. As soon as try to find out who is that man, no man. Find out a man immediately. Not "should have." Immediately you must have.

Morning Walk -- November 21, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh, that is success. People were coming.

Mahāṁsa: Yes. And one person came to the temple in Hyderabad and met me. He said that "After your devotees had a program in our village, the farmers in the evening they were coming and doing kīrtana instead of just..." Previously they were not doing anything, but now they are coming after farming. In the evening they are collecting and they are doing kīrtana together.

Prabhupāda: Just see how quickly there will be response. Therefore I was insisting, "Go village to village, town to town." Caitanya Mahāprabhu's prediction, pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi.

Mahāṁsa: Grāma, yes.

Prabhupāda: So it will never be foiled. Let us now begin village to village.

Morning Walk -- November 30, 1975, Delhi:

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

Harikeśa: In the communistic system everybody works very hard.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- December 12, 1975, Vrndavana:

Woman: Cock?

Prabhupāda: Yes. So the, when in the morning, it is let loose, then he says, "I don't care for any hahaa, cawcaw." Then in the evening, when they are pushed into the, that what is called? Nest? "Cawcawcawcaw. Whatever you like you can do, whatever you like you can do." (laughter) This is the example. You see? When he's under the arrest, "Now sir, whatever you like, you do with me. If you like you can excuse me." (laughter) And when he's out, "I don't care for anyone." Mūrgī intelligence. Rooster intelligence. This is our proposal. "I don't care for anyone. I am God." Mūrgī logic. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā mano rathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ (SB 5.18.12), if one is not a devotee, his only business is to remain on the mental platform and concoct things. And at the end he thinks that "I am God." Concoction. Therefore it is said in the śāstra, harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā (SB 5.18.12). One who is not a devotee, he has no good qualification. He is simply on the, hovering on the mental platform.

Morning Walk -- December 17, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. They come and go. You have to do your business, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These people will come and go. Place everything at the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.

Dr. Patel: (Patel and friend talk in Hindi aside) I don't drink. I hardly, I hardly go out one evening now.

Man: (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: Hm? So what about this land we have given? Where is Saurabha? He is not coming? What about this land we have given for road?

Saurabha: That is effasigh(?). We are using as effasigh(?)

Prabhupāda: So effasigh(?) we are going to have for these evenings?

Saurabha: We have about 60,000 sq. ft. of area we can build.