Familiar (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"familiar" |"familiarize"

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Press Interview -- December 30, 1968, Los Angeles:

Journalist: ...Cosmic Star and we just changed the name for January, the first issue. The first issue just, well, it's out, coming off the printer today.

Prabhupāda: It is published every month?

Journalist: Monthly, that's correct. And we cover eastern religions. We did a feature article this month on Bishop James Pike, UFOs, astrology. You know Dr. Bode, Frambose Bode from the theol... He's with Manley Hall. Are you familiar with Manley Hall? You don't know Frambose Bode?

Prabhupāda: No.

Journalist: He's from India. Parsee.

Prabhupāda: Parsee, yes.

Journalist: He does an article for us next month. But I spoke to Dan and I told him that one of the things I would like to ask you, and I think that an awful lot of our readers, and an awful lot of people in the United States are terribly confused with the many people who claim to be avatāras and who come from India to this country, one after the other, after the other, and they say...

Prabhupāda: I can declare, they are all nonsense.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: But there is no loss.

Allen Ginsberg: As it becomes familiar, it might spread a little. Part of the limitation is just a natural resentment or resistance, people wanting a prayer in their own tongue, in their own language. I don't know... So that is, for the same reason an American Indian chant would not take hold or even a Latin chant would not take universal hold.

Prabhupāda: Mantra, mantra means...

Allen Ginsberg: So that many of us will say, "Is it possible to find an American mantra?"

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Haṁsadūta: And here, Kṛṣṇa Book, is the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Prabhupāda calls it, "Kṛṣṇa: The Supreme Personality of Godhead." And it's full of illustrations which are done by his American students. Just see how beautiful. There are eighty-four full color illustrations that show the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. So the people in the western world and for the first time in the history of the world will get an idea of who God is, what He looks like, what He does, where He's residing. This is the Kṛṣṇa Book, in two volumes. This is volume number one and this is volume number two. This is just a blueprint. We haven't got a printed copy yet. Then Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, which you must be familiar with, in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya and there are also illustrations although they're not color. They're black and white.

Guest (1): Śrī Tukārāma is disciple of Caitanya.

Prabhupāda: He also went through in Maharastra by His chanting, (indistinct)

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview -- July 5, 1972, New York:

Guest (1): Yes, I guess it would be hard to define in terms of a search. Man's..., man's search for something divine. I'd..., I'd define it in terms of, of a search for the divine. I've been studying Russian Elders in the Orthodox Church. Perhaps that's a tradition that you're familiar with in some way. They seem to have found the divine. I guess that's religion too. It seems to me both are, but perhaps you have a better definition than that?

Prabhupāda: Yes. When you are searching with some hope, what is that hope? Why you are searching? When you are missing something, then there is a question of searching for that missing point. You said religion means searching after the divine. So that means you are missing the divine. Is it not?

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Rosicrucians -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: No, no. Ramakrishna we kick out. We don't.

Yogeśvara: He says he's not familiar personally with him.

Prabhupāda: Ramakrishna is bogus.

Yogeśvara: He says that this is not a new order, this Rosicrucian order. It goes back at least as far as Ancient Egypt.

Prabhupāda: That's all right, but you do not know what is the aim of your this progress.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- June 5, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: One gentleman came the other day, Protestant Center?

Yogeśvara: Yes. Pastor Babel. Yes. They are familiar with him. Monsieur Douant.

Swiss Man (1): The President.

Prabhupāda: Why don't you give him a chair.

Swiss Man (1): (French)

Yogeśvara: Little rheumatism.

Prabhupāda: Give him chair.

Room Conversation -- June 5, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Yogeśvara: Professor Dimmock, perhaps you are familiar with Professor Dimmock. He's head of which department?

Satsvarūpa: East Asian.

Yogeśvara: The East Asian Studies Department of Chicago University has written the preface to this Bhagavad-gītā.

M. Roche-dieu: I have seen it, yes. Chicago University Department

Swiss Man (1): (French)

Swiss Man (2): (French)

Room Conversation with M. Lallier, noted French Poet -- June 12, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Which philosophy?

Yogeśvara: What kind of philosophy are you familiar with?

M. Lallier: Oh, I'm very interested by Indian philosophy, and I think it's the most high, the higher, the highest philosophy. But it's difficult to understand for us.

Yogeśvara: He says he thinks that Indian philosophy is the highest in the world, but he finds it difficult to understand.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. You call Bhagavān. We are talking of philosophy. Then let them hear.

Room Conversation with Russian Orthodox Church Representative -- June 13, 1974, Paris:

Yogeśvara: He says that's not necessarily the logical conclusion. He says he's familiar with that theory, but it's more a question of faith. He says it's not actually a logical conclusion that if the soul leaves this body it must take another one. (French)

Prabhupāda: What does he mean by logic?

Yogeśvara: He says that means that it's not something that's very evident to me.

Prabhupāda: It may not be evident to him, but why not others?

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

Bhagavān: Yale University. I think you are familiar with Yale University in the United States. They have already placed advanced order for all these volumes. (French)

Prabhupāda: We are translating the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Vedic literature. You have seen the sample, original verse, word to word meaning, then translation, then giving a purport.

Professor La Combe: You wrote the commentary.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes. Ādi-līlā, yes.

Bhagavān: You are familiar with Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy?

Professor La Combe: Yes. You see, I started Sanskrit and Indian studies in 1929 when we were abroad.

Prabhupāda: You have been in India several times.

Professor La Combe: Many times, yes.

Prabhupāda: Where did you stay generally?

Professor La Combe: In several places, but mainly in Calcutta. But in many other places too.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 15, 1975, Mexico:

Hṛdayānanda: He said he has studied all of Western philosophy, he's not that familiar with Eastern philosophy, and his present interest is in the philosophy of anthropology. He's interested in studying man, his body, also the spirit, how man can transcend his body, and that he has come here because he wants to learn something about the philosophy of the East.

Prabhupāda: And this girl is psychologist?

Psychologist (Lady): (Spanish)

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

Devotee (2): Śrīla Prabhupāda, when we open up these new airports, because the authorities, they are not familiar with us, they become very demoniac towards us. And some of them actually, they're thinking about Kṛṣṇa all day...

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Devotee (2): They see us distributing, and they don't like what we're doing, they get very angry, but still, they're thinking of Kṛṣṇa all day. We often wondered how they are benefiting even though they maintain this very envious...

Room Conversation with Bernard Manischewitz -- March 5, 1975, New York:

Bernard Manischewitz: You know I'm in the food business, so my first question deals with my food business. I'm familiar with the Kṛṣṇa cookbook—I've read the recipes—but I do not see any suggested menus or nutritional information, and I'm wondering if there's any thought that's been worked on that. Is there any background of menus or nutritional information?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Nutritional information means that we require for balance food: starch, carbohydrate, protein, fat. What else? Starch, carbohydrate, protein, fat. These are necessary nutrition, but these things are there in vegetable diet. Rice, starch; wheat, protein; dahl, protein; then vegetable, carbohydrate; and milk, fat. So if we take food and test it within these four, five groups... Eat according to our conception, sattvikaḥ. Sattvikaḥ means foodstuff in goodness. There are three qualities in the material world—goodness, passion and ignorance. So they are described: these are goodness foods, these are passion, these are ignorance.

Room Conversation with Kim Cornish -- May 8, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: The Vedas are there for understanding by the human society. And if he lives like a cat and dog, then he spoils his life. We should take advantage of the Vedic knowledge and make our life successful. This is real philosophy.

Kim: I'm not very familiar with the Hindu scriptures, but I have read some Upaniṣads, and there's the idea that somehow ātman is Brahman? I don't understand that at all, so perhaps you could say something about that?

Prabhupāda: Which Upaniṣad are you reading?

Room Conversation with Kim Cornish -- May 8, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: Have you read Īśopaniṣad?

Kim: Pardon?

Prabhupāda: Īśopaniṣad.

Kim: I'm familiar with the name, but that's about all.

Prabhupāda: Give him Īśopaniṣad. Read from the beginning. Have you read this book? This is the first Upaniṣad that is read. Can you read Sanskrit?

Kim: No.

Prabhupāda: Transliteration?

Garden Conversation with Dr. Gerson and devotees -- June 22, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's nice. that is already admitted by educated class. Therefore they are becoming attracted.

Dr. Gerson: But there are still many who aren't familiar with the movement and I hope to familiarize them.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is nice. Yes. But I say that even there is something wrong, it is not impediment. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). Even if you find in devotee something bad, and his behavior is not in the standard, but because he is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he has no other business, he is sādhu. Api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). He is sādhu.

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

Prabhupāda: Therefore it will take time. Just like a man searching after the right path but he does not care to ask anybody, he is loitering in the forest.

Prof. Hopkins: You... I'm sure you're familiar with his essays on the Gītā.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Prof. Hopkins: Which I think are generally quite good, his essays on the Gītā themselves. Are there places there that you would strongly disagree with in his, what he says?

Prabhupāda: No, we disagree with the whole system because he is trying to understand the Absolute Truth by his own effort. That is not possible.

Room Conversations -- July 26, 1975, Laguna Beach:

Guest: Sir, are you familiar with Yogananda's Self-Realization Fellowship and the practice of recruiting wealthy people as patrons for people who are sincerely interested in following a spiritual pursuit?

Prabhupāda: Hm, what is...?

Rāmeśvara: He asked if you were, Śrīla Prabhupāda, if you were familiar with another yoga society founded by one swami called Yogananda. He called it the Self-Realization Fellowship. And they have a practice to recruit wealthy men as their members. He simply asked if you knew of that.

Guest: Do you think that this hinders with their development?

Prabhupāda: No. Spirit soul is the same thing either in wealthy man or poor man. The spirit soul is not different.

Press Conference at Airport -- July 28, 1975, Dallas:

Prabhupāda: (leads prema-dhvāṇī) (break)

Woman reporter: Are you familiar with the new law in Texas which will affect your school here, and have you considered what...? There is a new law in Texas putting your school here under the same regulations as other boarding schools. And I wonder if you have considered how that will affect your school and whether you will be able to continue here.

Prabhupāda: That will be answered by this person. He is in charge of that institution.

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

Prof. Olivier: Well, so we are left in this twentieth century, this last part of the century, with a new global search for, or the truth of the spirit. We, of course, in the Western world are not familiar with the Gītā and so on.

Prabhupāda: No.

Prof. Olivier: But our problem is basically, I think, the one that you raised, was how do we make... How do we make a reality, a scientific reality? And I think you were quite right. I think people, very few people, get the point that you were trying to make there.

Prabhupāda: That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā, scientific reality. Therefore I raised that question. But nobody could reply properly. They thought it a kind of Hindu conception. No. That is not Hindu conception. That is the basic principle of living condition. We are changing body, and there are so many varieties of body. We may enter in any one of them after death. That is the real problem. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Nature's work is going on. This body is a machine.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 8, 1976, Nellore:

Prabhupāda: You read Bhagavad-gītā? You do not know how they are going against?

Devotee: I'm not familiar with this.

Prabhupāda: Then why do you say, "I read Bhagavad-gītā?"

Devotee: I'm not familiar with Tirupati's practice.

Prabhupāda: Tirupati is establishing Gaṇeśa temple. That is against Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavān says that kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānā yajanty anya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20). The rascals who are very much lusty, lost their intelligence, they worship other demigods.

Morning Walk -- March 13, 1976, Mayapur:

Satsvarūpa: "As a native of India now living in the West, it has given me much grief to see so many of my fellow countrymen coming to the West in the role of gurus and spiritual leaders. Just as any ordinary man in the West becomes conscious of Christian culture from his very birth, any ordinary man in India becomes familiar with the principles of meditation and yoga from his very birth. Unfortunately, many unscrupulous persons come from India, exhibit their imperfect and ordinary knowledge of yoga, cheat the people with their wares consisting of mantras, and present themselves as incarnations of God. So many of these cheaters have come, convincing their foolish followers to accept them as God, that those who are actually well versed and learned in Indian culture have become very concerned and troubled. For this reason I am very excited..."

Prabhupāda: Send this copy to Indira Gandhi.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Devotee (1): Have you seen Prabhupāda's books? The books I was just showing you?

Mr. Dixon: I am not very familiar with the books.

Prabhupāda: We have got very good response for accepting our books all over the world, Kṛṣṇa books.

Mr. Dixon: The reason that I was most interested to come is that my responsibilities in Victoria are a lot to do with the growth of our young people, and I think that many of the things that we don't succeed in doing, the problems that we have with drugs and alcohol and all sorts of unhappiness, that what your life indicates has got something that I think we could do well to take parts of it, to be involved in the things, the way in which we live. And I'd be interested to hear from you as to what you would believe might be done to encourage a greater acceptance of your areas of philosophy and religion.

Room Conversation -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: So you must be aware what is going to happen after death. Then if you become fearless, that is secure. But without knowing, if you are not afraid, that is risk.

Richard: Okay, are you familiar with the writings of Descartes?

Prabhupāda: We don't read anyone's books except Bhagavad-gītā.

Richard: Oh, I thought you said you studied other philosophies.

Prabhupāda: Study, there are so many books we study.

Richard: Right, okay, well anyway, there was a French philosopher in the 1700's named Rene Descartes, and his...

Prabhupāda: I think we have discussed this philosopher.

Garden Conversation -- June 27, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: No, no, bring, you can bring some soft cloth. Why this is, you bring some soft cloth. So don't indulge such nonsense question. You must personally understand. That is knowledge. If you are reading Bhagavad-gītā, how you can accept nonsense, he says that "I can talk with Kṛṣṇa without spiritual master." It is absurd proposition. So why you should accept such absurd proposition unless you are also another absurd? If you knew that it is not possible, you "You rascal." Don't talk with him. Don't waste time. But you also do not know with whom God talks. Clearly stated. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ (BG 10.10). Teṣām evānukampārtham (BG 10.11). Why don't you read all these proposals? With whom God talks? Hmm? Why did you not?

Devotee (2): I'm familiar with those verses.

Room Conversation -- July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: The living entities that they are familiar with.

Prabhupāda: That is another thing. Kūpa-māṇḍūkya-nyāya. They knew some certain type of living entities, that's all.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So they think that all the living entities would be like that.

Prabhupāda: That is their kūpa-māṇḍūkya-nyāya, Dr. Frog. But the fact is, any condition of material existence, there is possibility of living entity there. Sarva-ga, sthāṇur, acalo'yaṁ sarva-ga. Everywhere there is living entity. It is impossible to conclude that on other planets there is no living entity. It is not possible.

Room Conversation -- July 10, 1976, New York:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It says "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare. The group above are performing a kīrtana, the chanting of the names of Kṛṣṇa, the Vedic Deity they believe to be the supreme personification of Godhead. They are shown before the doorway of one Astor Plaza in Manhattan's Times Square area. Their chant, increasingly familiar on street corners in all large cities across the country, runs, 'Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.' These Kṛṣṇa devotees belong to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON, less formally known as the Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement and still less formally to the man in the street as the Harry Kṛṣṇas." (laughter) Actually, Prabhupāda, one...

Prabhupāda: Harry Kṛṣṇa.

Room Conversation -- October 3, 1976, Vrndavana:

Hari-śauri: No, I'm not familiar.

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

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

Prabhupāda: Oh.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gargamuni: He's also read this book called the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Prabhupāda: No, why not this also, Bhāgavata also, Bhagavad-gītā?

Rāmeśvara: Apparently he's not familiar with the Vedic writings. So...

Prabhupāda: So inform him.

Rāmeśvara: Yes. Anyway, the most significant thing is that it's been published in this journal which is usually for middle class, nothing controversial. And now they have published life after death. It shows that people are beginning to believe.

Prabhupāda: As they are reading our literatures.

Letter from Yugoslavia--'Books!' -- June 30, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Imperfect.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "She also," this person who said that, that all the intellectuals should be familiar with the books, "she also bought the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam standing order and promised to advertise your books among her colleagues."

Prabhupāda: Just see how Kṛṣṇa...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Even more pleasing was my conversation with the chairman of the Comparative Literature program. He bought both standing orders for the department library, and he wants to speak with his colleagues, who are interested in India. He feels both or one of them..."

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: You have got some Central Bank passbooks?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We have Central Bank passbooks. I don't know if I have one with us. It may be in Bombay or Calcutta. Just the fact that that bank is familiar with us.

Prabhupāda: They have to see where there is account money. I cannot remember.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, I've got it... I mean I'm doing good on this. You mean just in general to keep everything properly. Is that what you mean, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Room Conversation -- November 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's one point about... Actually, I simply asked him for the name of his bank and the bank account, but he doesn't seem to want to give that at this point. Seems to have some other idea. Very legally worded letter. "3) Panchashil. I do not stay there, albeit my daily visits. Once I have read somewhere, not the copy sent by you, this draft conveyance, and this is a bunkum." He calls it a bunkum. Are you familiar with that word, Śrīla Prabhupāda? I think it means like a hoax or something. "The wordings are incoherent and contradictory. The assigners, promoters, are described as overlord. The lessers, superlord, and assignees, purchasers, have been reduced to a transient resident, if not fugitive debtor. In my opinion, causes are there for criminal prosecution against the promoters. Without capable and competent lawyers' help, this legal matter should not be handled. Until then, keep it in abeyance. Your all the papers as mentioned..." I sent him a copy of the scheme, Śrīla Prabhupāda, as well as a copy of the draft... "All of your papers, as mentioned, are sent herewith back to you." He didn't choose to keep them. "While awaiting the bank's comments, I beg to remain respectfully yours, M.M. De." He says, "The enclosures are sent under ordinary post to avoid heavy postage in this cover." He decided to send them by a separate post because it would have been a few extra paisa.

Prabhupāda: Unless the bank confirms, he does not take it seriously. Is it not?

Room Conversation -- November 10, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Smara-hari, who is familiar with the parikrama path, says that a bullock cart would not be able to pass in many of the places.

Prabhupāda: Then?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, then that means we can't do a Vṛndāvana parikrama.

Smara-hari: For example in Keśī-ghāṭa there's no...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's experienced. He says...