Hero (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"hero" |"hero's" |"heroes" |"heroic" |"heroically" |"heroine" |"heroines" |"heroism"

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Guest (1): One more, sir. Lord Kṛṣṇa has never asked Arjuna to sit and do bhajana. He said, uttiṣṭha mām anusmara yuddhya: (BG 8.7) "Get up and fight! And fight! And fight! That fight, that is your right." I'll fight. That is...

Prabhupāda: Yes. So fight with whom?

Guest (1): "Fight with your enemy."

Prabhupāda: Who is your enemy?

Guest (1): Even physical, bodily, whatever it is, whatever it is, but you must know who your enemies are. Your enemy may be my friend. (part indistinct)

Prabhupāda: That's nice proposal. Unless you find an enemy, how you can fight? So of course, we do not say... We Vaiṣṇavas do not say that there is no need of fighting. We never say. When there is need of fighting we must fight. Rather, somebody in New York, some Goldsmith, he was that, "Why Kṛṣṇa is advising Arjuna to fight, to become violent?" So somebody protests like that. But there is no meaning of protesting against the action of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is our view. So we Vaiṣṇavas, we are chanting. It does not mean that when there is need of fighting with avaiṣṇava we shall lack in strength. We can fight. One gentleman inquired from me that "Vaiṣṇavism makes one dull. He cannot act." And, "No. You have not seen a Vaiṣṇava." In the two fightings, great fighting, the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata, the hero was Hanuman and Arjuna, and they fought.

Guest (1): They fought.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And who can be better Vaiṣṇava than them?

Guest (1): Nobody.

Prabhupāda: So Vaiṣṇava does not mean he is dull. No.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Reporter: Maharaja, please go on here helping us. You know, we are (indistinct). (laughter) (Hindi) (break)

Prabhupāda: ...me that "Your Vaiṣṇavism has killed India." And why? "No, Vaiṣṇava means inactive. They say simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and do nothing." Then "You have not seen a Vaiṣṇava," I told him.

Reporter: Pardon?

Prabhupāda: I told him that he has not seen a Vaiṣṇava.

Reporter: Vaiṣṇava.

Prabhupāda: In India there are two major war, Rāma-rājya yudha and kurukṣetra yudha, and there the hero is a Vaiṣṇava-Arjuna and Hanumān.

Reporter: Hanumān?

Prabhupāda: Hanumānjī. Rāma-rājya.

Reporter: He was perfect Vaiṣṇava.

Prabhupāda: Therefore I told him that "You haven't..., you have, have not seen a Vaiṣṇava."

Reporter: Your permission, may I ask one question? Do we offer any solution for socio-economic problems that you can...?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Provided you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, everything will be solved.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with David Wynne, Sculptor -- July 9, 1973, London:

Śyāmasundara: They're bringing some prasāda.

Prabhupāda: Is there any other paper? No, it is a very impressive picture.

David Wynne: It's wonderful.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And they have given, "A Rival for Nelson." So this movement is a rival... Days were there in British Empire that Nelson was a hero. Now Kṛṣṇa is going to be hero in this country. (laughter) It is a good admission, "A Rival for Nelson." Actually, He should be.

Śyāmasundara: Now no one even remembers Nelson.

Revatīnandana: I have.

Śyāmasundara: I never heard of him.

Prabhupāda: Lord Nelson, he fought the Spanish battle, I think.

David Wynne: I don't know.

Prabhupāda: He died, but became victorious. Yes. I think during Queen, last Elizabeth's time, or something...?

David Wynne: Yes. The last words: "England expects that every man this day will do his duty." And all that. He was a hero because he died young, I think.

Prabhupāda: Maybe. I do not know. But Nelson, Lord Nelson, was famous man, soldier.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes. Their culture is Hindu culture. But by religion they have accepted Muslim. They still, their names are Hindu names.

Dr. Arnold Toynbee: Yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: Names are Hindu. There Garuḍa, Garuḍa. The airway is Garuḍa. Garuḍa is the carrier of Viṣṇu.

Dr. Arnold Toynbee: I've seen their shadow plays, and all the subjects and the heroes are from the Indian history, the Indian epics, not from Muslim. So...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Arnold Toynbee: They all have two names. They have a Sanskrit name and an Arabic name, isn't it?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Arnold Toynbee: Yes. I've also been in ...

Prabhupāda: And Java. Java, they are Hindus. Still. In Indonesia also, there are many Hindus. They have got their Vedic way of worship. They accept Viṣṇu.

Room Conversation with Graham Hill Former World Champion Race Car Driver -- London, August 26, 1973:

Śrīla Prabhupāda: But death is compelling me to die. There is no science, no philosophy, no hero to conquer over this death. This is our philosophy: how to conquer over the race between life and death. Now you find out that verse,

janma karma ca me divyam

evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti mām eti so 'rjuna

(BG 4.9)

This is Sanskrit language.

Śyāmasundara: "One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not upon leaving the body take his birth again in this material world."

Prabhupāda: "Does not take his birth again."

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk at Marine del Rey -- July 13, 1974, Los Angeles:

Bali Mardana: So they should get written permission for the ratha to stand there.

Prabhupāda: Yes. "Ratha will stand, will not move, unless you sanction. But it is the, one of the part of the ceremony. There must be ratha. How you can stop it?" And from the ratha the palanquin will go to the Trafalgar Square. As usual, we hold our ceremonies and come back. So what is the objection? And if they say, "No, you cannot even keep the ratha," that means there is conspiracy.

Satsvarūpa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That means there is conspiracy. So we should be politicians also (break) ...somebody protested that "Your Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement makes the people dull." And now, you have not seen the Vaiṣṇava. There was two fight in the Indian history. One is Rāma and Rāvaṇa, and one is Kurukṣetra. And the hero is Vaiṣṇava. We are going to produce such Vaiṣṇavas, not these dull rascals, sitting down. We don't want these Vaiṣṇavas, sitting down rascals. We want Arjuna or we want no one. That is Vaiṣṇava. That is wanted.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- February 28, 1975, Atlanta:

Mādhava: They try to imitate God.

Prabhupāda: That's all. That he cannot, and that is his foolishness. Therefore we say that you are cheating. Things are already there, going on. What is your credit?

Rūpānuga: The scientists are trying to be the hero. Kṛṣṇa is the hero. He has done everything first, and the scientist wants to be the hero.

Prabhupāda: So you have to present like this, that "What is the credit? Suppose by chemical composition you can manufacture one ant. That is not possible. Be assured you will never be able. That we are assured. But even if you are able, then what is your credit? The credit is the man has learned how to bark like a dog. That's all, this much credit."

Svarūpa Dāmodara: No, if they are able to make life, then they are going to say that there's no God.

Prabhupāda: Yes, but first of all you produce. Then say. Why you are anticipating that you will be able to...?

Room Conversation with Two Lawyers and Guest -- May 22, 1975, Melbourne:

Amogha: Śauryam, heroism.

Prabhupāda: Heroism. Therefore the kṣatriyas are allowed to hunt in the forest to become hero because he has to fight. Just like in medical laboratory they first of all dissect some poor animal before touching human being. Therefore kṣatriyas are allowed to hunt to become hero. Facing the tiger, "Come on." And still, say, about twenty-five years ago, there was a native prince in Jaipur. Every year he would go to the forest and face the tiger, without any weapon. So that is required.

Guest 2: That is good?

Prabhupāda: That is required. Those who are politicians, those who are going to be president, they must be like that.

Guest 2: In our society that wouldn't be thought good.

Prabhupāda: No, your society whatever you may be, this is the idea.

Room Conversation with Two Lawyers and Guest -- May 22, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: No, no. They should not be demonic. Other things are there. Śauryaṁ tejo...

Amogha: "Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity, and leadership..."

Prabhupāda: Generosity.

Guest 2: So he hasn't got generosity.

Guest 3: No, he's got another one, insanity. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Not insanity.

Guest 1: You can't substitute.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everything is there. He must be at the same time... Although he is hero, he must be generous. Just like Alexander the Great. Perhaps you know the story. He arrested one thief. So when he was arrested and he was being judged by Alexander, the thief pleaded that "What is the difference between you and me? You are a great thief. I am a small thief." (laughter) So Alexander understood it and got him released, "Yes." (laughter) This is generosity. He must agree to the principle.

Room Conversation with Yogi Bhajan -- June 7, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Kṣatriya, the administrator. They have got(?) śauryam. Then what is the word, śauryam?

Devotee: Heroism.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Devotee: Śauryam...

Prabhupāda: Heroism. That is... Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. He was going on his tour, and he saw one black man was trying to kill a cow. Immediately he took his sword, "Who are you? You are trying to kill cow in my kingdom?" This is called heroism. Now, where is that hero? And they are becoming president. How he will command? He is not hero. Everyone has right to live. Why they are killing animals? This is heroism. As soon as he saw that a rascal is going to kill a cow, "Why you are doing this?" Immediately he took his sword. Heroism. Then?

Devotee: "Power, determination..."

Morning Walk -- June 22, 1975, Los Angeles:

Jayatīrtha: Some devotees have already moved.

Prabhupāda: Oh. It is vacant, vacant?

Jayatīrtha: It was vacant, yes. Well, the old owner, he is keeping one room in the building for the time being. The man who sold it to us, he's a very..., Sort of a pious gentleman. He's doing humanitarian work. He's a war hero.

Prabhupāda: War hero?

Jayatīrtha: Yes. In the last war. (Prabhupāda laughs) So he is also helping us. He has a big factory next to the land and he's letting us use it for the incense business. So he's doing some good service.

Morning Walk -- June 28, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: Anyway... And Australia also, Sydney, oh, they are very fond of dog race. Every man is coming with big big, dog for racing purpose.

Satsvarūpa: It's good gambling.

Prabhupāda: And Europe, the most aristocratic person means he is keeping so many horses and so many dogs. That is aristocracy. They will ride on the horse, and taking their dogs, they will go to the forest and kill some innocent birds. That is their heroic activities. We went to see one palace in France.

Satsvarūpa: Yes, I remember. In the hall they had all pictures of those activities.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- June 28, 1975, Denver:

Satsvarūpa: Killing birds and fox.

Prabhupāda: That is aristocracy. (break) ...cannon, there was fight? Or this man is very famous hero? There was statue of Napoleon also in Paris. And they identify Napoleon and France, the same. But France is there; there is no Napoleon. (laughter) Napoleon finished, Hitler finished, Gandhi finished. (break)

Brahmānanda: That statue where Napoleon is, formerly there was another statue there of Louis XIV. So Napoleon, he pulled down that other statue and put his statue there.

Prabhupāda: And somebody will come... Just like in Karachi they have pulled down Gandhi's statue, and I do not know what statue they placed.

Room Conversation with the Mayor of Evanston -- July 4, 1975, Chicago:

Prabhupāda: This is everything. Religious, social, political, philanthropical, science, everything included. We can give advice for solving any problem. That we have got all these books, practical. And in India there is political problem. Everywhere it is going on. They do not follow the standard way. Who will be the politicians? Here is the..., described. What are the politicians? Second-class, they are taken second-class. What is that? Śaurya tejaḥ?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Heroism..."

Prabhupāda: Heroism, yes. Śaurya tejaḥ...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śauryaṁ tejo dhṛtir dākṣyam (BG 18.43).

Prabhupāda: Ah, read this, read...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam.

Prabhupāda: Yuddhe cāpalāyanam. A kṣatriya should be so trained up, when there is fight, he must come out, forward. Not that he will sit down in his secluded place and poor man will fight. No. He should come forward as leader, "Come on." That is kṣatriya quality, yuddhe cāpalāyanam. Formerly there was fight, but the leaders, they would come face to face first of all. And if the leader, one of the leader is killed-yuddha means one party must be vanquished, fight—then the war is finished. The main person, chief person is now killed, so there is no more war. So yuddhe cāpalāyanam. Those who are taking part in administration, in politics, they must be of this quality, very chivalrous, brave. They have to learn all these quality.

Morning Walk -- July 17, 1975, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: In Vṛndāvana there is no work. Outside Vṛndāvana there is killing of the demons. When He came out of Vṛndāvana, he began His business by killing His uncle, that Kaṁsa. Then so many other demons came, one after another. He had to fight. Even He had to marry by fighting.

Bahulāśva: Kṣatriya marriage?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee: Even rākṣasa marriage.

Prabhupāda: Kṣatriya marriage, without fighting, there is no kṣatriya marriage. For one prince, there are so many candidates. So they must fight between themselves and decide who is the hero. Then he will be allowed to marry. There was no such freedom: the princess are loitering in the street and you can take as many as you like.

Devotee: The price was blood, huh?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- August 6, 1975, Detroit:

Devotee (1): It looks like they've all assembled to see you.

Prabhupāda: There's a big. (break)

Brahmānanda: We used to go hunting these, with big guns, that innocent animal.

Prabhupāda: Hero. Big hero. (laughter) (break) ...was telling that here also people come and...

Brahmānanda: With bow and arrow, he was saying.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is allowed?

Ambarīṣa: No. It is against the law.

Morning Walk -- October 25, 1975, Mauritius:

Harikeśa: The rhinoceros or hippopotamus or some... You're trying to shoot some big animal, and if you can't do it everybody will say, "Oh, he could never do it anyway." And if he does it they all praise?

Prabhupāda: No, no, to kill animal is not very heroic. Nonsense. Innocent animal wandering and you kill. "Oh, very great hero." Again he deserves to be kicked on the face. All action, they are simply rewarded with kicking on the face. Why should you kill animal? Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. If you are killed, you feel pain. Why should you kill others unnecessarily? (break) ...here?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Not here, I don't think. A golf course is not a private place.

Prabhupāda: So we shall return? No?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: If you like.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 3, 1976, Nellore:

Prabhupāda: So where is your independence? What is the answer? At any moment you have to die. Even Munshibhai Raman or Mussolini or big, big, so..., Napoleon.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Franco. There was that Franco.

Prabhupāda: Yes, everyone. He was given horse urine to drink, Napoleon. Such a great hero, but he had to drink horse urine. This Englishman after Battle of, what is that? Waterloo. When he was arrested, when he was asking water, he was given horse urine. Because everyone was very, very angry. Napoleon became just like Hiranyakasipu. They were threatening their children: "Oh, he, Bona, is coming. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep." He became so much.... He was known as Bona. You do not know all these things?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No.

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

Prabhupāda: And they're taking it, highly civilized way of life. Where you are going? You cannot go beyond this earth. You attempted so much to go to the moon planet, you failed. And where you can go, put-put-put-put? You'll have to stay here. But that rascal does not understand. He thinks, "I am going very fast." Where you are going? You are destined to stay here. That he does not understand. Not only this put-put motorcycle, the put-put airplane also. They're also trying to go to this planet around, round. That sputnik, first sputnik, eighteen thousand miles, and they simply rounded over the world in one hour and twenty-five minutes. And where did you go? And when he's tired, then come down again. They cannot understand, these so-called scientists, that we cannot go in this way. There is higher authority. Why it will allow us to go anywhere? Just like the horse running fast, but within the race course. That's all. It cannot go beyond the race course. And similarly, however heroic expedition we may show, you are, what is called, baddha-jīva, conditioned. You cannot cross the condition, that is not possible. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (BG 3.27). A rascal, on account of his false prestige, he is thinking, "Oh, I am independent. I can do whatever I like." Vimūḍhātmā, foolish, rascal. Mūḍha, not. Vimūḍhātmā, "especially the rascal, a special rascal." Ordinary rascal is better than the special rascal. (laughs) So all these scientists, philosophers, and political leaders, they're all special rascal, they are.

Room Conversation -- May 4, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: So you should be like father like son.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He has the same name. It's just "Junior" at the end, so they know him.

Prabhupāda: No, intelligence also. Father's intelligence he must inherit. There is an Indian proverb, bāpakā beṭā sepāikā ghoḍā, kucha nehi to thoḍā thoḍā (indistinct), mean "The father's son and the soldier's horse, they acquire the quality, if not all, some, must." If one is good soldier, his horse is also trained up. There is a history in India. The horse has played heroic. The Queen of Jhansi's horse and this, our, what is called, Shivaji's horse, they have played unique part in the history. Sepāikā ghoḍā. It is animal, but because it is the horse of a famous hero, it has played. Similarly, the son of father must be as good as father. If not, to some extent. Yes. So you are the.... Your father is the leader of so many big, big businessmen. You also become leader.

Conversation with Clergymen -- June 15, 1976, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: The second-class man is also described, who is the second class.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: "Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity, and leadership are the qualities of work for the kṣatriyas," or the administrators.

Prabhupāda: This is second class. They are not first class, they are second class. First class is above mentioned.

Scheverman: The brāhmaṇa

Prabhupāda: Yes, then second class. Second class also required.

Scheverman: Also requires training, yes.

Prabhupāda: Suppose if there is war. So first-class men, they cannot go to fight; they are not trained up. But the second-class man who is trained up.... What is that quality?

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: "Courage in battle."

Prabhupāda: Courage in battle. Now we have got report that in Vietnam battles, what happened?

Hari-śauri: Whenever they fight, most of the soldiers run away.

Garden Discussion on Bhagavad-gita Sixteenth Chapter -- June 26, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: So your answer is there. They think liberty means whatever he likes. That is a demoniac person(?). Now discuss this.

Devotee (1): There's one... You've quoted Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, and he describes a scholar. A scholar is a man who can see all women as his mother, and all living entities, he treats them equally, and other's property as trash. So today's civilization is mistaking a scholar for a rogue and a rogue for a scholar, and here Kṛṣṇa is explaining a godly man, the qualities of a scholar and gentleman, whereas today's civilization is upside down, backwards.

Prabhupāda: Therefore preaching is required.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: They feel that godly qualities are a sign of weakness. And the demoniac qualities is a good sign.

Prabhupāda: Heroism. That is heroism.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Yes, heroism. In this purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda perfectly describes our student life. As students, we were doing everything whimsically. Or we would accept bad things.

Room Conversation With French Commander -- August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Bhagavān: You tell him what Prabhupāda said.

Prabhupāda: You can ask him to open that book. Then read it. (translation read in French) So what is the difficulty in understanding? Ask him. This is military. Kṛṣṇa is asking that "You are in the battlefield. Wherefrom you got this cowardice mentality?" This is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā teaches how to become a brave hero in the battlefield. This is the instruction. Kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame sam. Just read the purport. Is there any purport? (purport read in French) (break) ...difficulty to understand.

Garden Conversation -- October 9, 1976, Aligarh:

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not a lazy life. It is not lazy life. All Kṛṣṇa conscious, Rāma conscious, they are very busy. To speak, even the Hanumān, Jambavān, Aṅgada, they are monkeys, still how they were busy, from the history we find, to serve Kṛṣṇa, Rāmacandra. Hare Kṛṣṇa. I was questioned by some gentleman sometimes in 1940. He charged that the Vaiṣṇava, "This Vaiṣṇava means a lazy fellow." He said like that. (laughs) So I said, "You have never seen a Vaiṣṇava." I told him, "You have never seen a Vaiṣṇava." "No, I have seen these Vaiṣṇavas. They do not do anything and taking mālā and pretending to be very highly elevated and sleep and snore." That's... You have seen... "But you have not seen. You might have seen these pseudo-Vaiṣṇavas, but real Vaiṣṇava you have not seen." "What is that real Vaiṣṇava?" And I said that in India there were two big wars. One war was the Rāma-Rāvaṇa, and another war Kurukṣetra. So in these two wars, the hero is Vaiṣṇava. One is Hanumān and another is Arjuna. Have you seen them? Have you heard about them? Are they lazy fellows? Hanumān is Vaiṣṇava. He could raise one mountain and jump over the sea and set fire in the very beautiful state of Rāvaṇa. This is Vaiṣṇava. This is Vaiṣṇava. And Arjuna, he was in the beginning hesitating that "My cousin-brothers, the other side..."

Room Conversation -- December 31, 1976, Bombay:

Indian man: He had only anāsakti-yoga.

Prabhupāda: He has expanded his āsakti from family to the whole nation. Expanded āsakti is not anāsakti. I'm thinking only of my family, and if I think of the whole nation, that does not mean anāsakti. That means āsakti expanded. I am a pickpocket. If I become a great plunderer, that does not mean I am not a thief. You cannot say pickpocket is thief and a great plunderer is a hero. The quality is there.

Hari-śauri: There's that story about Alexander and the thief.

Prabhupāda: Ah, Alexander and the thief. The thief convinced him, "Alexander, what is the difference between you and me? I'm a small thief, you are a big thief, that's all."

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, no. How can I give you equal rights, because your brain is less substance.

Dr. Patel: We cannot degrade our mothers that way.

Prabhupāda: It is not degrading. It is accepting the actual fact.

Dr. Patel: These girls are misled, these American girls.

Prabhupāda: There is no history. There is no history. Just like Kunti's mother. She produced so many heroes, but she was not hero. She could produce heroes like Arjuna, like Bhima. But not that she becomes hero.

Dr. Patel: Mother can produce heroes...

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Still, nobody will say that Kuntī is as good as Arjuna or Bhima.