Knowing well (Conversations)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: I see. Just a..., immediately he came, Dāmodara, the Ambassador. He came just now.

Professor: Yes. Oh, he came just now?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Professor: He has left now?

Paramahaṁsa: Yes, Ambassador Dāmodara. He was... Just prior to your coming, he was also meeting with Śrīla Prabhupāda, yes.

Professor: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Just a half and hour before, he was here.

Professor: I see, I see. I know him well.

Prabhupāda: He's coming from Malayalam.

Professor: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So we can see, you can see how we have done.

Professor: Do you recite this also, Caitanya-caritāmṛta?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.

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

Prabhupāda: Just a half and hour before, he was here.

Professor: I see, I see. I know him well.

Prabhupāda: He's coming from Malayalam.

Professor: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So we can see, you can see how we have done.

Professor: Do you recite this also, Caitanya-caritāmṛta?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.

Professor: Do you think you could do a little?

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: That's it. You may be scientist, you may be something else, but if you try to satisfy the Supreme Lord by your occupation, that is perfection. That is perfection. Read the purport.

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Human society all over the world is divided into four castes and four orders of life. The four castes are the intelligent caste, the martial caste, the productive caste and the laborer caste. These castes are classified in terms of one's work and qualification and not by birth. Then again there are four orders of life, namely the student life, the householder's life, the retired and the devotional life. In the best interest of human society there must be such divisions of life, otherwise no social institution can grow in a healthy state. And in each and every one of the abovementioned divisions of life, the aim must be to please the supreme authority of the Personality of Godhead. This institutional function of human society is known as the system of varṇāśrama-dharma, which is quite natural for the civilized life. The varṇāśrama institution is constructed to enable one to realize the Absolute Truth. It is not for artificial domination of one division over another. When the aim of life, i.e., realization of the Absolute Truth, is missed by too much attachment for indriya-prīti, or sense gratification, as already discussed hereinbefore, the institution of the varṇāśrama is utilized by selfish men to pose an artificial predominance over the weaker section. In the Kali-yuga, or in the age of quarrel, this artificial predominance is already current, but the saner section of the people know it well that the divisions of castes and orders of life are meant for smooth social intercourse and high-thinking self-realization and not for any other purpose.

Room Conversation with Christian Priest -- June 9, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: No, no, I mean to say...

Priest: ...that "I am an avatāra" or "I am Guru Mahārāj-ji" or "I am," so to say, "Meher Baba or Satya Sai Baba," so many bābās exist, you know as well as I do. Now, who has to say this one is really bābā. They are all abusing us. Now, if so many people today pretends to be avatāra and they have many disciples.

Prabhupāda: But we don't believe them.

Priest: No, but they have many disciples.

Prabhupāda: Many disciples, that is another thing.

Priest: Millions.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: Here is the Īśopaniṣad. Show him. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam. Read that verse.

Srutakirti:

īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvaṁ

yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat

tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā

mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam

(ISO 1)

"Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one must not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong."

Prabhupāda: Explanation.

Śrutakīrti:. "Purport." (break)

Prabhupāda: This is the summary of God consciousness.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest: And when Muhammad said that God is great, he simply said God is great, and he adds nothing to it for somebody who is well acquainted with Islam culture and he who knows well about Koran's teachings, it cannot be understood and accepted. It is the same with somebody who is well acquainted with Christianity and the truth spoken through Christianity. It is the same with the Buddhism or other ways which are designed, which are...

Prabhupāda: So your point is that God is understood in different ways. That is not point?

Atreya Ṛṣi: That's one of his points.

Prabhupāda: And what is the other point?

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

Prabhupāda: But we don't follow that process. We follow one standard knowledge. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is our distinction between the ordinary scholars and our... And we are on the safe side because we don't manufacture, speculate. That is troublesome. If I have to defeat you, then I will have to speak so many things. I will have to find out the device how can I defeat you. But we have got one standard knowledge. I may be fool, rascal, but we repeat Kṛṣṇa. So our method is very easy. We are challenging everyone. Just like there are many scientific disciples. So I am not a science man. I have never studied science. But scientists, they are becoming my disciple. From material point of view, I have no education in science, but why the scientist is becoming my disciple? Is he becoming fool? After taking his doctorate title, he is becoming fool so that he is accepting me as spiritual master? Therefore the Vedic injunction is correct when it says, yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātam bhavanti. "If you know Kṛṣṇa perfectly well, then you know everything well." That is the Vedic injunction. So unless you know Kṛṣṇa well, your knowledge is imperfect. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). Veda means knowledge. So there are different departmental knowledge. So Kṛṣṇa says, vedaiś ca sarvaiḥ. All departmental knowledge, when they come to the understanding of Kṛṣṇa, then it is perfect.

Morning Walk -- November 8, 1975, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: That they are doing, this and that. I have to explain them that "You are all humbug because they don't know you well; you don't know them well."

Prabhupāda: They will create nuisance because there is no sense. It is better nuisance. Who is coming to make sense, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa? Nobody is coming. Then nuisance is better than no sense. (Bengali:) Naya mameche khana mama baba:(?) "To possess no mama, it is better to have a blind mama." So they are blind mama. That's all right. Where is the real mama? All mamas are...

Dr. Patel: (Hindi) (break)

Prabhupāda: Mama means mother's brother.

Dr. Patel: No, but here in Gujarat... (Gujarati) Mama means he is a fool. (break)

Devotee (2): Now is not nice. The fruit is not nice.

Dr. Patel: (Hindi)

Devotee (2): You speak in Italian.

Indian man (6): I speak little only.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 26, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: All rascals. They are not ācāryas.

Guru-kṛpā: Last night this boy sits down and immediately he says, "I am a Hindu." I said, "What is this Hindu business? We are not interested in Hindu." Then he said, "Well, you do not know." "How you can say we do not know?" "Well, I was born a Hindu." So I said, "So how you know what I was born? What does that matter, where we were born? A learned person doesn't speak birth." Representing himself as very advanced or something. "Okay, you become Brahman, but we think that that is hell. That is no better than hell for us. And that is the liberation that the demons get. So we are satisfied to chant Kṛṣṇa's name, and we never want to become one. We would rather go to hell, because in hell we can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, but in the Brahman we cannot chant."

Prabhupāda: Staunch adherent. (break)

Morning Walk -- July 12, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: That any rascal will do. Bambharambhe laghu kriya. Aparkulasvenavargolajagundakuligondoliojalīlāvale... (gibberish) (laughter) You can talk like that—what is the meaning? That intelligence they have got, to manufacture... I know, I was in the medical business. So any petty medicine, and you inquire medical man, and he'll present it in such a scientific way that people will think that it is very important thing. I know it well. In Bose's laboratory we used to do that. Aparkulavenavargolajdgunda... This is... (gibberish) Simply soda bicarb and little this and that. So the modern world means how to befool persons, that's all. Not to enlighten, but to keep them in ignorance and befool them more and more, and they like it. Under the influence of māyā they like to be cheated. (sounds of fire engines)

Room Conversation on Farm Management -- December 10, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Why it is empty? Hm?

Mahāṁśa: Fill it for what, Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Why the well is empty? There is no water. He's surprised. As if dropping from the sky. You do not know that well?

Mahāṁśa: It's just a tank.

Prabhupāda: Tank, yes. Why it is empty?

Mahāṁśa: Because I didn't know what purpose it will serve by filling it.

Prabhupāda: Filling it, we shall pump and distribute water. You shall fit pipes. And pump water and distribute to the field, so there will be no scarcity of water, and produce. What it was meant, you do not know?

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Evening Conversation -- January 25, 1977, Puri:

Prabhupāda: Our things on the veranda can be kept inside. Because they are here, somebody may... So many men are coming and going.

Satsvarūpa: "All the members of the council were either great sages or brāhmaṇas of the first order. They did not accept any salary, nor had they any necessity for such salaries. The state would get the best advice without expenditure. They were themselves sama-darśī, equal to everyone, both man and animals. They would not advise the king to give protection to the man and instruct him to kill the poor animals. Such council members were not fools or representatives to compose a fool's paradise. They were all self-realized souls, and they knew perfectly well how all living beings in the state would be happy both in this life and the next. They were not concerned with the hedonistic philosophy of 'Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy.' They were philosophers in the real sense, and they knew well what is the mission of human life. Under all these obligations, the advisory council of the king would give correct directions, and the king or executive head, being himself a qualified devotee of the Lord, would scrutinizingly follow them for the welfare of the state.

Room Conversation -- February 27, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Hm? Why... That one book is sufficient. Why more books about this?

Rādhā-vallabha: Well, gurukula already has ten books, but they're printed very, very poorly.

Prabhupāda: Why ten books? Not a single student knows well English, neither Sanskrit, and ten books.

Rādhā-vallabha: These are the Americans, American boys, American gurukulas.

Prabhupāda: Why I do not know. You just discuss this. They do not learn anything, and we are printing books.

Rādhā-vallabha: Those books, they print themselves, the gurukula.

Prabhupāda: "Themself" means?

Page Title:	Knowing well (Conversations)
Compiler:	Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:	09 of Oct, 2012
Totals by Section:	BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=13, Let=0
No. of Quotes:	13