Life members (Conversations, 1970 - 1975)

Expressions researched:
"life member" |"life members" |"life membership"

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1970, Indore:

Haṁsadūta: "Wanted: qualified brāhmaṇas for preaching Bhagavad-gītā all over the world. (laughter) Candidates accepted without any discrimination of caste and creed. Apply ISKCON."

Yamunā: Oh, ho, ho, Prabhupāda!

Haṁsadūta: "Life member can send any member of his family for being trained up as a qualified brāhmaṇa who can preach Bhagavad-gītā as it is all over the world." You're going to put this in the newspaper?

Prabhupāda: Huh? Yes.

Haṁsadūta: Oh, that will be nice. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Yamunā: Oh, that's a wonderful notice, Prabhupāda. It's so wonderful.

Prabhupāda: We have to preach all over the world. We require so many men, so many boys, girls, men we want.

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Prabhupāda: So we made some life member. Is there any possibility of getting, enrolling some life member? That...?

Guest (1): Life member means...?

Prabhupāda: Institution. We want some life members. Otherwise how we can conduct this institution?

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Prabhupāda: Whatever arrangement you do, that's all right. But if some of you members become our life members, that will be...

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- July 5, 1972, London:

Devotee (2): So Mataji, if some of these books she hasn't got, we can give her. She's a life member.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Sumati Morarjee: Yes, yes, just now I am.

Prabhupāda: She is life, she is life after life. (laughter) She is life after life member.

Sumati Morarjee: No, no, but, I'll talk to this ah, Girirāja in Bombay, about becoming the patron myself.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Sumati Morarjee: I said let us see.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) We, let us form a trustee, and you become president of the trust. (laughter) You become the president of the trustee, and do the needful.

Sumati Morarjee: You know, just now that your...

Prabhupāda: So, whether you agree to this or not?

Sumati Morarjee: Yes, yes.

Room Conversation -- July 5, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: Immediately, write one letter to Girirāja that, uh, I suggest some names for becoming trustee, or you can suggest some of the life members you know.

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Devotee: Tarachand Gupta, I think his name is.

Prabhupāda: He is also our life member. He is nice.

Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London:

Prabhupāda: So write Girirāja immediately a letter, that she agreed to be president of the trust. You make a trust body for fund-raising, and our best life members, like Sumati Morarji, and make her the president of the trust. You remain the secretary, and other also, as treasurer also. One or two of her own men.

Devotee: Just a small number. Not a big trust.

Prabhupāda: Hm. In this way you raise funds.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 28, 1973, Jakarta:

Prabhupāda: You become one of the life members of our society and you can go anywhere and stay there.

Guest (1): Like Birla Mandir or āśrama in India, āśrama...

Prabhupāda: In India, Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi have got branches.

Guest (1): Yes. Pondicherry, Rabindranath Ashram, Pondicherry. Nanda's Ashram(?), in Bangalore. Only Delhi I've been to āśrama

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

Prabhupāda: India, we make members. We get more price. Because we are, our scheme, life member, they pay eleven hundred rupees, and whatever books we can supply, we supply. That's all. That is not even to the amount they pay. So we give our presentation and they contribute. This is the program.

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

Prabhupāda: All these things are, they are simply māyā. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). "These rascals, they are working so hard, making gorgeous arrangement. For what? For illusory sense gratification." That sense gratification is also false. Real sense gratification is in Kṛṣṇa and kṛṣṇa-dhāma. Hlādinī, sandhinī, saṁvit. Perverted in this material life. Āhlāda-tapa-kārī miśrayate tair na guṇa-varjite (?). Here āhlāda, pleasure and tapa-kārī, pain, and mixture of āhlāda. This is the position. Tair na guṇa-varjite (?). This kind of pleasure is not in Kṛṣṇa, guṇa-varjite, because He is free from the material condition. So anyway, the human life is only meant for... This is our mission, to teach that "You are simply wasting your time. Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That is his only business. And next business is, those who cannot directly take to, then those, they should be helping this movement. Therefore we go door-to-door, to connect them, to be linked up with this movement, life member, this member, that member... They are misunderstanding, "They have no other good business. Transcendental fraud, giving us some book and taking money and eating and sleeping. They have got..." They are thinking like that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So we should preach strongly and they should know that we also preach.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they should know that it is for their benefit we are making them life members, not for our benefit. And that should be the motive.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 9, 1974, Mayapura:

Guest (4): In my own way, I am ready to prepare a sample of the English translation of the books.

Prabhupāda: Welcome. It is a great service.

Guest (4): But that must be very cheap.

Prabhupāda: Oh, cheap. We can distribute without price. That is not the question.

Guest (4): And also they were asking to be associated more in the facilities for life membership like that with... They feel it's within their reach.

Prabhupāda: No life membership, life membership they're... Just like if somebody joins, he's more than life member. But if he does not join, then he becomes life member by paying the fees.

Morning Walk -- April 20, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: ...meeting, our life members are not coming?

Mahāṁsa: Yes, it is (indistinct). Many life members came, Prabhupāda. There were many cars also. (break)

Prabhupāda: No mangoes are hanging. (break) "Kṛṣṇa is everything," is little difficult for everyone, eh? They want hodge-podge—"Everything is all right." So has anybody offered some lump sum for the construction?

Mahāṁsa: Not as yet, Prabhupāda. Actually they are all waiting for Mr. Piti(?) to make his pledge. They have some kind of... These Marwaris... (break)

Prabhupāda: I did not see Hari Prasad.

Mahāṁsa: He was there.

Prabhupāda: He was there?

Mahāṁsa: Oh, yes, his whole family was there. Mr. Pulla Reddy was there.

Prabhupāda: Yes, Pulla Reddy, I have seen. (break) He is so much convinced in with our philosophy in Bombay, he is going to take sannyāsa.

Mahāṁsa: Oh, in Hare Kṛṣṇa Land?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Although he is officially Shaivite, but he says that "I am so much convinced with your speech."

Morning Walk -- April 20, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: We are making all over India members with these English books. Why do they not say, "No, no, no, I cannot accept English book." Why they are accepting English books? It is my fault that I have written in English or it is their fault? Why they are accepting? Everywhere we are making life members but why do they accept these English books? They could have refused, "No, no, no, I cannot accept English book." Why they are accepting? I know one boy. He is about forty-two years. But he was practically my first student. He is a very big scholar in Sanskrit. But because he does not know English, he is useless. He could not make any, prosper in any way. He is taken as half-educated. He was appointed as vice-chancellor of the Darbhana(?) Sanskrit University. Maybe it is only name. Anyway, now his teaching period is over. Now he is useless. He does not get any service. Although he is a very big Sanskrit scholar. The only defect, that he does not know English—he does not get any responsible position.

Morning Walk -- April 24, 1974, Hyderabad:

Mahāṁśa: He used to be running for the chief ministership. He's very, very popular, but there was some mischief he did, for which he was taken to court and exposed.

Prabhupāda: What is that mischief?

Mahāṁśa: I don't remember exactly, but he was taken to court and exposed and he was expelled from entering into any...

Prabhupāda: Party.

Mahāṁśa: ...any elections for five years. So now his period is finishing, his five years is finishing, and he is going to stand again, and seems that he's very, very popular, he has a good chance. And he's our Life Member...

Prabhupāda: Oh, he's a Life Member?

Mahāṁśa: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: He studies our books?

Mahāṁśa: Oh, yes, he has taken our books and he especially asked that "I am reading these books and please give me."

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

Prof. Pater Porsch: In what way can he support, or cooperate with your movement? In what way can he offer optimal benefit to your movement?

Prabhupāda: That is a simple thing. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That's all.

Prof. Pater Porsch: No. I mean in a further, in an extended way. For example...

Haṁsadūta: Yes. We have got a life membership program which can be (indistinct) can participate in that way.

Prabhupāda: You can become a life member and read all these books and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. There is no loss. Suppose you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa there is no material loss on your part, but if there is any gain, why don't you take it?

Prof. Pater Porsch: No, my question was perhaps a little, not quite clear. Many of us here, myself felt, represent not only our personal selves but are here on behalf of certain institutions and we are active in some form or other of public service, these gentlemen probably also. And in what way, for example, would we serve your movement by giving a clear explanation about the aims of your activity, for example, removing prejudices and supporting Sanskrit studies and the better distribution of the Bhagavad-gītā in this form, in such ways, perhaps?

Prabhupāda: Yes. We are writing these books for distribution.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Reporter -- March 9, 1975, London:

Prabhupāda: So they said there were some life members here?

Devotee: Yes. Brahmānanda(?) has brought them here.

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

Prabhupāda: The India is membership, and the members, if they are dissatisfied, then? This is not good. So find out the way how this complaint can be solved.

Haṁsadūta: So does it mean that the BBT should take charge of the Life Membership program or to see that they're supplied the books?

Prabhupāda: No. Life Membership... Suppose you make one Life, he has to be supplied books.

Haṁsadūta: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So fifty percent goes to the...

Haṁsadūta: Book Fund.

Prabhupāda: That is stated in the BBT. That is the main purpose, that fifty percent must go...

Haṁsadūta: For printing. Fifty percent for printing, fifty percent for building.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. This is the main purpose.

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They are so much impressed, Śrīla Prabhupāda. But the most impressive thing for these life members is to come to America and see our institutions. They have letters of introduction. They don't want to live in the temple generally, but they come to see.

Prabhupāda: The other, that member, the same?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Different men. I know. I made these men life members in Bombay, and I happened to be in Washington D.C. when they came there. And they attend the āratis, you know. It's very nice. They are very, very impressed.

Revatīnandana: When Kartikeya Mahadevia came to America some time back, he remarked to me that he had come to see all the sights like the Grand Canyon and like that, but primarily he seemed, now he was just simply going from temple to temple because the temples were nice. Nothing else was so nice as he expected.

Bahulāśva: Some life members came to San Francisco, and we picked them up in this Mercedes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, that's him, that same man.

Bahulāśva: And they were so impressed that we had such a nice car for greeting the life members. (laughter)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They talked about that. It's the same man I met in Washington D.C., Mr. Poddar.

Bahulāśva: Mr. Poddar, yes. They said, "Oh, this is the life member car."

Prabhupāda: One gentleman came to see me in Hawaii. He's also life member.

Morning Walk -- September 15, 1975, Vrndavana:

Brahmānanda: When I was a teacher in New York I taught in one of their schools. I taught the little children... (break)

Prabhupāda: After that, he is fit down(?). Then, if life member comes, he can simply stay in the guest room without any charges for three days. (break)

Morning Walk -- September 26, 1975, Ahmedabad:

Prabhupāda: (break) You require one man to your selection. So nobody will stay. Everyone has to go. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa... (break) The Ahmedabad people cannot maintain this park. How they will maintain their center? And you are not making good life members? Then?

Yaśomatīnandana: These are only few days that they have started making... Last time we came they made eight members in five weeks.

Prabhupāda: Members are made after the festival.

Morning Walk -- November 2, 1975, Nairobi:

Devotee (7): May we go to the shop to buy something?

Prabhupāda: That is another thing. That is for temple's benefit or business. That is another thing. Somebody goes to sell books, somebody goes to make some life members. That is another thing. Otherwise one is not allowed at all. Not whimsically "I am going out." Why you are spoiling your men?