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Originally (Conversations 1976 - 1977)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 5, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yes. So how do you say, "The mother is producing child without any father"? That you cannot say.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, but why are you comparing nature to a father and mother?

Prabhupāda: This is also nature. Everything is nature. Are you outside nature? That is another nonsense. Your body is nature; your activities are nature; everything is nature. How you can say you are out of nature? Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). He has got some intelligence, I have got some intelligence, but the intelligence is coming from nature. Otherwise how you are intelligent? Somebody is intelligent; somebody is dull. Unless there is some background, how do you find the difference? Here you see some flower is red, some flower... Why? How it is being done? You cannot say "automatically."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, we say... We agree, everything came originally from some elements.

Prabhupāda: That "some" He has explained. He is God.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, we don't... We say that those elements were always there. There is no need of any creator of those elements. They were always there.

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They are the basic elements.

Prabhupāda: Yes, "always there," but there must have been creation of these elements. Just like in the laboratory, you... Soda bicarb. Carbonate mixed with soda makes soda bicarb. Sulfuric acid. You take sulphur and turn into acid by mixing with something else. That is going on.

Morning Walk -- February 6, 1976, Mayapura:

Hṛdayānanda: Prabhupāda? You wrote in a letter to Bhagavān... You said that originally the Europeans had Aryan-type culture but they have become degraded.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. They are still Aryan. Europeans are Aryan, Indo-Aryan. That is admitted in history.

Hṛdayānanda: You said that they became degraded by associating, by bad...

Prabhupāda: Yes, by association with these aborigines.

Hṛdayānanda: Who were the aborigines they associated with?

Prabhupāda: Everywhere there were aborigines. In India there are still aborigines, ādivāsī.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You were saying, Prabhupāda, the Huns.

Prabhupāda: Huns.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Huns. They were considered like that?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Huns are also lower than the śūdras, caṇḍālas, dog-eaters, animal-eaters. And these Europeans historians, they take the aborigines, their original father.

Morning Walk -- March 11, 1976, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Śraddhā, this faith, means so strong faith that one will know it perfectly well that simply by worshiping Kṛṣṇa, everything is there. That is the beginning of faith. Otherwise there is no faith. And without faith there is no beginning. Ādau śraddhā. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). If you have got that firm faith, then next stage is to live with, to deal with devotees. Then the faith will increase because by seeing their behavior your faith will be increased. Then bhajana kriya. Wherefrom this shenai was...?

Sudāmā: Vaikuṇṭhanātha temple.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Sudama: Originally he came from the Vaikuṇṭhanātha temple, Calcutta.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's staying up in that...

Bhāvānanda: They're in the front.

Prabhupāda: They are expert in Madras.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, when we went to Nellore, remember they were greeting you each time with shenai.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Very good.

Morning Walk -- March 15, 1976, Mayapura:

Hṛdayānanda: Also you can tell them we're going to import things to America.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Hṛdayānanda: We could tell them we want to import incense from China to America. They will like that.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. You are going for export and import. We want to export books, import incense. On this plea, exchange.

Hṛdayānanda: That is how the Westerners originally entered China.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And similarly, you have got already some inquiries from booksellers from Russia. On that plea—he is also sales organization—do something there. We have got philosophy, books, approved by learned circles. There is good chance. Our Trivikrama Mahārāja reported. He went to that Formosa? Trivikrama?

Guru-kṛpā: Taiwan.

Prabhupāda: You went there.

Trivikrama: Yes.

Prabhupāda: The report was the men there were very nice.

Talk at Radha-Govinda Mandir -- March 24, 1976, Calcutta:

Prabhupāda: Fifty-five. That means in 1920 you were born?

Indian man: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So anyway, this Thakurbari, Rādhā-Govindajī, is my life. That is the beginning of my, this spiritual life. And after so many years, still Rādhā-Govindajī has dragged me. So it is His kindness. So the beginning was the same thing—worship of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity and introduction of Ratha-yātrā. That is I am doing in a bigger scale and a wider scale all over the world. So it is nothing new. So in the one sense, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). So although I was not belonging to this family.... Or perhaps originally we belonged to this family, because they are also De, we are De, but practically I was born in this family, and śucīnāṁ śrīmatām. And my father was a very pure Vaiṣṇava. So these opportunities we got. Now it is developed in a wider scale. It is all Kṛṣṇa's arrangement, maybe from my previous life. But you are cooperating, you American and European, so we are spreading the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, this mission. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa mission it is practically. Śrī kṛṣṇa caitanya, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is combination of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktir asmād (CC Adi 1.5). Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī, the same Absolute Truth. Rādhārāṇī is the pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa, and when Kṛṣṇa wants to enjoy, He expands His pleasure potency in the form of Rādhārāṇī. And when He wants to spread the loving affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, He takes the form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and very kindly He gives the love of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī has offered Him obeisances, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). To understand Kṛṣṇa, it takes long, long duration of life. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). And to understand the love of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī, it is not so easy thing. But by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu we are understanding. Kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). So it is now spreading all over the world. So this is.... About this movement it may be this Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā-Govinda Deity is the, what is called?

Conversation with News Reporters -- March 25, 1976, Delhi:

Reporter (1): Swamiji, you write originally in English or these books are being translated from some other language into English...

Prabhupāda: No, translated, but I give my purport. That is.... They like very much. Present the purport in such a way they can understand it. The original verse is there, but they are explained by me.

Room Conversation -- April 4, 1976, Vrndavana:

Jagat-guru: Also, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have seen on our altar, Gaura-Nitāi? We have large Gaura-Nitāi and two small, three actually, three small sets of Gaura-Nitāi Deities. The ones on the far left, just under Lord Nityānanda's feet, They are going also to South Africa. They came originally from East Africa. I mentioned it when I first came to Māyāpur(?). So we will be taking them. We have a very nice siṁhāsana built for Them, finished tomorrow, and we'll be displaying Them at all our programs, preaching programs.

Prabhupāda: Do the needful. That's all.

Room Conversation -- April 22, 1976, Melbourne:

Brian Singer: ...where does originally the soul come from?

Prabhupāda: In the beginning arithmetic, mathematic, to a child it is difficult. And "One plus two equal to three, two plus two equal to four," in the beginning it may be difficult for a child, but the subject matter is very easy.

Room Conversation -- April 22, 1976, Melbourne:

Brian Singer: How was the soul originally created? This...

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Brian Singer: The original creation...

Prabhupāda: There is no creation. That you have to understand.

Brian Singer: It always is.

Prabhupāda: It is eternal. There is no creation. If soul is created by some combination of matter, then you could create. That you cannot do.

Brian Singer: So there was no starting point in time.

Prabhupāda: No, eternal. And that is explained there. Antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ (BG 2.18). Antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ. And another, na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit: "It is never created; it is never annihilated." You open that verse, na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Mr. Dixon: But I would have thought that in some ways it might have perform the same sort of function for some people as, say, smoking some cigarettes performs for others.

Prabhupāda: No.

Mr. Dixon: In other words, it...

Prabhupāda: That depends on the particular man, what kind of flavor he wants. That is another thing. But there are different varieties of incense. Generally we use rose flavor, sandalwood flavor. We offer to the Deity room to keep the atmosphere very favorable. Originally in India it was dhūpa. They used to put in the fire some flavored hulls, and it was very nice. That has been transferred into now stick incense.

Room Conversation with Siddha-svarupa -- May 3, 1976, Honolulu:

Hari-śauri: There's no problem with... (break) ...as far as distributing Kṛṣṇa consciousness like that, but the thing is they simply don't want to cooperate with the ISKCON movement.

Prabhupāda: But why?

Hari-śauri: That no one knows. They simply just don't want to mix.

Prabhupāda: That we can settle up by sitting together. Why there should be difference?

Hari-śauri: Just like in New Zealand, originally they split from ISKCON, and now gradually you are bringing them back to the same standard again, like now you're encouraging them to build a temple and install Deities. That means they have to come up to the required brahminical standard again. So why was there any need to go away in the first place? But still they won't cooperate. Now they'll have to do it their own way. This is..., that's their problem.

Prabhupāda: One thousand. No, don't tear. It is written there, "One thousand."

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. There's fifties and twenties. There's one fifty note, one hundred notes, twenty notes...

Prabhupāda: (indistinct)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Usually, when they write like this, they're the same denomination.

Room Conversation -- May 4, 1976, Honolulu:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Here's what they do. They take the teachers.... This is one of their program. Actually we have written a report which explains. They take the teachers, and they send the teachers out into the factory and into the farms for years.

Prabhupāda: So anywhere you send, the student and teacher class is there. You change the name, you change the process, it doesn't matter, but the student class and teacher class will always remain. That is your foolishness. You are simply changing different names. But originally, as planned by nature, that is always there.

Morning Walk -- June 4, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: But you rascal, you are not coming from atom; you are coming from your father. That is my reply. You rascal, you are coming from your father, not from the atom.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How do you say everything comes from the atom?

Rāmeśvara: Originally, they say...

Prabhupāda: Originally, go to hell. (laughs) First of all, take your case. "Originally." You do not know your case and you are going to originally. Hele data nakhe yuce.(?) You know this philosophy? Hele, there was some water snake, they have no poison. One snake charmer, he cannot catch even that. And he's trying to catch cobra. So first of all answer your case, then go to "originally."

Morning Walk -- June 4, 1976, Los Angeles:

Rādhāvallabha: Śrīla Prabhupāda, scientists have this theory called use and disuse. They would say that these birds here that have the long beaks for eating fish, originally, they did not have that, but after many, many millions of years of trying to catch fish, gradually their beaks became longer. And they would say that would be the origin of that species.

Prabhupāda: Huh? What is that?

Hṛdayānanda: He's saying that because the fish are trying to catch fish, therefore...

Rāmeśvara: The birds are trying to catch the fish.

Hṛdayānanda: Therefore a beak comes out. (laughter)

Morning Walk -- June 4, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Lābha, pūjā, pratiṣṭhā. These three things are materially wanted. Some material profit, some reputation and some.... Eh?

Devotees: Distinction.

Prabhupāda: Adoration. These are the material demands.

Hari-śauri: Because, originally, it was built up as a big thing between Russia and America, who would get to the moon first.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Now they are shaking hands, and none of them has gone. "I thank you."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's like the emperor's new clothes.

Prabhupāda: "You failed, my dear sir. I failed also. Come on."

Morning Walk -- June 4, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: There is no scientific. It is all rascal revolution. If you cannot answer these questions that you are created by your father, so why there should be no original creator? You cannot say that you have dropped from the sky.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, originally, everything came, man came from the monkey, monkey came from another animal, and everything came from an atom.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Come to practical, that you are created by your father. That you have to accept. So similarly, everything we see.... This car is created by someone. Everything we see, created. So how can you say there is no creator? Within our experience we see everything is created by someone.

Morning Walk -- June 4, 1976, Los Angeles:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And the BBT is paying part of the...

Prabhupāda: And at least, by tickets, people will pay ten dollars.

Rāmeśvara: Yes, that's Bharadvāja's idea, to tickets.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Otherwise, how we will raise the money? Book Fund cannot give.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The Book Fund has been giving one half...

Rāmeśvara: But now...

Prabhupāda: That can be given as loan, not for...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: As loan, the whole thing...

Rāmeśvara: Originally you told me wherever they go, the temple will pay fifty percent and the BBT will pay fifty percent.

Prabhupāda: No, that is loan.

Rāmeśvara: Oh.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's got to be a loan.

Prabhupāda: BBT is, our policy is fifty percent for reprinting and fifty percent for temple. Nothing else.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Strict.

Rāmeśvara: But that fifty percent for temple is only as loan.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Rāmeśvara: Except in India (laughs), then it is gift.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Because we are rich Americans.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is contribution to your Guru Mahārāja.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Right.

Rāmeśvara: (laughs) Jaya.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That is our guru-dakṣiṇā.

Rāmeśvara: There is just one problem, Śrīla Prabhupāda. If the temple thinks that they are going to have to pay for the entire project, it is so costly that they don't want to pay so much. They cannot afford. That's why you originally...

Prabhupāda: If they cannot pay, we are not going to hang them. But the condition is this: They must pay.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Maybe for those who will not pay, we could do simple ones, just with the, a...

Prabhupāda: We do not say that "If you cannot pay, I will hang you." No. "Pay, try to pay." (static) In our Hyderabad scheme, we have taken three, four lakhs loan from you. And he has taken, Jayapatākā has taken, you know? Nobody has paid me. Till now. But there is promise they will pay.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, that's good. At least the big temples, Rāmeśvara, in the beginning can certainly afford it.

Rāmeśvara: On a long-term basis.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, I won't even, for New York, I won't even take a loan.

Prabhupāda: No, we can forward loan if it is absolutely necessary.

Garden Conversation -- June 8, 1976, Los Angeles:

Rāmeśvara: But then there is an argument, if we were originally in the spiritual world, why don't we remember that and try to go back to the spiritual world?

Prabhupāda: That I have already said, that when I am in tour in Europe and India, I completely forget about Los Angeles. I act according to the circumstances there. And again when I come to Los Angeles, I immediately remember. This is natural. Out of sight, out of mind.

Bharadvāja: Śrīla Prabhupāda, we don't have to learn the activities of our spiritual body?

Prabhupāda: Yes, when you are revived. Therefore the Vedic injunction is that now you have got this human form of body, you get up to your original position. Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpta varan nibodhata. This is the Vedic injunction. Jīva jāgo jīva jāgo, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says. Jīva jāgo jīva jāgo gauracanda bole kota nidrā jāo māyā-piśācīra kole. How long you'll sleep? Here is the opportunity. Try to understand yourself. That is self-realization. And go back to home, back to Godhead. Why you are struggling here? Kṛṣṇa is coming. He is also saying the same, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Why you are rotting in this material world? So for spiritual awakening there are so many attempts by God Himself, by His devotees, by books, so many ways. But we are not inclined. That is our fault.

Garden Conversation -- June 9, 1976, Los Angeles:

Arnold Weiss: Yes. What originally caused us to lose our relationship with Lord Kṛṣṇa? I understand it is due to our desires, but how is this desire manifest?

Prabhupāda: Relationship is not lost. Just like you... Either you are in the prison house or you are in the kingdom of the state, your relationship with government is there. It does not mean that when you are put into the prison house to suffer, it does not mean you have lost relationship, is it that?

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

Prabhupāda: Hm. I was in South Africa in, what is that city?

Hṛdayānanda: Johannesburg.

Prabhupāda: Johannesburg. From the downtown, the Indian quarters about ten miles or fifteen miles away. Indian.... African, black quarters, they are not allowed even to enter the city. They require a pass. If any black man enters the city without that passport, he will immediately be taken to police. The bus for the black man is different from the white man. I think Indians also they have got separate bus. But the bus in which the white men travel, the Indians and the black men are not allowed. Gandhi tried to adjust this injustice, but he failed. Then with determination he went to India, that "I must drive away the Englishmen." These South African white men, mostly they are Englishmen and Dutchmen. Originally, they were Englishmen and Dutchmen.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Jayādvaita: That the environment is being controlled by someone, not by us. So there is someone superior. So I just said that to his students, "So your professor is giving a good example."

Prabhupāda: In our favor.

Jayādvaita: In our favor.

Prabhupāda: That's a fact. The fish may be swimming in the water, but a sensible fish must inquire that "Who has created this water?" He is enjoying in the water, or in the land, so the enquiry should be, "Who's land it is?" We are demarkating this land "mine," he has demarkated this land "mine," but originally, who is the owner of this land? Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything is God's property. That is natural. And God said, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). Somebody must be proprietor. I am proprietor of this land. Who is the proprietor of this water? That is natural question. If somebody is proprietor of this land, then somebody must be proprietor of that water.

Room Conversation -- June 15, 1976, Detroit:

Hari-śauri: That's an exact duplicate of the situation that happened in Melbourne. That place was sold to a property developer, and then the National Trust put a classification on it, so he was not able to break it down, and neither could he utilize the extra space in the yard for building flats, because the council would not allow him. So then we.... Originally they would not sell to us.

Prabhupāda: Same thing here. Nobody would purchase it on account of this black quarter. Nobody was purchasing, ready to purchase.

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

Scheverman: Bureaucracy. We have lots of that. You may get a reply, and then again you may not. You'll get a reply, but it would be very general I presume, originally. It's a good idea.

Prabhupāda: No, I think that for the welfare of the whole human society.... America is opulent. They can start, that here is a college for training first-class men. Here is a college for training second-class men, and here is a college for third-class men, and balance fourth class. Fourth-class man doesn't require any training. They are simply to help the first class, second class, third class.

Prabhupada Visits Palace and Garden -- June 22, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: So they are disturbed with overpopulation.

Kīrtanānanda: It doesn't make any sense. But their objection was that they might not come back.

Prabhupāda: But that is good for you, because you are harassed by overpopulation. You cannot feed them even. Why you object? Let them go and live somewhere else peacefully. Just like the Europeans came here. Originally, in America, Europeans came. Because it was overcongested and they got..., Columbus found this land, enough, and they migrated. So still there is so much land. The Indians are hard workers, they will develop very nicely. Just like this quarter; if Indians would be allowed, they'll come and make it very nice. In South America, they have done. Many Indian cultivators, they have come in remote villages. This cooperation should be. Everything belongs to God. Why a class or community should be congested? Just like China, Japan, India, so much congested. What is this nonsense United Nations doing? What they have done for the last thirty years? No liberal-minded. Let them propose that wherever there is enough land and wherever there is overpopulation, let them go and the government give them simply land and let them work and be happy. Why not arrange, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, arrange between these two, United Nations. Why a section of people is rotting in a place and devising some means how to fight with the others and get land? Why? There is no meaning. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). This is our philosophy, everything belongs to God, and everyone is a son of God; therefore the son of God has the right. Why they should be thrown together and live compulsorily in that rotten place, that in China they are living on the sea? You know that?

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

Hari-śauri: The Mafia is an organization that was originally coming from Sicily. They were an organized group of men that would control all the politics in the area by manipulation of money and businessmen.

Devotee (1): And violence.

Hari-śauri: And violence. So many things they'd do. They used to organize all the heroin that comes into the country, like this, for revenue, to get revenue, money. So many things. And places like Las Vegas, which is a big gambling city, that is also run by the Mafia. They control all the casinos and they control the police, they pay everyone off, like that, and if they don't agree, they kill them. So like this, their influence is spread everywhere, any illegal things that are going on.

Prabhupāda: Terrorism.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Our last President, two Presidents ago, Kennedy, he was involved with one of their prostitutes. She was getting information, and he was not investigating them because he was involved with one of their prostitutes.

Prabhupāda: They keep prostitutes also?

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Oh, yes, they use them. Actually, they are controlling many of these judges, and then we are coming in, and we are preaching the other thing, no prostitution, no drinking, and then we are getting fines.

Room Conversation -- July 2, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Hari-śauri: When they originally started sending sputniks to the moon, they couldn't even land them properly. They would crash, they said that they were crash-landing spaceships into the moon's surface.

Prabhupāda: Crashed?

Hari-śauri: Crash-landing. The spaceship was supposed to just smash into the surface of the moon, like that.

Prabhupāda: They have never gone. Simply propaganda. Even they have gone, what is the result? Simply with big report that it is inhabitable. (Prabhupāda is eating something:) What is this fiber? Finding? What are other things are there in the... Hmm? What is this? (Hari-śauri laughs) Hmm? Do they add anything more? Something reddish there?

'Life Comes From Life' Slideshow Discussions -- July 3, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Next point says, in the column of matter, it says it has temporary complex forms in association with life. On the other hand, life is immutable. From Bhagavad-gītā, it has neither beginning nor end. Now this is what actually we find when a living entity is in association with matter, now matter tends to the form, into definite specific forms. Like human body has a specific form, like that, other living entities have forms. But this is only due to in association with life.

Prabhupāda: Yes. As he desired, so he got a form. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). The form is offered by the Supreme Absolute Truth, as he desires. Just like the cloth has no form, but as the customer desires, the tailor gives a form suitable to his desire. Similarly, material world means we have got varieties. In the spiritual world also we have got varieties. Because we are originally of varieties of form, we are getting these varieties of body, being influenced by the modes of material nature. So I'm desiring that if I get such body, I can eat even stool. So God gives you, "All right, you take this body. Become a pig and eat stool." This is going on. Why? Your desiring. You eat, actually. So īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He's friendly, He's sitting in everyone's heart, and the living entity is desiring. So bhrāmayan. Desiring means he wants to go here and there. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni (BG 18.61). He gives a particular type of yantra, machine. This body is machine. Body is machine, everyone accepts. This is a machine. If we want to go to India, we ride on a machine, airplane, and go there. Similarly, bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni. We want varieties of life, and God gives us a particular machine to ride on and travel, go to heaven, go to hell, become a dog, become a cat, become a demigod, become a tree. This is going on. Transmigration of the soul. God gives us a particular type of body, and we change from one machine to another. This is transmigration.

Morning Walk -- July 4, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I sent Kṛṣṇa-kānti, he made a, recorded this in South Africa and printed it. It's not actually legal, but we did it because we didn't think it would... This is the most wonderful record for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness because you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. So pure.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Originally.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: People can more appreciate Hare Kṛṣṇa than these bhajanas, because they do not understand.

Prabhupāda: Bhajana, they do... (break) ...Brahmānanda, you...

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

Prabhupāda: That I am stating, that when water dries up, we find deposits of earth.

Rūpānuga: Yes, because it precedes, and earth is being created from water, so you'll find earth in water originally.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: But still water is one element less than earth.

Prabhupāda: No, earth is full of all elements.

Hari-śauri: What he is saying is back to front then. If earth has all the elements in it, then the other one says you go successively back, should have one less. So why is it water has earth in it when earth is the last one to be produced?

Prabhupāda: Not visible.

Rūpānuga: Oh, it's not manifest

Prabhupāda: Yes, not manifest.

Rūpānuga: So earth is in a nonmanifest state in the water, and when you analyze water sometimes you can analyze and produce little particles of earth. Is that right?

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Everything is there. Not prominent, that's all.

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

Svarūpa Dāmodara: But we wanted to clarify this, because this is the nice thing that we can show that matter comes from life. This is the source.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Sa īkṣata, sa asṛjata, by the glance of Mahā-Viṣṇu... Eko nārāyaṇa āsīt. In the beginning, Nārāyaṇa was there. There was no Lord Śiva, no neither Brahmā. This mantra was there. So originally by the glance...

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

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Actually consciousness is a symptom of life, so when we say contaminated consciousness, the quality of life is there, but somehow...

Prabhupāda: That is mixed with material modes.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes.

Rūpānuga: Originally it is goodness. Very... Pure goodness, you say. Everything in the beginning is...

Prabhupāda: I give the example, just like water falling from the sky. It is crystal clear, distilled water. But as soon as touches the earth, it becomes muddy. But that muddiness can be filtered.

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

Prabhupāda: That is there. Every day we are experiencing, huh? Just the same seed and the living entity comes and it becomes a tree and it grows, big tree, huge body. And as soon as it is dead, the body is not increasing. This is experiment. Everything is coming from life. Kṛṣṇa says, He's the supreme life, He says mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ (BG 10.8). He's the origin of everything, both matter and life, everything. Matter also coming from life, life is also coming from life. Therefore life is the original source of everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So janmādy asya yataḥ is life. That is explained in the Bhāgavata. Janmādy asya yato 'nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). That source of everything is life and is fully conscious of everything what is happening. Anvayāt, indirectly and directly, fully conscious. That is life.

Rūpānuga: So that matter is coming from Kṛṣṇa originally.

Prabhupāda: Everything is coming from Him.

Rūpānuga: Spirit soul, he has his activities and he's active and...

Prabhupāda: He may be inactive, but his subtle desires is active. That is creation. Matter is supplying, that is pradhāna of life.

Rūpānuga: So he creates the situation for the matter, but he doesn't create the matter itself.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He wants, "I want this," and God is there, He asks material energy to supply the ingredients, and he creates his own situation.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. Thank you very much, Prabhupāda. (end)

Morning Walk -- July 11, 1976, New York:

Bali-mardana: Om is very popular in English language for a long time. When they think of mystical things, they think of om. The English, originally because they were in India, they thought to imitate some Indian words.

Prabhupāda: Many Indian words have been introduced in dictionary. And many English words is also introduced. That is natural. (break)

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

Rāmeśvara: No, they abstain from... In Salt Lake City you are not allowed to smoke cigarettes. They have passed a law, "No cigarettes."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In the whole city?

Rāmeśvara: In the whole city.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Wow, that's a big city. It's one of the capitals of the States.

Rāmeśvara: But they have meat-eating. Originally they are not supposed to, but they are already deviating.

Devotee (1): Do they still have many wives?

Rāmeśvara: No, that's against the law. Originally they believed in polygamy...

Prabhupāda: But now they are changing.

Rāmeśvara: Yes, now they are changing.

Prabhupāda: That means no fixed-up idea.

Devotee (1): No sound philosophy.

Morning Walk -- July 13, 1976, New York:

Hari-śauri: No, they say the organisms that were originally in the water, and when there was some land formed...

Prabhupāda: How is this grass evolving?

Rādhāvallabha: They say that the wind blows the seeds. Or animals drop them. They also say that flying animals, like birds, came from the sea in one form.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I heard one island had just appeared sometime back from a volcano underneath the ocean in the middle of the Pacific.

Hari-śauri: There's one near Norway as well.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The scientists wanted to find out how long it would take before life appeared on this island in the middle of nowhere. So they were thinking it might take thousands of millions and billions of years, because there had been no life there to begin with. But they found that within one year it was full of so much plants, vegetation.

Prabhupāda: Just see, how rascal they are.

Interview with Newsday Newspaper -- July 14, 1976, New York:

Interviewer: Are you the one who chooses who runs each center, who is responsible in each temple.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Our program is to open centers in every village, every town, to propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Interviewer: And you choose the leaders, or Kṛṣṇa does and tells you, how does that work?

Prabhupāda: No, I have been chosen by my spiritual master.

Interviewer: Yes. And you in turn choose others?

Prabhupāda: Oh yes. That is our succession.

Interviewer: On what basis?

Prabhupāda: Basis, on the order of Kṛṣṇa. Originally the order is from Kṛṣṇa.

Interviewer: How does that come?

Prabhupāda: Comes by disciplic succession. Just like Kṛṣṇa said this knowledge to Arjuna and Arjuna said to others and it is open. Everyone can take it, there is no secrecy. We have to accept only, that's all.

Interviewer: I missed that, I'm sorry.

Prabhupāda: The order is already there, it is open, open secret. There is no secrecy. Anyone can take it.

Interviewer: All right. But in terms of specific, say, choosing, specific things, specific details.

Prabhupāda: Yes, in all details, how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, there is all details in this book, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.

Interview with Religious Editor Of the Associated Press -- July 16, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: You cannot say because gold is in the hand of a Muhammadan it is Muhammadan gold, or if it is in the hand of a Christian it is Christian gold. Gold is gold.

Interviewer: Right.

Prabhupāda: In anyone's hand. You cannot designate it.

Interviewer: Who's got the gold?

Prabhupāda: Huh? Everyone has got the gold.

Interviewer: Who has the gold?

Prabhupāda: No, everyone has got the gold, but they have, they are not in awareness that what is that gold.

Bali-mardana: Everyone has the gold. They are simply unaware that they have it. Everyone is originally Kṛṣṇa conscious or God conscious. What Prabhupāda is doing is making people aware of it, that it's within them, within their heart.

Interviewer: Well, are there other paths to awareness of spirit consciousness other than the Kṛṣṇa consciousness path?

Prabhupāda: That, how can I say? That is your subject matter. You study both of them and see and give your judgement.

Interviewer: What is your view? Are there other paths to spirit consciousness?

Prabhupāda: There is, but not very elaborate.

Interviewer: There are but not very what?

Bali-mardana: Elaborate, scientific.

Prabhupāda: Not very elaborate.

Interviewer: Not very good?

Prabhupāda: Not very elaborate.

Interview with Religious Editor Of the Associated Press -- July 16, 1976, New York:

Interviewer: I see, I see. That's like most religious names derived quite often out of ridicule or scorn. Like the Quakers, that was originally a title of scorn. And Methodists, they were the methodical ones, that was a title of scorn. And the Baptists were the baptizers.

Prabhupāda: Real Vedic principle is called varṇāśrama. Observing the principle of four varṇas. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya. It is a very long science. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. This is called varṇa. And brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. This is called āśrama. So the Vedic civilization is called varṇāśrama-dharma, not Hindu dharma. This is later contribution of the so-called scholars.

Morning Walk -- July 17, 1976, New York:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You must have been surprised to see how much they could eat.

Prabhupāda: Um, I was not surprised. He was young man, very stout and strong.

Kīrtanānanda: Originally, we all ate from Prabhupāda's plate though. There was one plate of prasādam. And Prabhupāda would just give little, little to everybody. And everybody would be satisfied.

Rāmeśvara: It is the great weapon, prasādam.

Prabhupāda: I used to keep some prasādam, anyone would come I would give.

Kīrtanānanda: After class also you always distributed some prasādam. After kīrtana and class.

Prabhupāda: Yes. I was clapping my hand. In meeting, I used to collect not less than six dollars, not more than twenty dollars. And that was...

Room Conversation -- July 17, 1976, New York:

Indian man: Śrīnāthajī, we consider Him as Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes, He is Kṛṣṇa. He's our Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava. It is decided by the court. Śrīnāthajī, there are... Mādhavendra Purī's worshipable Gopāla... He discovered Gopāla in Govardhana. That Gopāla was delivered to... Who is the ācārya? Vallabhācārya. And it is decided by the court that Śrīnāthajī originally belongs to Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava, by the court. This Mādhavendra Purī is the spiritual master of Īśvara Purī. And Īśvara Purī is the spiritual master of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So from Mādhavendra Purī is Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava. So his Deity is Gopāla. That Gopāla is Śrīnāthajī.

Morning Walk -- July 18, 1976, New York:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But now they always greet each other by saying "Good morning, sir."

Prabhupāda: No, it has become now a phrase, but originally the word originated when the morning was good, because that is a great fortune for them. (laughter) Yes, in London I was three months; always gloomy, damp, cloudy. Therefore I, television said, they asked, "What is your idea of hell?" and "This is hell, London. London is hell." He stopped. He did not ask anything more. This is hell. Simply by big, big buildings, you are keeping as heaven, but it is the hell.

Morning Walk -- July 20, 1976, New York:

Hari-śauri: So if there was originally an atmosphere, why is it not there now?

Prabhupāda: These are all rascal, "atmosphere." What atmosphere? Whole world is made of these material elements. Why the atmosphere should be different? Maybe more or less; that is another thing. Just like in the Western country it is very cool and the Eastern it is country hot. But that does not mean everything is changed.

Room Conversation -- July 26, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: You know French?

Pṛthu-putra: Yes, I am from France originally.

Prabhupāda: So what is your new publication?

Bhagavān: So I have a big surprise.

Devotees: Whew! Wow! It's fabulous! Wow!

Prabhupāda: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Room Conversation -- July 27, 1976, London:

sJayatīrtha: Hilly, and the place was originally not very nice. Everything is built from scratch.

Hari-śauri: The management in New Vrindaban is a lot more difficult as well, because they've tried to avoid machinery, so the whole concept of farming without any complicated machinery...

Prabhupāda: But they have got so many machine. In New Vrindaban there are so many machinery.

Hari-śauri: Not so much tractors and things though. They've been trying to concentrate with just oxen and things like that, so it's taken a while to develop the whole concept, whereas in Pennsylvania they're using so many machines.

Prabhupāda: No, we are not producing various things(?).

Jayatīrtha: In our Vancouver farm, because we had machinery, we were able to put more land under cultivation in the first year than they had in New Vrindaban after so many years. They were very efficient.

Bhagavān: Thing is, we should not become dependent on machine.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- July 31, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Jyotirmāyī: Plants, yes, here we have so many different plants growing, some medical plants, some that can be eaten. Is there any use?

Prabhupāda: No. Different plants, that is botanical study, that has also no utilization. But you can teach them, "Just see, this plant is coming from earth. The earth is the mother of this plant." These things you can convince them. Is it not a fact? The grass is coming, the tree is coming, and the animal eating grass. Then the animal is coming. The man is eating food grains, then man is coming. So originally the earth is the mother, feeding everyone. Is there any denial? What do you think? So earth is the mother of all living entities, convince them. So all living entities are children. Mother earth is the mother. The father? Where is father, find out. Everyone has got idea, father, mother and children. Children are there. The mother is there. Where is the father? If somebody says "I have not seen father; how can I recognize father?" that does not mean... Because the mother is there, because the children are there, there must be father. If you do not know, try to know it from your mother, from your superior. From Veda-mātā. You have to know from the Vedas.

Room Conversation -- July 31, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Yes. They are Indian culture. Their original culture is Indian. It is called Siam. (pronounces like Śyāma) Kṛṣṇa's name. And they have got the airplane, Garuḍa.

Hari-śauri: Yes. Garuḍa Airlines.

Prabhupāda: So they are devotees originally, all Kṛṣṇa devotees.

Devotee (1): The king is speaking Sanskrit.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It was known, it has been changed now. Formerly, it was known as Syam state, Siam. Syam is the name of Kṛṣṇa. Whole state was named under Kṛṣṇa. So, and they manufacture very nice idol of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. They're accustomed.

Hari-śauri: They have a very strong Buddhist influence there now.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Hari-śauri: Buddhist.

Prabhupāda: Later on, they became Buddhist, but originally they were Vaiṣṇava.

Devotee (1): So they will not make some objection if they think we are thinking we have come to preach Hinduism in a Buddhist country?

Prabhupāda: It is not... Don't establish Deity. Talk on philosophy.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- August 9, 1976, Tehran:

Dayānanda: A spiritual master, I mean. They must have the person.

Prabhupāda: Yes, spiritual master, yes, must be there. That is Vedic injunction. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Spiritual, that I have already explained. Spiritual master, good father, good king, good teachers, they are required. That is defect. There is no guru, there is no spiritual master, there is no nice king, nice father, whole society... (break) (in room) If you find out sand and rocks, you must also (indistinct) there was water. And from water, vegetation comes. From vegetation, other life comes. What we speak, we don't speak unscientifically. It is scientific. How this rascal says all of a sudden in the sky there is rocks? Wherefrom the rock came?

Hari-śauri: Well, they say originally from gas.

Prabhupāda: Gas?

Hari-śauri: Gas.

Prabhupāda: So gas, without water, there cannot be gas.

Hari-śauri: Gas and then it liquifies and then it solidifies.

Prabhupāda: Liquid means water. So as soon as there is water, there is vegetation. You'll find everywhere. Water dries up, vegetable comes.

Parivrājakācārya: Today they are exploring Mars, and they are saying that they're finding water on Mars.

Prabhupāda: Water's there. Everything must be there. Pañca-bhūta, mahā-bhūta. Ether, then fire, then water, then land. Everything is described in the Bhāgavatam. They cannot speak nonsense. They can speak nonsense through the other literatures, but we cannot speak. Without water, how there is possibility of sand? Sand means it is salt.

Evening Darsana -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Mr. Sahani: Yes. Originally we use to live in Peshwar and they used to work and do business in Kabul and they lived in Kabul, but then they stayed on there and became Afghans.

Prabhupāda: After Pakistan. They left Peshwar and went to...

Mr. Sahani: No, they were not living there because there was no passport, there was no need of visa, you could anytime come and go. But after independence of Pakistan, at the same time, they made border, and a country of their own, and then these people stayed on this side, and they became Afghans. There are about, oh, six thousand, five, six thousand.

Prabhupāda: Homes.

Room Conversation -- August 20, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) Neither he has complained against anybody. He does not complain, and nobody complains against him. His mother was very much sorry. Now she is very happy.

Hari-śauri: He joined in the West?

Prabhupāda: He is Parsee.

Hari-śauri: He's not Indian.

Prabhupāda: No, he is Indian. India, there is Parsee community. Indian Parsee means that originally they come from Iran. They are Iranian. But on account of Muhammadans forcibly standing within way... Aurangzeb came. Muhammadans they came, they fled from Iran and took shelter in the western part of India. They took shelter in Gujarat. Persia... I think Iran was known as Persia.

Hari-śauri: Yes. At least that area, anyway.

Prabhupāda: Therefore they are known as Parsee. In their ritualistic ceremonies some (indistinct) do with women... (?)

Hari-śauri: Yes. I saw all the women, they keep themselves covered and everything.

Prabhupāda: Sari?

Hari-śauri: Most of them were wearing trousers.

Room Conversation -- August 21, 1976, Hyderabad:

Gargamuni: Oh, those tapes. I asked for those tapes so long ago. If we can get those Hindi and Bengali tapes we could have them transcribed, and they can make very good essays.

Jayapatākā: All the big English Back to Godhead articles are actually your lectures simply transcribed. So we could transcribe those tapes and we could have originally your words.

Gargamuni: Yes. There were ten days when Prabhupāda spoke in Bengali.

Jayapatākā: Twice. Once in Deshapriya Park and once at Maidan. Even today people talk about both festivals.

Prabhupāda: Bhagavāner Kathā.

Jayapatākā: Bhagavāner Kathā. Devānanda Gauḍīya Maṭha. Paper of Gauḍīya.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Gauḍīya it was published continuous.

Room Conversation -- August 22, 1976, Hyderabad:

Gargamuni: There is in the other newspapers. Maybe not in this. But they do offer prize. You send in, then they choose prize.

Prabhupāda: So they work, originally it began for prize. (laughs) Otherwise, these karmīs, why they shall waste their time? They wanted some prize.

Hari-śauri: Sometimes they print their names in the next issue. "The last week's winner was..."

Prabhupāda: "Winner." That means prize.

Maṇihāra: There's no mention of any reward. Just...

Prabhupāda: Anything of these four prohibited regulations should not do. Yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā, four kinds of pāpa—sinful activities. From the very beginning, because I introduced this, no catur-vidhā, four kinds of pāpa. Therefore our Society is now so respected. From the very beginning we are following to keep these principles in forefront. This is appreciated by anyone. Even he is himself a debauch, he'll appreciate. It is so nice thing. A person may be a big drunkard, but he'll never like to see his son drunkard. That is natural.

Room Conversation -- September 3, 1976, Vrndavana:

sGopāla Kṛṣṇa: Thing is, the whole thing has to be completed in three weeks because the American GBCs don't like... They think it is a very big loss financially. (Hindi) Book distribution stops completely. (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: Is that correct? Is that correct key?

Hari-śauri: This one's for some of the locks on the doors.

Prabhupāda: Which door?

Hari-śauri: Ah, from the... I think it was one on the bedroom originally. They may have taken them off again.

Prabhupāda: Find out the door.

Indian man: (Hindi conversation with Prabhupāda)

Prabhupāda: ...special quality, he's very tolerant.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He's very cool.

Indian man: (Hindi conversation for some time) Keep patience. I am not dishonest.

Prabhupāda: Dishonest or not... (Hindi) Your family is very nice.

Room Conversation -- September 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Harikeśa: When you originally were speaking about Vṛndāvana, you mentioned that Vṛndāvana would be a place for those people who have become a little disturbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or burned out, we call it, from so much activity, that he comes here and gets rejuvenated. Is that still...

Prabhupāda: That is a fact, but provided he is devotee. If he's not a devotee then he will go away, here and there, here and there. That is the habit. And a devotee is satisfied anywhere. A devotee is not that "I'll go to Vṛndāvana, then I'll be satisfied." Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati (SB 6.17.28). I did not go to your country taking Vṛndāvana with me. I had to stay in places where in the refrigerator there is meat. And I was cooking. When opened it I saw, "Here is meat. All right, what can be done? Hare Kṛṣṇa." That's all.

Letter to Sai Baba -- September 13, 1976, Vrndavana:

Pradyumna:

paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam
ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum
(BG 10.12)

Prabhupāda: Puruṣaṁ śāśvatam...

Pradyumna: Puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam.

Prabhupāda: Divyam. So here Arjuna addresses Lord Kṛṣṇa as śāśvataṁ puruṣam, eternally the Personality of Godhead. It is never admitted that Supreme Lord is originally imperson. Puruṣam. I have described puruṣam? Yes. What you have written?

Pradyumna: "When Arjuna understood Kṛṣṇa after hearing Bhagavad-gītā, he addressed Kṛṣṇa as follows, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12), etc. Here Kṛṣṇa addresses... Here Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa as śāśvataṁ puruṣam or the eternal Personality of Godhead. It is never admitted that the Supreme Lord is originally impersonal."

Prabhupāda: Then, you read the other verses. Param...

Letter to Sai Baba -- September 13, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: (dictating:) So one has to accept the statement of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, how He is originally the puruṣa or person. Impersonal Brahman is expansion of the rays of His personal body, exactly like the sunshine is expansion of the rays of the sun-god Vivasvān. Vivasvān is a person in the sunglobe and Kṛṣṇa is also a person who spoke the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā long, long years before He spoke the same to Arjuna. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Therefore the conclusion is that originally God is always a person. Impersonal Brahman is emanation from the personal God. In other words, God, personal God is not from impersonal Brahman, but impersonal Brahman is from the personal God. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā as follows.

Room Conversation About Gurukula -- November 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Maṅgala-ārati sweets, they should be distributed amongst the children, little sweets. Then they can take 9:30 prasādam.

Jagadīśa: Full prasādam.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Then? Again they are taking bathing at what time?

Jagadīśa: The scheduled next bathing is 12:30.

Prabhupāda: Then what is the... 12:30, then?

Jagadīśa: After bathing they take a little prasādam.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's nice. Then it is all right.

Jagadīśa: Then at 1:30 they take some rest.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's nice. How long?

Jagadīśa: One hour.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Jagadīśa: Then they have Sanskrit class from 2:30 until four.

Prabhupāda: Hm. 2:30, four, that's all right.

Jagadīśa: One and a half hours. So there should be a recess in between.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Jagadīśa: That's one and a half hours, so there should be recess in between.

Prabhupāda: Ten minutes at least.

Jagadīśa: Then at four o'clock the chanting party leaves for the Yamunā procession.

Prabhupāda: In process... That's nice.

Jagadīśa: And they return by six for darśana in the temple room.

Prabhupāda: No, let them return by 5:30.

Jagadīśa: 5:30.

Devotee 2: Can we have the class while we're there? 'Cause it takes us...

Jagadīśa: Well, we can adjust this. Because darśana begins at 5:30, they should be there by...

Prabhupāda: No, darśana begins at five...

Jagadīśa: 5:30.

Prabhupāda: 5:30. Why?

Devotee 2: It was at six o'clock in the evening. Originally it was at six o'clock.

Prabhupāda: No, no. The darśana opens at five.

Jagadīśa: No, when you come into the temple room, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Your darśana.

Prabhupāda: No, no, my darśana is different. Public darśana. When the Deity room is open?

Bhagatji: At five o'clock in the evening.

Prabhupāda: That's it. Why do you say six?

Jagadīśa: Uh, I meant that when the darśana period for yourself was at six.

Prabhupāda: No, it should be 5:30.

Jagadīśa: 5:30.

Prabhupāda: General darśana is open at five. That's nice.

Jagadīśa: So then the boys would return at 5:30...

Prabhupāda: I think it may be little earlier, no, half an hour.

Bhagatji: Half an hour, it would be because the ārati is going at 6:30...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bhagatji: So the afternoon darśana would be at 4:30.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bhagatji: That we had, many, last year.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Jagadīśa: Then the boys would come for the chanting and recitation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Prabhupāda: What time?

Jagadīśa: 5:30 to 6:30.

Prabhupāda: No, 5:30 we begin class. In that class they can chant.

Jagadīśa: Kīrtana.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Jagadīśa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Room Conversation About Gurukula -- November 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Bhagatji: In U.P. kāyasthas are śūdras.

Prabhupāda: And originally they are śūdras. The history of Bengali kāyasthas... They went with the brāhmaṇas as servant. That is the history. And in Bengal the system is... (Bengali saying and Hindi explanation) Actually it is... If some low class man, he becomes rich, then he's taken into the kāyastha community. Anyone who cannot stick to the principle of caste system, he becomes a kāyastha.

Room Conversation -- November 24, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Wherefrom this Christo came. The Greek word. And the Greek got from India, Kṛṣṇa. This is the history. Christian means Krishnian, godly. And Christo, so far I know, the Greek meaning is "decorated," "love." That indicates to Kṛṣṇa. If there is some scholar he can find out that Christian means Krishnian originally. (reads:) "How the soul transmigrates? The process is very subtle. The spirit soul is invisible to our material eye. It is atomic in size. After the destruction of the gross body, which is made up of the senses, blood, bone, fat, and so forth, the subtle body of mind, intelligence, and ego goes on working. So at the time of death this subtle body carries the small spirit soul to another gross body. The process is just like air carrying a fragrance. Nobody can see where this rose fragrance is coming from, but we know that it is being carried by the air. You cannot see how, but it is being done. Similarly, the process of transmigration of the soul is very subtle. According to the conditions of the mind at the time of death the minute spirit soul enters in the womb of particular mother through the semina of the father. And when the soul develops a particular type of body given by the mother it may be a human being, it may be cat, a dog, or anything." So it is brainwash? Hm?

Press Conference -- December 16, 1976, Hyderabad:

Mahāṁśa: Kanaipali. And the lands were originally in the Venkateshvara Gorakshini Trust, and they have transferred these lands to ISKCON Venkateshvara Trust under the chairmanship of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. So our interest here is to... This area, the whole area here, is very dry. Although there is potency of..., there is potential for tapping water, it has been left dry and unused just like so much land all over. You can see. There is so much land which is unused, vacant, just like this. So we have been given this piece of land. We want to set an example of how such wasted land can be, with proper management and organization, it can be made usable to grow food, abundant food grains and fruits and to feed unlimited...

Prabhupāda: And offer them to Kṛṣṇa and distribute prasādam.

Mahāṁśa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That is our mission. We are already giving prasādam daily in the evening. There is no question of making profit.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- December 26, 1976, Bombay:

Devotee (1): They say originally it came from chemicals that came together.

Prabhupāda: Rascal! Create from chemicals. Otherwise, beat them with shoes in their mouth. Why you talk nonsense? Create from chemicals, life. (break) What do they say?

Devotee (1): They say they're working on it.

Prabhupāda: Then be beaten with shoes. When you're successful, then say. Otherwise, I shall beat you with shoes. That's all.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- December 26, 1976, Bombay:

Guest (5): There is no question of expenditure. We welcome you and your institution over there. We have an arrangement for about two hundred tents and we have got enough food to offer you, quality food, which you won't find in the whole of the Kumbha-mela. Because originally...

Prabhupāda: But suppose if we speak in this way, then you'll not agree. (laughter) Real food is finished. Only puris, kacuris... (laughter)

Room Conversation -- December 28, 1976, Bombay:

Rādhā-vallabha: I don't think it would be that much. The first volume has over sixty pictures and the second one only has thirty-two and the third only has twenty-four. Anyway, anything we do will increase the cost but not so significant. Few cents. We were thinking that the Kṛṣṇa Books were originally printed many many years ago and since then we have a lot of nice paintings of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes that we could put in.

Prabhupāda: If you can give without increasing price, there is no harm. Or for this cents. Let us.

Jagadīśa: Prasāda is ready.

Rādhā-vallabha: If it's only an insignificant increase then we'll put some in.

Prabhupāda: But you don't increase price.

Rādhā-vallabha: Oh, to the temples.

Prabhupāda: No, to the customer.

Rādhā-vallabha: Yes. That's no problem.

Prabhupāda: Prasāda ready?

Woman: Yes. (end)

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 7, 1977, Bombay:

Hari-śauri: We have a room in that building, anyway, in that one-story building we're storing our books in.

Prabhupāda: That we have taken now, that portion. We have paid for it.

Dr. Patel: This place, that is the worth of that, this amount, was originally bought by Mr. Nyer, for this place, for...

Prabhupāda: Two rupees, three rupees.

Dr. Patel: That one which you bought. This, this, behind, where you call. Nine annas. Nine annas a square yard.

Prabhupāda: Nine annas. (laughs)

Dr. Patel: So my place, I bought in 1958 for fifteen rupees. Today it would take me four hundred, five hundred rupees a square yard, only within these two, three years, twenty years.

Prabhupāda: Mr. Nair told me that "I have purchased not more than twenty rupees per square yard. So I shall charge you seventy rupees. It is my profit."

Dr. Patel: Seventy rupees also you were wise as compared to the modern, present prices.

Prabhupāda: No, at that time it was selling 150. And now it is more than four hundred. Our land is, only one crore, apart from these buildings. Therefore everyone is envious.

Dr. Patel: Most envious men are... That fellow was himself burned by pouring kerosene on. He was a most envious fellow. He even once told me, "Why do you go there?"

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Morning Discussion about Kumbhamela -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Gurudāsa: Oh, yes. And I cut down the pandal size. Originally the pandal was 100 by 150, 100 feet wide. But I saw that were going to emphasize saṅkīrtana and I measured that 120 by 75 was adequate.

Prabhupāda: Our visitors, they have got facility to come?

Morning Discussion about Kumbhamela -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Devotee (1): There was originally three fixed deposits. One of them was broken six months ago. We used it, BBT. So there was two remaining left for twenty-five. Originally there was thirty-six, and then one was broken. That's already been accounted for.

Prabhupāda: And our Madras center is now closed?

Devotee (1): Yes. There's no center there now. Mahamsa Swami, he's sending two men there regularly to help set...

Prabhupāda: Collect.

Devotee (1): ... members..., collect.

Prabhupāda: Kata catur anana, mari mari yāvata, nā tuyā ari avasana. You have seen Russian publication? Easy Journey to Other Planets. They have printed.

Discussion on Deprogrammers -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Rāmeśvara: Kīrtanānanda has gone, but now they are a little confused what should be done next. They originally... The plan was that he was going to come here to be your secretary. So now they need some new instruction. So we thought Jagadīśa could call and invite him to come to America to preach.

Prabhupāda: That is better. That is better. To write some letters here, that is not so important. But if he can preach and he... At least, we are expecting... He's old sannyāsī. He knows how to preach. Let him do that.

Conversation on Train to Allahabad -- January 11, 1977, India:

stRāmeśvara: They have no conception of pure life. So they think that it's just...

Prabhupāda: If they have no conception, we should give them conception that the body is dead, decomposed, then where is the sex? Where is the inclination? Similarly, the soul originally... As it is said in the Vedānta-sūtra, that "Everything is coming from Brahman." Athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now let us talk about Brahman." This is the meaning of athāto brahma-jijñāsāh. Then next verse is..., sūtra, code-janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). And Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo (BG 10.8). So unless sex comes from God... It may be perverted in the material world. That is another thing. But originally, pure sex must be there in God. Otherwise how it comes? Everything is emanating from the Supreme. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So how you can say there is no sex? Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that janmādy asya, ādi-rasa. Ādi. Ādi-rasa means sex enjoyment. So he has explained that sex has come from... Because we have used perverted sex, we have got a very bad idea. But actually sex is there in the original. Otherwise there is no question of mādhurya-rasa. Hlādinī-śakti. There is no question of sex. You do not understand Absolute. The opposition party will inquire you, but sex is originally from Brahman. That is why...

Conversation on Train to Allahabad -- January 11, 1977, India:

Rāmeśvara: His argument was that if God comes to this world and displays activities with women, it is natural that the followers of that religion will also want to have affairs with women.

Prabhupāda: No. Because they have not studied Kṛṣṇa, they misunderstand in that way. You are fond of woman. Kṛṣṇa comes to show you that in the Vaikuṇṭha, Goloka Vṛndāvana, there is woman, but not in this way. Originally there is. That is pure. So it requires education. You are not educated; you cannot talk. Now sex..., even in our material experience we find that by sex many great men has been found. So how you can accuse sex? You are talking. We should say, "You are a product of sex. So how do you say that sex is bad?"

Conversation and Instruction On New Movie -- January 13, 1977, Allahabad:

Rāmeśvara: Very fat, white beard. Christians got very angry. They think that Santa Claus is Christian, so we are impersonating to take advantage. But we were arguing that "This Santa Claus is not Christian or Jewish. He is devotee of God." Originally Santa Claus is a saint, Saint Nicholas. So we were arguing, "How can you claim exclusive property of Christian? He is a servant of God. You are using this Santa Claus..."

Prabhupāda: Even Americans use also.

Rāmeśvara: "...to sell liquor and sell cigarettes." If you watch the TV, you see that they have commercials, and Santa Claus is encouraging people, "Buy liquor," "Buy cigarettes." But we are using Santa Claus, encouraging people to...

Prabhupāda: Read book.

Rāmeśvara: ...read book. Anyway, there was some controversy, and they had this one cartoon, I sent it, outside the place where Lord Jesus was born, and the father of Jesus is seeing outside. There are three Hare Kṛṣṇas playing mṛdaṅga.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Rāmeśvara: But dressed as Santa Claus. And he is saying, "Would you believe Hare Kṛṣṇa?" So that actually is very good for us, that cartoon. They are putting us with Jesus. For them to do that is very good for us.

Hari-śauri: (indistinct)

Rāmeśvara: Yes. Somehow, whatever we do now, they find some fault and then they write about it in the newspaper, and millions of people read about us.

Prabhupāda: "Hare Kṛṣṇa." Svalpam apy asya dharmasya. Any way, if something is done in this connection, it becomes an asset.

Room Conversation -- February 3, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: We are the greatest Christian. We follow his instruction; we accept him as guru.

Hari-śauri: Yeah. Without following the guru's instructions, there's no question of appreciating who he is or his work.

Prabhupāda: And this word, Jesus, the Christ, it is not?

Hari-śauri: Well, originally they say it was "Jesus of the Christ."

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) Christ means...

Hari-śauri: God.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: So they... Originally it was "Jesus of the Christ," meaning he was son of God.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That Christ is Kṛṣṇa.

Hari-śauri: Yeah. Same word.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Krisht, Krisht. Christ means Krisht, Krisht. Krishta is vulgar expression of Kṛṣṇa. No, from his teaching, we can understand he is representative of God.

Hari-śauri: Oh, yes. What he was teaching is exactly in accord with what we're doing.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I originally composed this for Mahāṁśa Swami, but I thought I would bring a copy for your... You know, so when guests come. Should I read it?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- March 26, 1977, Bombay:

Girirāja: Well, we were originally thinking you could go on Wednesday, but...

Prabhupāda: Oh. If they have arranged. I do not know what is your arrangement.

Room Conversation -- March 26, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's what you were thinking originally, that you would be going only on certain days to the pandal, important days. Do you want to ask Prabhupāda about the press conference?

Girirāja: So we wanted to invite the newspaper men to Juhu, and usually they are more inclined to come for these meetings if we give them a nice meal. So that would be..., what I was thinking is that if you are taking your meal at 12 o'clock, then if you could meet them for a short time after that, say, at about 12:30, and then, after that, then they can take their prasādam. Otherwise we could have it in the afternoon, but I don't think we'll get as good response, because they are after that; they like that meal to be served.

Prabhupāda: Well, whatever time, you decide. But after taking my meals, I require a little rest.

Room Conversation -- April 10, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...always studying, for the last ten years. It is my conclusion that originally everything Indian, that is very, very high grade—for human society, for personal. That is actual human civilization. Everything, hygienic principles, Vedic knowledge, moral knowledge, everything perfect.

Room Conversation with Ratan Singh Rajda M.P. 'Nationalism and Cheating' -- April 15, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: I have got tendency to cheat, so people unnecessarily poses himself as very big man even by ideas that you will consider him very great man, although I am nothing. So many gurus, they are doing that. Our business that we want to speak what Kṛṣṇa has said. If Kṛṣṇa has cheated, then we are cheater. Otherwise honest. If Kṛṣṇa is honest, we are honest. If Kṛṣṇa is cheater, so our position is safe. Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Other gurus, they are manufacturing how to cheat. That is the difference. We are not speaking anything new. So if Kṛṣṇa has originally cheated you, then I am cheater.

Second Meeting with Mr. Dwivedi -- April 24, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh. He was a Kanpur man?

Mr. Dwivedi: Pardon?

Prabhupāda: He's a Kanpur man?

Mr. Dwivedi: No. Originally they might be coming from Kanpur, but now from Raipur. He's younger brother of this Vidya Charan, who was Broadcasting Minister. And in fact, even I'll... If I get... One of our workers is already there. I got a letter yesterday. So the principal of the college is going to Bhopal, and if I can contact him somewhere if he is available...

Prabhupāda: Bhopal is the capital.

Conversation with Shri Narayan -- May 2, 1977, Bombay:

Shri Narayan: Yes, true, imitation is not good at all. We must keep our originality and ancient...

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) Vedic culture (Hindi) (Hindi conversation) Within ten years I have already written eighty-four books.

Shri Narayan: Eighty-four books. (rest of conversation in Hindi, with few interspersed English words, until Shri Narayan and his associates leave)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Everybody's appreciating this view. All the ladies were standing on the balcony.

Prabhupāda: So immediately contact Jayadal and Dalmia, and he has got a nice house. We go to Hrishikesh immediately. It is very nice. Or Patel.

Discussions -- May 20-22, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. And you can again either have those... Same persons who were power of attorney to your signature can handle those properties, sign on your behalf if anything is required. I think the only place where there's properties in your name is in Māyāpur, so far I know. I remember you... I originally purchased the land. I think I purchased in your name.

Prabhupāda: So you have to decide how to manage very nicely. Otherwise will is also given.

Discussions -- June 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Rāmeśvara: Originally we told him that all the GBC are executors, and he said, "But out of them, just pick a few. It is a technical thing." 'Cause the GBC are already mentioned as the heirs or the managers of what you are giving.

Prabhupāda: So I'll give you seven names.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Our idea is to finish this will business as soon as possible.

Prabhupāda: Yes, I'll give you tomorrow. I'll think over this.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. Any more, Girirāja?

Girirāja: That's all for the will.

Rāmeśvara: There's one other item that has been recommended by several persons, Prabhupāda, and that is the will is only a legal document after the maker of the will has departed, so in the interim period, they have suggested an affidavit for any properties or, say, fixed deposits that are in your personal name, and this affidavit would simply state that the purpose of these fixed deposits and properties is for ISKCON. In that way the government will never be able to exact any taxes.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Discussions -- June 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Loan, that's all right. Whatever loan you have, let us see how you are paying.

Rāmeśvara: He is already paying the money back to an account that has been set up with him and Gopāla in Calcutta.

Prabhupāda: How much he has returned?

Rāmeśvara: How much have you paid back originally?

Jayapatākā: Only one payment has come through. I paid the first thing.

Rāmeśvara: No, no, no, of the seventy thousand.

Jayapatākā: No. Seventy thousand? We have no debt with BBT. We're paid up.

Rāmeśvara: How much have you paid so far?

Jayapatākā: Since April I've paid twenty-one thousand.

Rāmeśvara: He's already paid twenty-one thousand rupees of it back.

Prabhupāda: So you can take fifty thousand also. If they have returned twenty-one thousand, you can pay fifty thousand, loan more.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We can pay fifty thousand...?

Rāmeśvara: He'll take a loan.

Prabhupāda: Give and take, give and take, give and take.

Room Conversation -- June 18, 1977, Vrndavana:

Upendra: The reason the original faith was placed in the scientists was because radio, airplanes, tape recorders have been manufactured, and people are impressed by these originally.

Prabhupāda: So what is the benefit? Without radio, people were dying, or with radio they are not living?

Upendra: They say they are living more comfortably.

Prabhupāda: Nonsense comfortably... They have changed the season? Is it comfortable? We have to take this cooling machine. What is the practical benefit? You can say that it is comfortable. That's all right. But that does not mean that you have moved the uncomfortable situation. You are struggling against. That much you can take credit. Real benefit is not there. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9).

Talk with Svarupa Damodara -- June 20, 1977, Vrndavana:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Unconsciousness also means no life?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Originally conscious. When there is forgetfulness, that is not. So unconsciousness is a covering of life. You develop this argument. There is no such thing as unconsciousness, but when the consciousness is covered, that is unconsciousness, negation.

Conversation -- July 1, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, today's Friday, so day after tomorrow will be Sunday. Sunday morning. Is that all right? Actually Mr. Myer came here to get initiated. He had no idea to come here to become a manager here. Originally, before he went back to Madras to get his wife, he just came here for this thing, because he heard that you were very ill, and he didn't know what your position would be, so he wanted... So he rushed here, stopping all his work, simply to take initiation.

Prabhupāda: That is Kṛṣṇa's inspiration.

Room Conversation with Devotees -- July 1, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One boy brought it to another boy who brought it to another boy, and he brings it here. So I said, "Where is it from?" because if it's from Seth Visanchand we can take it that it's a good chance it's pure. So I want to know who has sent it originally.

Prabhupāda: That is the difficulty here. I say. You say. Another rascal, he says. Another rascal, another... Ultimately it is done by grace. Rather, what can I do? It is very difficult. He did not hear what I am saying. "Will o' the wisp." Without understanding, "garagara," run off. Bas. Foolishness. What is written there, in the bottle?

Discussion about Bhu-mandala -- July 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, I think that one of the difficulties arose from my seeing this map originally, because in this map it shows the continents that we today speak of as various continents. So when we all looked at this map, our immediate question was, as I said the other day, how do we go from one place to the next? It's not such an unreasonable question. So we're just trying to answer it from the Bhāgavatam—not to give our own speculations, because they're imperfect.

Prabhupāda: That is already answered. You are limited within certain area. So you can conclude in so many ways. Sara bhuri kara, kara bhuri sara.(?) There is a vegetable prepared, the following vegetables are taken: sara, bhuri, and kara. And again you say kara bhuri sara. This way or that way. Sara bhuri kara, kara bhuri sara. That three things, either you take this way consecutively or that way consecutively. But you have got only that kara bhuri sara. You have no experience. There is potato, there is (indistinct), there is (indistinct-Sanskrit). You know these three things. Sara bhuri kara. Kara bhuri sara. Just like they are making arrangement in the laboratory. Companies are there. They present in such a way, that he was flying in the sky, and big sputnik and very small town. Do you know that man came?

Room Conversation -- October 20, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: More or less a covering letter. I mean we have certain correspondence, but on the receipt itself it says transferred... The whole thing is done pakka. When we gave the receipts to Vṛndāvana branch they signed that they received them. When we gave the letter to the head office originally telling them what we wanted to do, they gave us back in writing, "Take the receipts, give them to the Vṛndāvana branch. They will be transferred, then you will collect them in Delhi." Everything is in writing, documented.

Prabhupāda: And no new receipt issued?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. Not a new receipt issued. We wanted a new receipt, but they did not issue a new receipt. I was expecting to get a new receipt, but they didn't give. They simply noted on these receipts.

Prabhupāda: Do you think that is sufficient?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yes, definitely.

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So what he's going to do... Today I'm giving you... And I explained to Vrindavan, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that originally these receipts, these postal receipts, were meant for all of the five former family members, but as he's doing business now and he requires some money, that Your Divine Grace is giving him this money as a good chance. And I said that he should utilize it to develop the business. And in the future, when there is sufficient money, he may pay to the individuals the amount that they would have gotten from these postal receipts. But first of all use it and develop the business. Is that all right?

Prabhupāda: It will be success...

Room Conversation -- November 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, originally you had intended that that hall would be used for Svarūpa Dāmodara's scientists and for our theater group and things like that.

Prabhupāda: That's all right, but are you going to have every day?

Page Title:Originally (Conversations 1976 - 1977)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, MadhuGopaldas
Created:25 of Feb, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=88, Let=0
No. of Quotes:88