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Prayaga - Allahabad (Conversations)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1967 Conversations and Morning Walks

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Hayagrīva: All right. Now the second scene. Is that the end of the first?

Prabhupāda: Second scene, fourth act, Caitanya Mahāprabhu after finishing His South Indian tour, He came back to Jagannātha Purī, His headquarter, and after some days He started for Vṛndāvana. While He was in Vṛndāvana He was embracing the tree as old friend, and the birds were sitting on His hand, as if receiving an old friend. Because He was Kṛṣṇa. So after many years they have seen. And that scene, if you can describe how He's traveling in the Vṛndāvana forest. Then He took bath in the several vānas and ghāṭas. Ghāṭas means bathing place of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes. And everywhere He felt the ecstasy of Rādhārāṇī, separation. In this way He returned from Vṛndāvana, and when He came down to Prayag, modern Allahabad, at that time He met Rūpa Gosvāmī. Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Hayagrīva: Now you say the trees were old friends because He could remember that He was Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa used to play in these forests. He used to play in the forest. Yes. Now He met Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Prabhupāda: At Prayag.

Hayagrīva: At Prayag. Yes.

Prabhupāda: Allahabad. And...

Hayagrīva: What is His age? I just want to keep checking on this, His age now. Is He twenty, in His twenties still?

Prabhupāda: No, no. He took sannyāsa at twenty-four. Say twenty-five, twenty-six years.

Hayagrīva: Couple years later. All right. Because time is an important factor. You have to keep track of the time in the play.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He toured, after His sannyāsa, He toured all over India for six years only. That means up to 30th year He toured all over India.

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: You have seen many ghāṭas, bathing places.

Hayagrīva: Oh yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: Similarly, there are ghāṭas in Benares, Prayag, and all, I mean to say, Vṛndāvana. That is the specific significance of Indian places of pilgrimage.

Hayagrīva: Yes. They bathe there every day I noticed.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So similarly, there is a ghāṭa which is called Daśāśvamedha Ghāṭa at Prayag. He instructed about the science of devotional service to Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Hayagrīva: Now how old is Rūpa Goswami? Is he an old man?

Prabhupāda: Oh, he was old enough. He was not less than fifty years at that time.

Hayagrīva: I see. All right. Anything else in the second scene, fourth act?

Prabhupāda: That is it... And then He came back to Benares.

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Hayagrīva: I thought He stayed in Jagannātha... He's not now... He left...

Prabhupāda: No, from Jagannātha Purī He went to Vṛndāvana. From Vṛndāvana while coming down again He first of all came to Prayag. There He taught Rūpa Gosvāmī. Then when He still came down He came to Benares. At Benares He remained for two months. More than two months. And for two months continually He instructed Sanātana Gosvāmī about devotional service. That instruction you'll find in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya. I've written that Teachings of Lord Caitanya?

Hayagrīva: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. In that you'll find.

Hayagrīva: Now this third scene, meets Sanātana Gosvāmī, that's in Benares. And Sanātana is how old?

Prabhupāda: Sanātana was older than Rūpa Gosvāmī. He was the eldest. He was not less than about 65 or 70 years old. He was old man. Sufficiently old man.

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview -- September 24, 1968, Seattle:

Interviewer: Where is Kṛṣṇa consciousness most common in the world, and how widespread is it in India?

Prabhupāda: In India Kṛṣṇa consciousness is cent percent spread. Every Indian, even if he is not Hindu, he is Kṛṣṇa conscious. There is one professor in Allahabad University. He is Mohammedan by religion, but he is a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. On the birthday of Kṛṣṇa he would fast the whole day, and he would write one article to some paper. So similarly, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is heart and soul of every Indian. One may differ, one may not agree, or there are so many different classes of men, but Kṛṣṇa is known cent percent in India.

Interviewer: Is Kṛṣṇa consciousness more easily accepted among Indians and among Far Eastern peoples than among the Western peoples?

Prabhupāda: It is the easiest method conceivable because the method is so easy that we simply ask people to come and chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. And it is actually experienced that in this country, all my disciples, they are neither Indian, nor Hindu, nor they know the Sanskrit words, everything is unknown to them, but still, they are taking so seriously. That is the proof how it is easier, that it can be spread all over the world.

Room Conversation -- October 27, 1968, Montreal, With First Devotees Going to London On Evening of Their Departure:

Janārdana: Virāṭa rūpa conception.

Prabhupāda: Virāṭa rūpa, yes. That is also nice, right, that through fire He eats, yes, or through the mouth of the brāhmaṇas and devotees. Two things are there. Therefore, according to the Vedic religion, the brāhmaṇas or Vaiṣṇavas, devotees, are invited to take food in some ceremonies. In śraddhā ceremony they are especially invited with great honor. In pilgrimage somebody goes to Vrndavana, Prayag, Mathura. They invite the brāhmaṇas and Vaisnavas so that through them Kṛṣṇa is eating. They have come to satisfy Kṛṣṇa in a place of pilgrimage. These are the systems. So for the purpose of eating, so many brāhmaṇas have sprung up. Because brāhmaṇas are invited, so so many so-called brāhmaṇas there. They'll be present when eating, and when there is chanting of Vedas they are not present there. (break) Baby has also tilaka. (chuckles) She is very happy. You see? I never seen such small child not crying. That means she is always happy. She's not crying means... Because baby cries when there is discomfort. And with her face shows that she is very happy. (laughs)

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 17, 1971, Allahabad:

Haṁsadūta: They actually say that?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Haṁsadūta: "One Nārāyaṇa is being absorbed by another."

Prabhupāda: One respectable pleader in Allahabad, I said, "Why you are eating this?" We also find that he's a very religious man. So I inquired. He was just like our father; still, I inquired. He said, "No, what is the wrong there? Nārāyaṇa, Brahman. So one Brahman is going into the belly of another Brahman, Brahman being absorbed, brahmeti." So they have got so dangerous theory. But still, we shall not hesitate to kick on their face but because they are making a propaganda, it should be peaceful. But I become very much agitated with this nonsense because I know they are creating havoc. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Come on. (door closes) So many rascals. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa...

Haṁsadūta: So yesterday we went to that place, that swami with the silver glasses and black beard that always gives his respect to you.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Conversation with Prof. Kotovsky -- June 22, 1971, Moscow:

Prof. Kotovsky: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: Many millions of Vaiṣṇavas and... Just like this gentleman. He is a commander of the Air, India Air Lines. So he's not my disciple, but he's a Vaiṣṇava, Kṛṣṇa conscious. Similarly, in India millions and trillions there are, Kṛṣṇa conscious persons. And practically there is not a single... Even there are Mohammedan Kṛṣṇa conscious. In Allahabad University there is a Mohammedan professor. He's a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So this is natural. It is said in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is everywhere, in everyone's heart. It has to be awakened only by this process. That's all. It is there in your heart also. It is not that it is foreign to you. It is not that. Everyone's heart, there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By this process we have to awaken that. Śravaṇādi śuddha citte karaye udaya. Udaya. You know this word udaya. Just like sun rises. It is not that sun all of a sudden comes from somewhere. It is there, but it rises in the morning. Similarly, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is everywhere, but some way or other, it is now covered. By this process it is awakened and aroused, by association.

Conversation with Prof. Kotovsky -- June 22, 1971, Moscow:

Prof. Kotovsky: Yes, of course, Indian government program is more and more secular in general ideology, westernized.

Prabhupāda: But of course, people are not very happier. One gentleman... He's in government service. I am speaking, in 19..., sometimes, 1950. He was in statistics department, Mr. Dal(?), Kashmiri gentleman. He was coming to me in Allahabad. He told me that "I went... I go to the villages, and the villagers say, 'Bābuji, angrej ko bahut (indistinct)?' " That was his statement.

Guest: People...

Prof. Kotovsky: Yeah, because every..., there are some kind of people in some administrative departments who...

Prabhupāda: No, the difficulty is...

Prof. Kotovsky: ...are both masters(?) and ex-British officers.

Prabhupāda: ... the difficulty, that India is nowhere. They are trying to imitate, Westernize, but they are hundred years back. From materialistic point of view, technological point of view, they are hundred years back.

Room Conversation -- August 15, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: Because opening center means so much responsibility.

Śyāmasundara: So much. Land...

Prabhupāda: So better open. Deity will be there. Just like Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja is doing. Install the deity for one week. You know everything. You have done in Calcutta, Bombay and other. Same thing. You were in Allahabad also?

Devotee: Yes, I was there.

Prabhupāda: Allahabad, Gorakhpur. So same thing. And for persons spiritually inclined, for them this traveling is very good. Traveling means with this occupation. It is very good. You'll be more popular and there will be no difficulty, mind will be steady.

Śyāmasundara: It takes away our attachment for everything materially.

Prabhupāda: The Gosvāmīs, they did not stay underneath a tree for more than one night. So you decide; then you do the needful.

Haṁsadūta: When should we arrange for Śivānanda's fire ceremony?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- August 25, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: It is called śaṅkha. From conchshell, it is made from conchshell. Where you have purchased it?

Woman: I'm afraid this is ivory.

Prabhupāda: Ivory? Oh. There is similar made from conchshell.

Woman: Yes, I had those in Allahabad. I was going there to...

Prabhupāda: Allahabad? Conch, from conchshell? It is especially used in Bengal. A woman... that is an auspicious sign that she is with her husband, to have conchshell bangle. Śaṅkha-sari. A woman dressed śaṅkha and sari, śaṅkha-sari. They don't require any other ornament. One nice sari and śaṅkha. That is Indian conception of woman having husband. That is distinction between widow and a woman having husband. Widow will not accept sari. All finished. Vedic culture, widow should finish her life after having the husband. Saha-gamana. Satī. Yes. (break) ...have got enough to preach. People will like it.

Devotee: Yes, I think so. Yes. I think we have enough.

Prabhupāda: They'll like. Enough ingredients to preach. Simply one has to become intelligent how to express. The, what is called, outlines of thought are already there. You read one line, you can speak half an hour. They are so full of meaning. Provided you can express the meanings. So we are not reading all the lines. We are going quickly from one śloka to another. Otherwise, if we explained each line of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... Just like my Guru Mahārāja explained the first śloka for three months in Dacca. (break) ...after this verse, he explained for three months. Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained ātmārāma-śloka in sixty-four ways. That is described in Teachings of Lord Caitanya. Sixty-four ways. Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya explained in nine ways. He did not touch on those nine ways. Setting aside those nine ways, personally He explained in sixty-four ways. Formerly such scholars were there, such religious persons were there. Therefore people were happy. What these rascals speak? Now there is Freud's philosophy and Darwin's theory.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation Vaisnava Calendar Description -- March 11, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: ...Rādhāṣṭami, and birth, birthday of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. This day the function is observed by fasting up to twelve noon, and then, uh, offer prasādam to the Deity, and generally in the evening we should hold meeting discussing the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa pastimes, especially the glories of Rādhārāṇī. Amongst the gopīs, her super-excellence..., that is the way of observing. Rādhārāṇī's... Fasting is up to twelve noon and after that you can take prasādam, feasting.

The next important day is on the 26th, no, 12th September, 12th September, 1970, the advent day of Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhu. (pause) On that day there are three functions. First of all, Ekādaśi, a special Ekādaśi called Pārśvaika Ekādaśi. Then on that day, actually, Ekādaśi according to calendar, Ekādaśi was to be observed on the 11th September, but because the next day is Vāmana Dvādaśī.... Vāmana Dvādaśī means the advent of Lord Vāmanadeva. Therefore we have fast., Ekādaśi fasting, and we observe two fastings in one day, Ekādaśi and Vāmanadeva, Vāmana Dvādaśī. The same process as we observe Ekādaśi, and the evening there should be a meeting discussing on the life and work of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. He is one of the very important ācāryas in our sampradāya, so especially his Sandarbhas should be discussed. If there is no such book, then the following discussion may be, take place. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī was a brahmacārī, he left his home at the age of 10 to 12 years. His father and two elder uncles, they left home. His father was Vallabha, and his elder uncles, Sanātana and Rūpa, or Sākara Mallika and Dabira Khāsa. So, they were all government servants, but after meeting Caitanya Mahāprabhu they decided to retire from the service, and three of them retired. Out of that, Sanātana Gosvāmī was very important officer. The Nawab did not like his retirement so he interned him, not allowed him to go out of home. But Rūpa Gosvāmī and his younger brother, Vallabha, they left home, and they left instruction also to Sanātana Gosvāmī, that there is some money for his release, he could utilize that money. So Rūpa Gosvāmī and Vallabha left home prior to Sanātana Gosvāmī's leaving home. So, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Vallabha met Lord Caitanya at Prayāga—these things are mentioned in our Teachings of Lord Caitanya—you can read, teachings to Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī and their meeting with Lord Caitanya at Allahabad, Prayāga. So this boy, Jīva Gosvāmī, when he saw that his father and uncles all left home, why he should remain at home? So he also left, and he first of all went to Benares, which is called Vārāṇasī. It is a great center for learning Sanskrit.

Room Conversation -- April 2, 1972, Sydney:

Śyāmasundara: They don't know that life can be so joyful and endlessly...

Prabhupāda: That I wrote in my poetry. "The Absolute is sentient thou hast proved." That was striking to me. Not impersonal, "sentient thou hast proved, impersonal calamity thou hast moved." "Absolute is sentient thou hast proved." That was my acceptance. So even the many judges came in Allahabad, do you remember?

Śyāmasundara: Yes. In Madras?

Prabhupāda: No, Allahabad during Kumbha-melā. They said, "Swamiji, God is person, you are the first man speaking." Why first man? It is already there. They cannot believe that God is person.

Śyāmasundara: As long as there is imperson, there is doubt, there is unclear, unclear.

Prabhupāda: Unclear.

Śyāmasundara: As soon as there is person, there is no doubt, clear.

Prabhupāda: But we have tried to explain how He is person. Just like we try to explain how God is working. So one should have brain to study things. One must have clear idea how God is person, how He is working, how this cosmic manifestation is manifested by God's energy. Kṛṣṇa says, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā (BG 9.4). "In My impersonal feature, everything is manifested there." Tatam idaṁ sarvam. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). So one has to apply his brain—that is intelligence—how it has become person. That is not false, that is fact. You cannot understand; your brain is teeny. That is different thing. Now you make your brain competent to understand this philosophy. (break) ...vijñātaṁ bhavanti. So take this philosophy nicely, understand this philosophy, and preach. You will be victorious everywhere, because we can challenge anyone. If you know the trick, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you can challenge. Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati (SB 6.17.28). One who is nārāyaṇa-parāḥ, he is never afraid of anything.

Introduction Speech By Dr. Kapoor and Conversation -- October 15, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So blessings of Dr. O.B.L. Kapoor. He is a Vaiṣṇava. Although by age he is my younger brother, we are Godbrothers, and for the last forty years perhaps, since he was a student at Allahabad and I was doing some business there, we are known to each other. So his association is a great blessing for us. But this reception is actually not my reception. It is the reception of my foreign students. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted that His message should be broadcast all over the world, in every village and every town, and my Guru Mahārāja attempted. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura distributed his literature. I think, in 1896, he sent his first book, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and I saw in McGill University that book. And I do not know. That was the year of my birth also, 1896. So somehow or other, later on, I came in contact with Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja in 1922, and he immediately asked me that "Why don't you go to the foreign countries and preach Caitanya Mahāprabhu's blessings." So I was little surprised. Especially at that time, I was very young man and I was newly married. I got one son also. So it was my mistake that I did not take up the words of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja immediately. I thought that "I am now married. Let me settle down." Perhaps if I would have joined from 1922, by the blessings of Guru Mahārāja, I could do more preaching work. Anyway, it is better late than never. After my retirement, I was living in the Keśī-ghāṭa, Nāthagrāma(?) Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Temple. But this Gosāijī, Gauracanda Gosāijī, he asked me, "Why don't you come here?" So I left that place. I came here. And with some arrangement, I took this room. But I was always thinking that "Guru Mahārāja asked me, and he asked also some of my other God-brothers, but up till now, nothing has been done. So let me try, at least, at the fag end of my life."

Room Conversation -- October 25, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Pañca-draviḍa: Five to ten percent.

Prabhupāda: Five to ten percent. Now fifty thousand at five to ten percent, how much? Unnecessarily you have to (indistinct). And to take back that octroi, I have got experience when I was in Allahabad doing business, you know, to take back the octroi, it is hanging. I could not develop my wholesale business due to the octroi. Then I arranged, because I was agent of Dr. Bose's factory. I was disbursing goods direct from Calcutta and sending bill from Allahabad. Octroi botheration I have got experience. You cannot do any large-scale business, the rascal government do not (indistinct) it. Due to this octroi botheration, nobody can do any large-scale business. Either you have to keep your go-down beyond the octroi limit.

Indian man: You can do that.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Indian man: You can do that here in..., because the octroi limit is very close to your (indistinct). It's just (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: Why the government is still keeping this octroi botheration, I do not know. It is old system. Practically in UP and Punjab, this octroi system. In Bihar there is no octroi, in Bengal there is no octroi. I think in Bombay also, Bombay, I mean Maharastra province, there is no octroi. Only in UP and Punjab. There is so much botheration.

Room Conversation -- October 25, 1972, Vrndavana:

Indian man: I was initiated at Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

Prabhupāda: In that parikrama?

Indian man: In that parikrama.

Prabhupāda: And I was initiated in Allahabad after return from parikrama.

Indian man: (indistinct) parikrama. That way I am senior by you. (laughs)

Devotee (3): From Indian people in America, we have learned about that.

Indian man: Huh?

Devotee (3): In America, we have learned from Indian people about that. (break)

Prabhupāda: Why not? You are qualified.

Indian man: I do not like to leave, not that I don't like to visit foreign countries. Just now, as a matter of fact, I don't have time to think of anything else except that (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Indian man: Until I complete that work...

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, you have done nice. No, one thing is that if you come to foreign countries, because you have got qualification, you can speak in educational institution. They will welcome you.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- March 17, 1973, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Jaya oṁ viṣṇupāda paramahaṁsa parivrājakācārya....So we are thinking we are very much fortunate to hear His Divine Grace Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Bhakti Raksaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja. He is, by age and experience, in both ways he is senior to me. I am also always fortunate to have his association for a very long timeperhaps since nineteen hundred and thirty or something like that. At that time, he did not accept sannyāsa; he just left home, vanaprastha. In his white dress he went to Allahabad. (Aside, to Śrīdhara Mahārāja:) Mahārāja, I think you remember this incident when you went to Allahabad.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Yes, I do.

Prabhupāda: Yes, thank you. Yes, at that time...

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: We took prasādam on the roof.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, thank you (devotees laugh). Yes. In that auspicious occasion we are connected. Before that, in 1920, ah 22, when I was manager in Dr. Bose's laboratory, young man, and I was nationalist, Congress party. I was a devotee of Mahatma Gandhi and C.R. Dāsa. At that time...

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: When I was (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation -- March 17, 1973, Mayapur:

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He was my intimate friend. So in their house, old Tīrtha Mahārāja went to beg some alms—they are very rich man. So, he informed me that "One nice sannyāsī came to our house," and he was invited, "in Ultadanga there is Gauḍīya Maṭha, so he has invited me. I wish to go there. Why don't you come? Let us go together." He was my very intimate friend. So at that time I was a little pessimistic (?), "I know all these sādhus there, I am not going." So he forced me, "Oh, why not come? Let us go." "All right, let us go." So I went to see His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura in 1922 in that Ultadanga building, and that time Prabhupāda was sitting on the roof. There was small house (indistinct) room, and we were welcome, because they thought Naren Mullik was very rich man and he has contributed some money. So, we went to see Prabhupāda, offered our obeisances. So immediately he said that "You are all educated young men, why don't you preach Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's message throughout the whole world?" So I replied him, "Sir, we are dependent nation, who will hear our message? We can talk all these things after we get independence," because I was politically-minded at that time. So he refuted my argument. Certainly I was defeated, and I took his words very seriously, I appreciated. Then we were offered some prasādam, we came down, and my friend Naren Mullik asked me, "How did you like this sādhu?" "Yes, here is a sādhu in whose hands Caitanya Mahāprabhu's message is there, and it will be done. I think this is very nice." That was my appreciation. Then 1923, I resigned my post as manager in Bose's laboratory, and I accepted the agency of whole U.P., beginning from Mughalsarai (?) up to Delhi, and I made my head office in Allahabad. So I was always thinking, "Oh yes, I met a very nice sādhu." From the very beginning, that was my impression, that "I have met a real sādhu." So, actually the words, lava mātra sādhu saṅge sarva siddhi haya (CC Madhya 22.54), was actually... I perceived a kind (?) for a moment, and he impressed so much, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, that it was, it continued. Then in 1928, when there was Kumbha-melā... Mahārāja, when you joined Gauḍīya Maṭha?

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Twenty-seven.

Room Conversation -- March 17, 1973, Mayapur:

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: (in background, indistinct)

Prabhupāda: So 1928 there was a Kumbha-melā, I think. And during that Kumbha-melā, Tīrtha Mahārāja with a party came to my shop, Prayāg pharmacy, all of a sudden, and I thought, "Oh, these are the people I saw, Gauḍīya Maṭha. Yes." So, I was so glad. So Tīrtha Mahārāja asked me that "We are come new here. We are going to establish a temple in Allahabad. We have heard your name, so we have come to you. Please help us." "Yes, I will help you." So in this way I contributed, my attending physician contributed, and some other friends. In this way we became friends, and Tīrtha Mahārāja, old Tīrtha Mahārāja had first meeting in my house at Allahabad, with I think the Sarvesvara brahmacārī and Dhīra Kṛṣṇa brahmacārī...

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: (indistinct) Mahārāja and (indistinct) Mahārāja.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. So, my father was Vaiṣṇava, but when I invited these Gauḍīya Maṭha sādhus, my father thought that I have invited some sādhus of the Ramakrishna Mission. So he was not very interested. When Tīrtha Mahārāja is speaking, I call my... My father was that time invalid, I called him that "Please come down, there is a meeting of the Gauḍīya Maṭha sādhus." So, he could not resist my request, he came down, but he did not think that some devotees have come. They thought, these Ramakrishna Mission rascals have come. (laughter) So he was not very happy, but I told, he was sitting. He, so the meeting he just criticized. Then when he heard the speech of our old Tīrtha Mahārāja, our old Godbrother, he understood, "Oh, they are Vaiṣṇavas." Then immediately after the meeting, he came down on his feet. "I misunderstood you sir, that you are the Ramakrishna Mission sādhu. I am so glad to meet you. So that is the beginning of my intimate relationship with Gauḍīya Maṭha. And they are coming, and whenever somebody would come, I would invite them to lecture in my house. In that way Śrīdhara Mahārāja, at that time Rāmendra Sundara Bhaṭṭācārya, he was also invited at my house, and before (indistinct)... No, I think I invited Bhāratī Mahārāja, and you were with Bhāratī Mahārāja.

Room Conversation -- March 17, 1973, Mayapur:

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So in this way my connection became developed with Gauḍīya Maṭha. Then, gradually the process began, hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ. (chuckles) I wanted to become very big businessman and there was good opportunity. I was very nicely associated with the chemical industry of India. Dr. Bose's laboratory, Bengal Chemical, V.K. Farr (?), and all of them, they liked my business organization. Then I started big laboratory in Lucknow. So that was golden days, but gradually everything becomes (indistinct). And at last, my Allahabad business was lost. It was not lost on account of some, my debts, I had to hand it over to Dr. Kartik Chandra Bose because I was his agent. So I had some debts, so I tell the, "All right, you take this business." In this way, that Prayāg Pharmacy was lost. So I was not going to, I was sitting at home, but this Jājābara Mahārāja, at that time Sarvesva (?) brahmacārī and Atulananda brahmacārī, they used to come to take their subscription, and they were requesting that "Why don't you come to our maṭha? Why don't you come to our maṭha? You are now free." So, I used to visit their temple. That was not far away from my house...

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: In Mahratta (?).

Prabhupāda: Mahratta (?), yes. Then the intimate relationship with Gauḍīya Maṭha grew. In this way, I think in 1933, yes, the Sir Malcolm Haley came to lay down the foundation stone of Allahabad Maṭha. Mahārāja, I think you remember, yes?

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Yes, we were coming from Vṛndāvana parikrama.

Room Conversation -- March 17, 1973, Mayapur:

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: (indistinct) to listen to him (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: He, because he's a vaikuṇṭha person who could understand that this boy is eager to hear, so he very much appreciated. So when we came back to Allahabad, so Ganeśa Babu, he introduced me, that "Here is a nice devotee." So Prabhupāda immediately replied, "Yes, I have marked him. He does not go away, he hears." This (indistinct), "Yes, I will accept him as disciple." Then I was initiated. In this way our relationship with Gauḍīya Maṭha developed, and gradually as it developed, the other side diminished. Then, there are long history, it will take time, but I had the opportunity of associating with His Holiness. For several years I had the opportunity. Kṛṣṇa and Prabhupāda liked it to prepare me. Śrīdhara Mahārāja lived as a...

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: (laughs) ...in my house, some may say, a few years, so naturally we had very intimate talks and he was my good adviser. I took his advice, his instruction very seriously, because from the very beginning I know he's a pure Vaiṣṇava and devotee, and I wanted to associate with him, and try to help him also in so many ways. He also tried to help me, so our relationship is very intimate. After the breakdown of the Gauḍīya Maṭha, I wanted to organize another organization, making Śrīdhara Mahārāja head. And I wanted to mix... At that time Gosvāmī Mahārāja, one of my friend's house at Sealdah... Śrīdhara Mahārāja, you may remember those things. I wanted to organize in so many ways, but somehow or other...

Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course -- May 17, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: (break) without knowing Kṛṣṇa, is this a struggle for existence, any activity?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Activity without knowing the purpose of it, that is struggle for existence. You must know why you are working so hard. What for I shall work? The aim of life is missing. Na te viduḥ. They do not know it. Therefore failure, confusion, hopelessness. All the results of this world, hopelessness. Is it not? What is one... Show one result, that it is very successful, hopeful. Just like, say, moon planet-hopelessness. What is there? They spend so much time and money, but what is this? Hopelessness. They do not know. All scientists are working, all politicians are financing, but result is hopelessness. Is it not? Similarly, everything they are doing, but they are so rascal, they will never admit that "We are failure." Still they will stick, "Yes, we are success... Future, in ten years we shall do it. Never mind." I have seen, one man was condemned to death in Allahabad high-court. So the lawyer was assuring, "Don't be disappointed. I shall get you out by appeal. Don't be disappointed." I have seen it. That lawyer was very big lawyer, an Englishman, Mr. Allston. And one man was condemned to death. He killed his servant very mercilessly. And the case was... He was a doctor, medical practitioner. So he was condemned to death. So after the condemnation, when he was coming out of the courtroom, I saw that he was flattering, "Don't be disappointed. I shall get you out by appeal." This is going on. He wants to bluff him, but this is the high-court judgement. How there can be appeal? There may be appeal in the Supreme Court, but he is simply bluffing. Just like medical men. They'll repeatedly give you medicine, "All right, let me try this. This pill you try. This pill you try." They will never admit, "This is hopeless." This is going on. Bluffing, simply bluffing. Cheating, that's all.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1973, New Delhi:

Śyāmasundara: You, you dreaming?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Guru Mahārāja said, "Come, come with me." I was going. But that... Many things happened before this. Yes. And at last it became, in America.

Śyāmasundara: Did you tell everyone you were leaving, or you simply disappeared?

Prabhupāda: No, I never said. Oh, why shall I? I lost all friends, money, everything.

Guru dāsa: I met one gentleman from Allahabad... (Apparently someone comes in)

Prabhupāda: (Hindi)

Guru dāsa: Oh.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Get this light. (break) ...to this point, and you have joined. Do it nicely. It is the greatest movement for making the whole human civilization happy. Take it seriously. Don't...

Tejas: Śrīla Prabhupāda, this is Mister S. Domi(?) Singh, he's a... (end)

Morning Walk -- December 8, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So they are hopeful that there may be some life there.

Prabhupāda: That, they are hopeful of doing everything but never successful, never. That they'll never become. Unless they are hopeful, how... Just like a physician. The man is going to die, still, he's thinking, "Yes, I am hopeful." I have seen in Allahabad high-court. One man was condemned to death, and his lawyer solacing him. "Don't be sorry. I'll appeal, I'll appeal. I'll get you out." You see? This is their business.

Yaśomatīnandana: They do want something more exciting, Prabhupāda, but they don't know they want to go to the spiritual sky.

Prabhupāda: They do not know what is spiritual. They do not know what is this sky even, what to speak of spiritual sky.

Karandhara: Prabhupāda, many theologians will say privately that they believe in God or they want to believe in God but they cannot speak of God to the common people because the people are so agitated, they don't want to hear of God.

Prabhupāda: No, we are speaking. We are speaking to the common man. We do not hesitate. We say, "Here is Kṛṣṇa, God."

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 13, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Ten years. Not ten years, nine years.

Dr. Kapoor: Nine years.

Prabhupāda: Yes, because when you were a student, at that time we were family man.

Dr. Kapoor: Yes, when I had just finished my university career, I think...

Prabhupāda: In Allahabad, when you were living at that...

Dr. Kapoor: Gauḍīya Maṭha.

Prabhupāda: Gauḍīya Maṭha, I think you were student then.

Dr. Kapoor: I had just, I think, I was a research student then. I had just taken my MA and I was working as a research scholar. I met Giri Mahārāja in 1931 when he did some (indistinct) at Nainital.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Dr. Kapoor: He first introduced me to Mahāprabhu, you see, or introduced Mahāprabhu to me. You see before that I was a scholar.

Prabhupāda: But your teeth are very strong.

Morning Walk -- March 18, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Akṣayānanda: The brightness...? No.

Prabhupāda: Suppose you get a diamond body. Just like glowworm. Glowworm, it has a glowing body. That's all. But the glowing substance is different from the soul. Owner of the body is different. What he's doing? (break) ...came other day, morning?

Guest: (indistinct) (break)

Prabhupāda: ...have purchase this land for him for preaching Christian Bible. So he, maybe he was getting some salary on this land in this way. He gave up Gauḍīya Maṭha association and he became Christian. So I know that this land belonged to him. His wife was there.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In Allahabad.

Prabhupāda: Maybe at Allahabad. He's the proprietor. He was Mr. Cakravarti. (end)

Morning Walk -- March 29, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Like daridra-nārāyaṇa, yes. You are very intelligent. (laughs) It is another manufacturing, daridra. Janārdana... Janatai is not Janārdana. We say jaysam pakṣe janārdana. Jaysam pakṣe janārdana.(?) "All glories to the party who side Janārdana is there." Jaysam pakṣe janārdana.(?)

Devotee: Pakṣe, pakṣe janārdana.

Prabhupāda: Pāṇḍu-putrāṇāṁ jaysam pakṣe janārdana. Pāṇḍu-putra, the Pāṇḍavas, are glorified because on their side, Kṛṣṇa is there. Therefore, victory for them. One very big doctor of Allahabad, my old friend, Dr. G. Bose, he is also D.T.M., M.A.B. He wants to join this movement.

Dr. Patel: Haribol. There is one doctor, he'll look to the health and hygiene of the inmates.

Prabhupāda: Why not yourself?

Dr. Patel: ...on that point I'm going to (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: These rascals, asuras, they do not know what is the goal of life. But in which way we should direct? These rascals, they do not know. Still, they become public leaders, asuras. Na viduḥ. How to dissuade people to stop this? Just like we are doing: no illicit sex. Nivṛtti. Nivṛtti. No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating. This is nivṛtti. And pravṛtti, take to Kṛṣṇa. This is pravṛtti, nivṛtti. But the rascal demons, leaders, they do not know these things. Pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca na viduḥ asura-jana (BG 16.7). They do not know it. Still, they become leaders. They do not know in which way people should be directed, and still they claim to be public leaders.

Morning Walk -- April 2, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That I wrote also. He was silent.

Dr. Patel: Now, you just tell him if you are following me here, there is one Dr. Patel who will take you. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...come for treatment. Why shall I? (break) Eight years old, older than me. So I am seventy-eight. Maybe eighty-six. Yes. He was also of the same age. Older than me.

Dr. Patel: You were all the time in Allahabad. You must be knowing them from very close part.

Prabhupāda: No, he was my customer. I used to go to his home. And he was coming to my shop. Yes. He was my customer. When 1928 congress was there, I sent him one letter that "I want to become a delegate and go there." So immediately, "Yes, you come." So I went to Calcutta and I told his secretary that "Panditji has told me like this." "Yes, take this ticket." Yes. I became... So I was criticizing my friend because the delegate fee is one rupee and the reception committee fee at that time was twenty-five rupees. And still, they were in the last seat. And because at that time Motilal Nehru became president, the president, the province in which the president becomes, that provincial member occupies the first seat. So we occupied the first seat from Allahabad. So I...

Dr. Patel: Front seats.

Morning Walk -- April 2, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Somebody writes on it, on the name "prophylactic."

Prabhupāda: It may be whatever it may be. Now, just see that how much country conscious he was. He wants prophylactic brush. Not only that. I will tell you another incident. I was manufacturing one medicine, jagon(?) poultice. That is like anti-(?). So doctors were prescribing in Allahabad. So there was one big doctor, Dr. R.N. Banerjee Rai Baba. So sometimes I was seeing the doctors. So when I went there, "Oh, it is very difficult to prescribe country medicine." "Why?" "Oh, you will be surprised. I prescribed this jagon poultice in the Nehru family." He was physician. "And Motilal Nehru said, 'Oh, doctor, excuse me. In the matter of medicine, you don't prescribe country medicine.' " Just see. Believed in him.

Dr. Patel: Gandhiji was never asking anything, for medicine much.

Prabhupāda: No, that is another thing. I know these people, this Nehru family. They were completely Europeanized. Outwardly for them... Even up to the last point of his life, if some European would come, he would immediately receive him. And if an Indian wants to see him, "Oh, it will be..." You will have to wait at least one. Everything London-made is very good. That was Jawaharlal Nehru's idea.

Morning Walk -- April 29, 1974, Hyderabad:

Mahāṁsa: This was in the papers also?

Prabhupāda: Oh yes. (break) Mirzapur, near Allahabad?

Gargamuni: Yes, in UP.

Prabhupāda: Oh, when I was businessman.

Gargamuni: Some man has invited us there for kīrtana program. He wants to donate some building there.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's nice. We get a nice place, on the Ganges side. If he donates, it will be very sanitary (salutary?) place.

Gargamuni: He wants to invite us in October.

Prabhupāda: Mirzapur is rich people. They have got carpet industry. Mirzapur carpet is very famous. They manufacture and sell big, nice carpets. Just like Persian carpets. So similarly, Mirzapur carpet. Besides that, they have got many other businesses. So it is on the Ganges side and the healthy quarter also. (break) ...still, he is the biggest practitioner in Allahabad. He has offered his house. In old days he constructed it for four lakhs.

Gargamuni: Allahabad is an important place?

Prabhupāda: Oh yes, Allahabad, very important. The UP high-court is there. Therefore all enlightened... University is there. All educated men of UP are in Allahabad. This Jawaharlal Nehru, Motilal Nehru, they were Allahabad men. Sarte(?) Bahadur Satru(?), big, big, well-known men, they are all... Pandita Madana Mohana Mahalabdha. All big, big politicians, they were Allahabad men. (break) ...times to print the books here. No action was taken. In the last five years, everyone tried and there was no result. Otherwise we can print all the books here.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with three Trappist Monks, Psychologists from the University of Georgia, and Atlanta Lawyer, Michael Green -- March 1, 1975, Atlanta:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Not spiritual type, it..., material type. He cannot maintain himself independently. Nowadays people are being educated highly, but if there is no service he has no value.

Guest (2): So the tamasi.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He has no value. I have seen one doctor of chemistry—he could not get any service—in Allahabad. His name was Raghunātha Mitri(?), Dr. Raghunātha Mitri. So he was living at the cost of his father-in-law and making some soap and going to the shop for selling, doctor. That means he could not get any service. Now his independence was to manufacture some soap as ordinary man is doing. But he was chemist; he could not do anything. He could manufacture some soap. So in spite of high education, because he could not get a good job, he had no value. Just like the dogs. The dogs, if they do not get a master, nice, then street dog. He is lean and thin and no shelter, no...

Guest (1): That is what is happening...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- March 11, 1975, London:

Brahmānanda: Just by birth.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And then, by culture, another fifty percent. But they have given up this culture. But the birthright fifty percent is already also there. Prayāga, severest cold, eh, I took bath in the Ganges. It is simply cutting. But still, they are taking bath and smearing over the body the ashes and sit down, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. No care "Wherefrom food will come? Where...?" No. That's in India still. (break) ...it is also like this, cloudy?

Bhagavān: Just a few months out of the year, January, February.

Prabhupāda: Otherwise how we have gone there? (laughter) Africa was part of India.

Brahmānanda: The land was together?

Prabhupāda: No, there...

Indian man: Geological information it was. It was together. And Australia was fitting in the Bay of Bengal. This is the theory. I learned from my lecturer, Dr. Willinghurst. He told me in my class.

Prabhupāda: Because from Bhāgavata we understand that the black man who was born out of the body of King Vena, he was thief. So he was sent to the African jungle. Yes. And they are still thief. (laughter) They cannot give up their... Although they have got independence, they cannot give up this habit. (Dog barking) "Best friend."

Morning Walk -- May 16, 1975, Perth:

Devotee (1): The temple is manufactured in the sand?

Prabhupāda: No, as usual. Just like they dig well. They dig well. They begin immediately, and then you dig the earth, and the structure goes down. Then again, then again, like that. They were experts, they were experts, to construct... Labor is cheap. That time, practically there was no labor cost. At the present moment, on account of factories, the labor cost has increased. Otherwise the laborers, they were, they have no sufficient employment. So two annas, four annas. I was paying labor, four annas, say, in 1930s. Four annas. In Allahabad I was paying four annas. He would work whole day. In Bombay eight annas.

Devotee (1): They also have the big structures in Egypt, the pyramids.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Amogha: Perhaps they used sand also.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Paramahaṁsa: The Greeks say that they built their buildings... They hired some very big men called cyclopses, big giants. And they came and built all the buildings.

Room Conversation with Dr. Copeland, Professor of Modern Indian History -- May 20, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: That... Saintly person should depend on Kṛṣṇa. If Kṛṣṇa is not supplying cloth, all right, find out some torn, thrown-out cloth on the street. And food? Go to the tree. Take some fruit. And for water, go to the river. There is sufficient water. And for shelter, go to the cave. So these are already arranged. And above, over and above, do you think that the Supreme Lord does not take care of the person who has fully surrendered unto Him? Then why you are going to flatter this rich class of men for your food? This is the... And that is the... Especially throughout the history in India you will find, many hundred thousands of these sādhus. They do not go anywhere. I have seen at Allahabad, Kumbha-melā. They take bath in the Ganges and sit down in their place, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, without caring wherefrom the food will come. They sit down. And everything is coming. Still in India, if there is information, even in the remotest villages, "There is a saintly person has come in the village," they will approach. "Bābā, what can I do for you?"

Dr. Copeland: Have you done that? Have you wandered around from village to village?

Prabhupāda: Not village to village, but town to town. Even in foreign countries.

Dr. Copeland: (laughs) Even in Australia too. To get back more to the origins of the movement, why do you follow the teachings of Caitanya rather than say Vallabha or Rāmānuja or Rāmānanda?

Prabhupāda: No, there is no difference. Rather, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching is the summary of all Vaiṣṇava-Rāmānuja, Rāmānanda, Madhvācārya, and Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka. There are four sampradāyas. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu follows everyone. There is no difference much.

Room Conversation with Dr. John Mize -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles:

Dharmādhyakṣa:

iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ
guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā
vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa
yathecchasi tathā kuru
(BG 18.63)

"Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Now if you say, "Why the soul should become so foolish?" So that is misuse of independence. Intelligent father has got intelligent son, but sometimes he becomes a fool. So what is the reason? He is the part and parcel of the father. He should have become exactly like the father. But he does not become like the father. I have seen. In Allahabad was a big lawyer, barrister, Mr. Bannerjee. His eldest son was also barrister and his youngest son, on account of bad association, he became a ekala wala. Ekala means... In India there is a carriage drawn by one horse. So he liked to be an ekala. That means he fell in love, a low class of woman, and by her association, he became an ekala. There are many instances. The Ajamila upakhyana. He was a brāhmaṇa and then he fell down very low. So this misuse of independence is always there.

Morning Walk -- July 3, 1975, Denver:

Brahmānanda: On the contrary, if they failed once, then we should think that they would fail again.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is animalism. A dog is coming, and you show him some stick or beat him. He will go away for the time being. Again he will come. That is dog. He doesn't get lesson by one. Therefore it is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Repeating the same thing again and again. That is animalism.

Yadubara: They actually think that they were successful.

Prabhupāda: Unless they say, how they will adjust so much money spent? What account they will give? They must bluff, "Yes, it is successful." I saw in the Allahabad high-court. One man was condemned to death. I told you?

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So one barrister, Mr. Allston, he was pacifying, "Don't worry, I shall appeal and get you released. Don't worry." (laughter) I heard it. I was passing, and Mr. Allston was advising his client. He was morose. "Don't worry, I shall appeal and get you released." (break) ...condemned person was a medical man, and he killed his servant in the surgical room because the servant was implicated with his wife. This is the story. (break)

Brahmānanda: ...English?

Prabhupāda: No, no, Indian.

Brahmānanda: And the man was also Indian?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Morning Walk -- November 10, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: If they change... "Now the scientists are thinking that"—that means they are rascals.

Dr. Patel: No, but as a matter of fact, they understand this thing from years back, that there should be life on other planets than earth.

Prabhupāda: Oh, many scientists say. I was known to one doctor Shaha in Allahabad. He said there are life. There is no question of disbelieving.

Brahmānanda: There's that article that Hayagrīva sent. The title of the article was, "New Discovery Creates Turmoil Amongst Scientists." Some scientists have now discovered some new sub-atomic particles. This has completely created turmoil amongst the scientists. All of their theories now are all...

Dr. Patel: Those are elementary particle, smaller than the element, present elementary particles.

Brahmānanda: Yes. And they found a lot of them, so now they don't know what to think.

Dr. Patel: Because they are trying to search it out by different matter. This ancient... I mean, the Āryans tried to search it out by different matter, by yoga-vijñāna.

Prabhupāda: Śruti, from the Vedas. Veda-pramāṇa. Śruti-pramāṇa That is pramāṇa. And nonsense, speculative, that is not pramāṇa. That is speculation.

Morning Walk -- November 13, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...good substance, very good substance. Stool is full of hypophosphates.

Dr. Patel: Whatever it is, but there it is...

Prabhupāda: That was analyzed by a big doctor. You know that Dr. Ghosh who came? Dr. Ghosh from Allahabad? So one day I went to his house, and I saw in a plate something yellow is kept. And "What is this, doctor?" "Oh, that is stool to be examined."

Dr. Patel: The stool, so long it is in your body, it is you, a part of you, because we are all, majority of us are body conscious. There are very few people like you, who are so conscious.

Prabhupāda: That is Māyāvāda philosophy.

Dr. Patel: We are in the process of making soul-consciousness.

Prabhupāda: No, no, that is Māyāvāda philosophy.

Dr. Patel: But still every moment we are body conscious.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's it. But that is Māyāvāda philosophy, "Everything one. Everything one."

Dr. Patel: Māyāvāda or no vāda, this is a fact, that we are body conscious. We look to the facts, sir, we scientists.

Brahmānanda: Rāmakrishna ate stool because he said, "Stool and prasādam are one."

Prabhupāda: Hm? He ate stool?

Brahmānanda: Yes.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 6, 1976, Nellore:

Prabhupāda: Negative idea. That is material idea. That is not spiritual.

Mahāmṣa: Nowadays people are going in silence, but they write questions and answers by paper. They say, "I am observing silence..."

Prabhupāda: As if there is no sound.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In Allahabad we met a man like that. He was moving around so much that he was more active than if he had talked.

Prabhupāda: No, that "ooohh." That is the...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Even Basarilal Nanda, I have heard, one day a week, on Sunday, it's his silence day. He doesn't speak to anyone on Sunday.

Acyutānanda: Yes, Mahatma Gandhi.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's a good day to ask him for a donation.

Prabhupāda: (break) What is the use of becoming silent? What is the utility?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: For people who are rascals it is a very good idea. Then they won't talk nonsense.

Prabhupāda: Yes. For them it is all right.

Morning Walk -- February 10, 1976, Mayapura:

Hari-śauri: That was the same time that you took initiation?

Prabhupāda: Yes. After that, I took initiation.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Where was the initiation ceremony?

Prabhupāda: That Allahabad.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In Allahabad.

Prabhupāda: 1933.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So from Mathurā everyone went to Allahabad?

Prabhupāda: Yes, or they went to somewhere. But I came back. From Allahabad I went to Mathurā, and I came back to Allahabad at my own place.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Initiation was held at that Gauḍīya Maṭha in Allahabad?

Prabhupāda: Hah. At that time that Gauḍīya Maṭha also not there. That is at a rented house.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Did you help to build that one?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Did you help to establish that Gauḍīya Maṭha?

Prabhupāda: No, majority was paid by one of my Godbrothers, that three thousand, purchasing land. Then gradually developed. We used to pay something. (break) ...before to here?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, yeah. He has come many times, Tarun Babu.

Prabhupāda: He came many times? (end)

Morning Walk -- April 13, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Wars. The occasional war, pestilence, famine, that's all.

Dr. Patel: Even there is no war, sir, or no pestilence, the population...

Prabhupāda: There will be war. Because you are dissatisfied, I am dissatisfied, on some little provocation we fight. Nobody is happy. I have seen in Allahabad. Little provocation, two brothers fought so much, one brother was killed immediately. Then, when he was ordered to be hanged, his father appealed that "I am the father. One son I have already lost. If he is hanged, then my.... You hang me, my good man(?)." Then he excused him and he actually was.... Upon the father's appeal. I have seen it.

Dr. Patel: They are very fortunate people.

Prabhupāda: No, no, they were Bengalis.

Dr. Patel: Bengalis are highly, what do you call...

Prabhupāda: Sentimental.

Morning Walk -- April 14, 1976, Bombay:

They don't send their children to school. They don't send.

Dr. Patel: After matriculation they go to the office.

Prabhupāda: No matriculation. They engage good paṇḍitas, good teachers, and teach them at home, and, as soon as they are able to read and write and see accounts, immediately engage in the business. They know that "We can purchase technologist. Why shall I waste time for so-called education, Ph.D., D.A.C.?" You have seen that Ph.D. in our Vṛndāvana? Useless. So many Ph.D.'s are useless. Cannot earn their livelihood. I have seen. So what is the use? Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta. Because one has become.... I have seen one Ph.D. chemist in Allahabad. He could not get any job. Then he was manufacturing soap at home and taking it in cycle and going to the market just like ordinary coolie. These so-called educationists, unless they get a good job, they are useless street dog. Useless. They cannot earn even livelihood. Therefore śāstra says, "Don't try for these things, to increase your economic position. This is already destined. You cannot increase or decrease. Whatever you are destined, you must get it. Try to get Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

Room Conversation -- May 3, 1976, Fiji:

Guru-kṛpā: He's not living? He's dead?

Prabhupāda: No, he's dead means now he's old man. He's about my age or little older than me. Now his skin has become slackened and body is not so strong to dance. It requires exercise. Therefore he's retired, I think, maybe dead. But I don't hear his name. He was more or less known in Europe as Shankar. But he was so popular that one my doctor friend.... He was educated in London, a medical officer of Allahabad. So he told me that "I saw that in Paris, Udar Shankar's dancing was advertised, and hundreds and thousands of people from England going to Paris, crossing the Channel to see him dance." He showed me. He's so popular. And now nobody asks for him. (laughs)

Guru-kṛpā: Another bubble.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Guru-kṛpā: Another bubble. I remember when Ravi Shankar and George Harrison came to see you in Vṛndāvana.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

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

Prabhupāda: Huh? Differences, that may be little, the difference between cat's body, dog's body, man's body, little difference must be there. But the elements are the same. At least, I'll not believe. No, I am not blind, but in the śāstra, every planet is congested. That is in the Bhāgavatam.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, actually we also have some information even in science that there must be life there in other planets.

Prabhupāda: I, he was of my age, perhaps you know his name, Dr. Shah? So he was my friend in Allahabad. So he said, "No there is life." He said, Dr. Menga Shah(?). There is no question of disbelieving, he said, and he is also big scientists, Dr. Menga Shah (?), Dr. Megha-kunda(?), they were all my customers.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: That's in U.P.?

Prabhupāda: U.P., Allahabad. The Jawaharlal Nehru, he was very big, big customer.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: There are in fact some reports in the last few years that there is some bacteria that can survive in the medium of ammonia-ammonia is alkaline solution. Normally life survives in...

Prabhupāda: Life survives in fire, water, fire. That is our information.

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

Hari-śauri: We can go down to the right, Śrīla Prabhupāda. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...difference between a śūdra and brāhmaṇa. A śūdra can be misled at any moment. That is stated in... Strī śūdra. Woman and śūdra on the same class. You can mislead them by high talkings: "Oh, I am coming from Indian prince." They come here, marry some European, and go to India and then engage him (her) for collecting water in bucket. One Muhammadan crewman, a vagabond, he bluffed one girl that "I am coming from Muhammadan prince family." Then she married, and she went to Allahabad, and she was given borakhā and she was living in a hut, and then she was bringing water from the street. She wrote a letter to the Viceroy that "This is my position." Then police came and rescued her and sent her. (break)

Gurudāsa: ...Pañca-tantra about a jackal who poses as a king. He has blue dye on, so they think he's special, but when he heard other jackals, all he could do was howl, and he was exposed. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...Tamāla Kṛṣṇa?

Bali-mardana: He's here, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Now there should be one rule that unless they are husband-wife, man and woman should not worship together.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: On the altar.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Strictly prohibited.

Room Conversation -- August 2, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: There's no question of starvation for want of money. Anywhere sit down and do something palatable, and people will purchase. So your livelihood will go on. Pakorā, kacuri, jalebi, anything. You make some palatable, people are fond of eating some palatable things. That is their hobby. In Allahabad, there was a brāhmaṇa. I had my business, and he was neighborhood, he was living. So in the morning, the husband and wife would go to take bath in the Ganges. They would very nicely take bath, and while coming they will purchase some ingredients and then come home. The husband will perform pūjā, etc., and the wife will prepare many nice preparations-baḍā, pakori, puskar (?), this, that. Then he'll take his meals, rest awhile, and in the evening he will sit down, he was sitting just in front of my shop, about four or five o'clock. All the preparations his wife had made whole day, and the small shop. And the university students will come up to night, ten o'clock, he'll finish. Nothing will remain. Everything will be... And he'll make at least ten rupees profit, minimum. In those days, 1925, in those days ten rupees means nowadays at least fifty rupees. So, and living very happy. Living humbly as a brāhmaṇa, he was having his pūjā, going to the Ganges, taking bath, husband and wife, in the morning, and the wife's business is to prepare and his business was to sell. So they'll make at least ten, fifteen rupees profit daily, very prosperous. Living peacefully, husband and wife. There are many such families. The... If wife is very good, then his home is very nice. They cannot be unhappy at any circumstances. Dampatyoḥ kalaho nāsti tatra śrīḥ svayam āgataḥ.(?) Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. When there is full agreement between husband and wife, cooperation, then the goddess of fortune comes there without application. You haven't got to ask goddess of fortune, "Please come and help me." She'll come automatically. This is Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's instruction.

Room Conversation -- August 2, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: So she will not be sorry. Completely separation is not good. And after birth at least for one week the calf should be allowed. Because after this giving birth the milk is not fit for human consumption. The calf should not be allowed to eat more, but at the same time the mother must see once, twice, then it will be all right. Of course, we are born in big, big towns, we do not know, but I know this is the process. In Allahabad I was keeping cow, there was facility.

Bhagavān: I don't think our farms are doing like that. In New Vrindaban they do?

Hari-śauri: What, letting the calves come? I don't think so. You can write a letter to... The whole system's so perfect, it's completely satisfying in every respect.

Prabhupāda: And if you make others dissatisfied for your pleasure, that is sinful. You should act in such a way that nobody is dissatisfied. Then there is balance.

Hari-śauri: Expert management.

Prabhupāda: You have got puffed rice?

Hari-śauri: They may have some in the kitchen, I can check. They have flat rice.

Prabhupāda: No.

Evening Darsan -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: That tendency is here. Because we are very small fragment of spiritual identity, that tendency is there. The example is given, just like fire and spark of the fire. The fire and the spark, the spark is very small, but it is fire. And the big fire, together they look very beautiful. With the fire, when the sparks come-sput sput—so many sparks, it looks very beautiful. But the sparks sometimes fall down from the original fire. Then it is no more fire. It is fire, but it's extinguished. The illumination is over. So we are small particles of God. God is big fire; we are small particles of God. So we are playing with the big fire very nice, but there is chance of falling down. That chance is there. The big fire does not fall. The big fire is always blazing. But the small fire, although it is possessing the same quality of fire, it may fall down. So we are small particle, very, very small, atomic portion God. Therefore we have got the tendency to be separated from the big fire, and then we begin our material body. Just like another crude example, just like a very rich man's son, he's enjoying life. Sometimes he thinks, "Why not independently live? Why dependent of father?" He goes out and he becomes a hippie. There are many examples. He was living very comfortably, rich man's son, but he left the house of his father and became a hippie. There are many practical examples. Why does he do so? I have seen in Allahabad one big lawyer, very famous lawyer, Ferolal Bannerji. He had two sons. One son became a good barrister like him, and another son became a car-wala, driving a car. The reason was that this son, a car-wala, he fell in love with a low-class woman, and he preferred to remain a car-wala.

Evening Darsana -- August 11, 1976, Tehran:

Jñānagamya: His father was attached to British in India. He traveled in India during his boyhood in South India.

Prabhupāda: In my young age I had one Afghani friend, he belonged to the royal family. What is the king? Some of their brothers were banished in India. Who was the king? So one..., the family were staying in Allahabad. His name was Sen, Sen Aband(?) like that. So he was my friend. He was coming to me and we were talking. Amar Lakhana(?), his brother, he belonged to the royal family.

Guest: That's right, that must be before 1936 though.

Prabhupāda: Yes, I am talking between 1925-30. So this same friend was coming to me and we were talking. I think at that time Afghanistan was under British influence? No.

Guest: No, we had only one war. That was about sixty, seventy years ago, and they entered and they captured Kabul, but the whole brigade was stopped. This was the time Churchill was the only one who escaped troops, and that was the end of it. They never... It was too risky for them.

Prabhupāda: This Afghanistan, when they were Hindus, this Kandahar, the King of Kandahar, his daughter was married to the Pāṇḍavas. Gāndhārī. Gāndhārī(?)...

Guest: That's right.

Prabhupāda: Gāndhārī was the daughter of Kandahar king. Kandahar is still there?

Guest: Yes, well, there are quite a number of Hindus in Kandahar.

Prabhupāda: There are Hindus?

Room Conversation -- August 17, 1976, Hyderabad:

Guest: (Bengali) This is the original birth, Shri Rangam.

Prabhupāda: Now with Suraji's(?) cooperation make a program.

Yaśomatīnandana: Yes, we will do like that. November-December will be very suitable time. Then in January the Kumbhamela, we will try to organize something big there also. January, Allahabad, Kumbhamela.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali) That's all. Stop now.

Harikeśa: I was just going to say you should take massage now. I was just going to say it's time for massage.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Harikeśa: Can I tell you about the bank? Punjab National Bank is down the street, and we have our temple account there.

Prabhupāda: Oh, Punjab National Bank is there.

Harikeśa: So how much do you want to deposit?

Prabhupāda: That I have to count.

Harikeśa: So we can do it any time. And before you arrange this Kumbhamela, it's very cold there.

Prabhupāda: Don't talk now.

Harikeśa: Okay. (long pause)

Prabhupāda: (indistinct)

Hari-śauri: Everything is going on. Wood carving, cement lay, painting, marble polishing. The yajña.

Prabhupāda: If we would have remained there. These people are coming. How they could see?

Hari-śauri: Still, it would have been very quiet.

Prabhupāda: We are not (indistinct). Besides that, we don't want quietness. We want how many (indistinct).

Hari-śauri: Jaya. If you wanted quietness you could have stayed in Vṛndāvana.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (end)

Room Conversation About Blitz News Clipping -- August 21, 1976, Hyderabad:

Pradyumna: Oh, maybe. No. It must be in Ādi-līlā, first volume.

Prabhupāda: Ādi-līlā is not here.

Pradyumna: They took first volume. They don't have all the books here.

Prabhupāda: No. They should be charged, "Why you have said 'ungodly face'? What do you know about God?"

Pradyumna: The courts can take it up also. In Allahabad when they were doing about the Congress Party having the cow, they said this is of the nature... They were discussing what is God in the court to make a decision. Something, what is God, what is religion. We can bring it up in the court. That will make a case celebre. Case celebre, they call it, affaire celebre.

Prabhupāda: Yes. This case must be brought. Challenge them, "What do you know about God?" Explain. And we can prove God consciousness from every page of our books. That will be very interesting case. And we shall continue this unless this man is sufficiently fined.

Hari-śauri: This is a... That bit about... Some of it, there's the front page also. Thought you might like to read.

Prabhupāda: "Evidence of fraud"? No?

Hari-śauri: That's Sai Baba.

Pradyumna: One man is trying to prove Sai Baba is fraud. One professor.

Hari-śauri: He's a scientist. He says he can prove that Sai Baba's making things appear and disappear is just a trick.

Prabhupāda: He is a fraud. What is this paper?

Hari-śauri: This is the same issue.

Room Conversation -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Mahāṁsa: It should not come on your finger if you touch it. That black thing.

Prabhupāda: Not even you cannot see black, any black spots. Then it is clean. Otherwise not clean. If there's a single black spot, it is not clean. You can see from this poor class of men, how their utensils are cleansed. Before taking water the jug, the waterpot... You'll like to drink water. In our school days there were sweeper, they were a different quarter. So you like to sit down. So clean. The sweeper, cleansing the toilet, bangi. But when you come to his house, living quarter, oh, it is so clean. The bed, the room, the utensils. And they also will take twice, thrice bath, then they will eat. That is a Hindu culture. Even the sweeper class, lowest class. And I have seen one sweeper class who were in Allahabad, regularly worshiping Deity. Very nice worship.

Mahāṁsa: So a Vaiṣṇava then...

Prabhupāda: They took initiation from the Vṛndāvana Goswami and they follow strictly rules and regulations. Cleanliness is very essential. In English also it is said cleanliness is next to Godliness. Everything should be, especially temple. It will attract them. And we are singing daily, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau **. Tat-mandira-mārjana. Mārjana means cleanliness. And want of cleanliness means laziness. If you are lazy you cannot keep clean. "Ah, let me sleep for the time being." That is mode of ignorance. Tamo-guṇa. So we have to conquer over rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ (SB 1.2.19). Then there is question of coming to the platform, śuddha, sāttvika. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. Where is this verse? In Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Press Interview -- October 16, 1976, Chandigarh:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Could we just take two minutes of your time? This is a review from Śrī Baradraj, Principle of Government College for Men, Chandigarh. He says, "Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is one of the great classics of India. This commentary is a significant contribution to the religious literature of this country. Many of the conflicting views on certain ślokas have been beautifully resolved by Swamiji. I congratulate the members of the Society for bringing out this wonderful work in such a lucid form. I shall be looking forward to the other publications." This is a review from Dr. Varsneya (?), senior professor and Head of Hindi Department, Dean and Curator of Arts, honorary librarian, Allahabad University, Allahabad. "Śrī A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has really done a great service to Indian philosophy, religion and culture by translating Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam into English, with learned commentaries, and has thus provided source material to the Western world. Other philosophical and religious works published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust also present a golden opportunity to the Western philosophers and scholars to drink deep at the celestial fountain of ancient Indian philosophy and spiritual wisdom." I'm just reading a few very quick ones. There's one from a leading professor in Chandigarh who you must be knowing. Dr. Jagadish Sharma, M.A., (indistinct) Delhi? He's from Punjab University. Author of nineteen books including Encyclopedia of India. So here is what Dr. Sharma says. "India's contribution towards the revivalism of the Hindu civilization culture by way of printing the Harvard Oriental Series was tremendous. But the work done by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda is unsurpassable." He says it's even greater. "His Holiness has done a great service to the Indian culture by re-interpreting the concepts enshrined in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This edition of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will go a long way to help the scientists in rediscovering phenomena of the universe which is yet to be discovered. The printing and the get up of this book is excellent. The thoughts of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam radiate to anyone who sees it. This book helps to brighten the gloomy and dark clouds which are covered by the nuclear fear and apprehension of society."

Prabhupāda: Where is that book, Scientific Basis of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness? Some of my students, they are Ph.Ds in science. They have written this book, Scientific Basis of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. And we are going to publish another book, Life Comes From Life.

Room Conversation -- October 31, 1976, Vrndavana:

Hari-śauri: The order forms.

Prabhupāda: Original orders, that should be copied and sent. This arrangement, ask them all over India and beside that we have recently got a testimony of one University authorities, just like one Goswami from Calcutta University and many others they have got. These copies should be sent immediately. We can approach even the chief justice of Allahabad high-court, he came here, the minister here, the governor of Punjab, he came to see me, the governor...

Hari-śauri: Andhra Pradesh government also.

Prabhupāda: Eh? Andhra Pradesh, chief minister.

Hari-śauri: Immediately (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: Minister, Vṛndāvana. Collect all these and send it that this is a genuine movement because it is great cultural movement. Therefore, Swami Bhaktivedanta wanted to give it to Europe who are in the darkness. So anyway, now they are feeling the action of the medicine.

Morning Walk -- December 5, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) That we say. Consider. But these varieties are there, so how you can check it? Cause may be different. I have seen while I was in Allahabad one big barrister's sons. One became barrister; another became ekala.(?) You know ekala? Ekala driver. So the father did not like that "One of my sons should become ekala, and other son should be like me, barrister," but I have seen. And there are many instances. The father does not want that "My son should be vagabond, useless," but sometimes they become by their own activities. That independence everyone has got. So that is not father's creation. Your point was "Why God has created like that?" That is foolishness. God says that you surrender." But you do not surrender. That is your foolishness.

Guest (2): (indistinct) ...must be punished.

Prabhupāda: Eh? Naturally. Suppose if there is some infectious disease, the doctor says, "Don't go there." And if you go there, you'll be infected. You'll suffer. How the doctor can protect you? Doctor's duty is to warn you not to go to that area, "It is now infected with smallpox." But in spite of doctor's instruction, if you go there and if you infect that disease and suffer, then it is your fault. When a man is hanged by the judgment of the court, do you think that the high-court judge is inimical to that person? He's giving judgment to other persons that "This one must make one lakh of rupees from that person." And next judgment, "This man must be hanged." Does it mean the high-court judge is partial? He's simply giving judgment on the merit of the particular case. So there is no argument that "Why God has created so many varieties?" God has not created. You have created. Man is the architect of his own fortune. Fortune and misfortune you have created. So we have to suffer or so-called enjoy. There is no enjoyment here. It is simply suffering. But because you are under māyā, you are thinking suffering as enjoying. Just like a hog is eating stool. Other man is becoming... "Very abominable!" Oh what nasty thing he is..." But he is enjoying. He is thinking, "I am enjoying the best food." I have seen in airplane. One Indian gentleman, he was eating the intestine of the hog.

Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona:

Mr. Malhotra: Sādhu-mārga.

Prabhupāda: Sādhu-mārga.

Girirāja: We study the śāstras every morning and evening in all of our centers, so we become educated. (break)

Prabhupāda: Four places, Haridvar, Prayāga, Vṛndāvana.

Mr. Malhotra: But after every 11 years or...?

Prabhupāda: No. It comes in rotation, every four years.

Mr. Malhotra: So there are sort of ardha-kumbhīs and then kumbha.

Prabhupāda: Yes. In Allahabad they actually hold every year. Māgha-mela.

Mr. Malhotra: Māgha-mela. But this is not every year, this time people are...

Prabhupāda: It is very, I mean to say, atmosphere becomes surcharged. Great spiritual advancement. Very nice.

Mr. Malhotra: (Hindi conversation)

Prabhupāda: Iran is like, that but no green, simply sand.

Mr. Malhotra: These are the mountains of Deccan. They say that these all mountains were under sea.

Prabhupāda: Yes, everything was... Pralaya-payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi vedam **. (break)

Mr. Malhotra: (Hindi) ...for quite some time at a particular spot. This spot was shown to us. And people have very great reverence for that spot. So now, at one time we accept Lord Rāma the supreme master of a particular yuga, and then He had to worship Lord Śiva. So who is supreme, Lord Śiva or Lord Rāma?

Prabhupāda: Lord Rāma is the Lord. Śiva is devotee. Sometimes you wash the feet of your son. That does not mean you are a servant of the son. Kṛṣṇa, why Rāma? Kṛṣṇa, when Sudāmā Vipra came to His house, He washed his feet.

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

Prabhupāda: As soon as this building is, I will take. (?)

Dr. Patel: We listen to you, but you don't listen. That is the misfortune of ours. Huh?

Prabhupāda: Actually, I have got so many engagements. Actually, I have got engagement in Bhuvaneśvara...

Dr. Patel: And you are going to Bhuvaneśvara after fifteen days, no?

Prabhupāda: ...Calcutta, in Allahabad, then Māyāpur, then Vṛndāvana, then Bombay.

Dr. Patel: So to make you fit to go round, you must do something. It's very logical.

Guru dāsa: "Penny wise, pound foolish."

Dr. Patel: So let pound be wise for the penny foolish. If you do in right path then you may not break down like (indistinct) getting all this trouble. (break) ...at least for four, five days. We don't want any more. In one day we will find out what to, how to, this will be cured. I don't mean medicine, but even advice, food, this, that, other things. If you get rid of the medicine, well, all medicines are, I mean, synthetics. They are not produced from animals. Many of them. (break)

Prabhupāda: Harer nāma eva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). (break) ...that sound all the time. (sounds of birds)

Girirāja: Do they have many birds in Bhuvaneśvara?

Prabhupāda: Wherever there are nice trees, there will be birds.

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

Prabhupāda: Ultimately, you say nirākāra. We say ultimately ākāra. And that is the difference, gulf of difference. That is going on. We shall worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa there. With our ārati, just like we are doing in the temple. Perhaps your swamiji will not like this. And as soon as there is some contradiction...

Guest (5): No. Our main theme at the Kumbha-mela is to speak direct to sādhus who come from Himalayas because mainly since 150 years this institution is serving them at Hardwar and Prayaga. They don't walk down to Ujjain or Nasik. Mainly they come at Hardwar and Allahabad.

Prabhupāda: So if you kindly give us a camp, but we shall preach this.

Guest (5): You are at liberty. There is no ban on it. Actually, you see we, as we said, we are serving the humanity directly.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. That all right. Nice. But sometimes, if somebody differs, that is not very palatable .

Guest (5): No, no, Swamiji. There is no... We welcome you there. I told Mangala when she came that we are not preaching a particular thing. We are going there to serve the people who come who are intellectual.

Prabhupāda: For spiritual enlightenment. That's nice.

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

Prabhupāda: Confluence, confluence.

Guest (5): On the spot. We are in the bed of the river and this plot is reserved since last 200 years for us from the government when the Mela comes. Pūrṇa-kumbha, ardha-kumbha. And the boats ply from our spot downstream at Prayaga on the saṅgam. That we take them during the day according to the nakṣatra.

Prabhupāda: These gentlemen offering, why not take advantage?

Guru dāsa: If it's away from the Mela there won't be so much preaching there.

Guest (5): People will come to you when they know you are there. There is no need to go. (laughter)

Guest (6): You can still have a small place in Mela itself.

Guest (5): That publicity will go like this. Don't worry about it. When the sun shines nobody says that the sun has risen. It has risen.

Guru dāsa: Vedāntists say, but no one else...

Prabhupāda: No, no, that's all right. So you take advantage of it. (everyone talking at once) Now is offering, you should... So immediately arrange for this. So (Hindi)

Guest (5): I'll telephone today and we'll make the arrangement at least for five to six, seven tents.

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much. Then it will be very nice. We are willing to go there. And we must go there. It is Kumbha-mela. So if you give us five to six camps it will be very nice.

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

Prabhupāda: Thank you. He's so liberal. You are actually Brahman.(laughter) Brahman means unlimited.

Guest (5): Virāṭ.

Prabhupāda: Virāṭ. Bṛhatyad, brnhanatya iti brahman.(?) Not only the largest, but increasing. That is Brahman. Bṛhatya brnghanatya.(?) I'm very much thankful to you. So you arrange immediately. (Hindi)

Guest (5): I will send a message today and you will let me know the date. They will come and receive you either at the Benares airport or here at Allahabad station. Because it's not far away from Allahabad.

Prabhupāda: Yes, I know. I was in Allahabad for thirteen years.

Guest (5): I know.

Prabhupāda: Yes. This Kumbha-mela we had every year.

Guest (5): First of all, you see, we have taken just near Yamunā bridge. As soon as the pilgrims come from various parts of the country we have got a...

Prabhupāda: Yamunā bridge, there are two bridges.

Room Conversation -- December 31, 1976, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Especially book distribution is getting very strong with Indians.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Preaching means book distribution. Now utilize here this flag ceremony.

Girirāja: Yes.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Flag ceremony. Oh that Gujarati? They have a... When is that?

Girirāja: On the tenth. Procession is on the tenth.

Prabhupāda: Do in such a way that that Sharma will feel something.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Only thing is most of our devotees may be in Allahabad. January 10th? All the devotees will be in Allahabad for that Kumbhamela and I don't think we have enough to...

Prabhupāda: No, no. They can go after the tenth.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: After tenth. Okay.

Prabhupāda: By fourteenth or by thirteenth. It takes only one night from here to Allahabad.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Twenty-six hours. We're thinking of renting a small bus for devotees because coming back would be a problem.

Prabhupāda: I think Allahabad takes twenty-four hours.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with C.I.D. Chief -- January 3, 1977, Bombay:

CID Chief: The Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Deity(?) which is close to most of the Indians. It's a common...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Sometimes they ask that "What is your position, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, in India?" And in India everyone is Kṛṣṇa conscious. Everyone.

CID Chief: Because if you read from beginning, like the childhood, all His childhood plays and mischiefs and this from the birth, then childhood.

Prabhupāda: Every house. Even there are Muhammadan house, they observe Janmāṣṭamī. I know that. One professor in Allahabad, Kavi or something like... I went to his place. He's a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: There's one big movie star... Not very big. Sanjaya Khan. He's Muslim, but he wears a pendant of Kṛṣṇa always. He's our member. He's promised us a donation of ten thousand rupees after his picture is released. Many Muslims we have members now.

Prabhupāda: No, he's Indian Muslim. We have got Iranian Muslims. They are our devotees, many there.

CID Chief: Well, sir, I would like to remain here, but now I have to go to my office.

Prabhupāda: So give prasāda. Bring prasāda.

Letter to Russian -- January 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: In Calcutta there are many.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I found out that in Allahabad there are a lot for Hindi. But then we had to have somebody over there.

Prabhupāda: Allahabad.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, one devotee or someone who will supervise that. I suspect Bombay will be much more expensive, but I want to check. Tomorrow I'll check it.

Prabhupāda: Allahabad, we are going.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. But right now is Kumbhamela in Allahabad, everything's going to be in so much rush, it's going to be hard to do any business.

Prabhupāda: No, businessmen are there all right. I was doing that business. So in my shop they..., visitors used to come there.

Roof Conversation -- January 5, 1977, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: I had gone by Kashi Express. It reached... From here it starts in the evening, and there it reaches Allahabad in the evening.

Mr. Gupta: That is Allahabad Mail. That's Calcutta Mail. Kashi Express leaves at 6:45 in the morning with other and reaches at the same time next morning.

Prabhupāda: So we have to get the train from Dadar.

Mr. Gupta: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Dadar is nearer.

Dr. Patel: It must be stopping at Thana also. No?

Mr. Gupta: We had the option of going either on 10th night or 11th morning. But we preferred 11th morning for the same reason.

Prabhupāda: 10th night means?

Mr. Gupta: By Calcutta Mail, or there's a special leaving for Allahabad. There's a special train. We are running Kumbhamela specials.

Prabhupāda: This one.

Roof Conversation -- January 5, 1977, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: That special will be better than.

Mr. Gupta: No, it won't be because it leaves on 10th night and it will only go to Naini. It won't go to Allahabad.

Dr. Patel: Isn't it faster...

Prabhupāda: And it changes. You have to change again. From Naini you have to change.

Mr. Gupta: You see, the Central Railway, we are taking people only to Naini and back. We are moving about a million passengers from this area.

Prabhupāda: From Naini they are going to the Kumbhamela.

Mr. Gupta: Naini, yes. It's a triangle. So from Naini they will go to Kumbhamela, come back to Naini, and come back this side.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. That's nice.

Dr. Patel: How far Naini is from Allahabad?

Mr. Gupta: Naini, railway stationwise is five miles from Allahabad, but people want to go to Sangamner just at the bridge at the bank of the river... (break)

Prabhupāda: It is not far away from the Sam... It is nearer. Rather, Allahabad main station is far away.

Roof Conversation -- January 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So Naini, you are crossing the river or this side of the river?

Mr. Gupta: By special, we will not cross the river. By through-going trains, we will cross the river.

Dr. Patel: If you cross the river, then you go to Allahabad main station.

Mr. Gupta: So Varanasi Express will go to main station. That special would not have gone to main station. It would have caused you inconvenience.

Prabhupāda: So they will receive from Allahabad station our men?

Dr. Patel: You have to tell them to...

Hari-śauri: We'll have to telegram to Gurudāsa to tell when we're coming.

Dr. Patel: There will be huge, I mean, traffic blocking and all those things. No? (break)

Prabhupāda: Fifty years before, when I was in Allahabad, 1920's, there was Kumbhamela. Then forty lakhs people came, fifty years ago.

Roof Conversation -- January 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Not very new. That is also not very...

Mr. Gupta: About fifteen years old.

Prabhupāda: Fifteen years.

Dr. Patel: Kashi Express goes to Allahabad and comes back to Benares. I have gone by that train.

Mr. Gupta: Actually Kashi Express was introduced before last Kumbhamela.

Prabhupāda: No, no. No, Kashi Express goes to Allahabad; then, from Allahabad, there is a straight line from Benares, to Benares. Then it goes to Mugger(?) side. Kashi Express, it goes up to Kashi or not?

Mr. Gupta: Up to Kashi.

Dr. Patel: And how long are you going to stay there, sir?

Prabhupāda: As long as Muratdev... (?)

Dr. Patel: (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: No, I'm not going to stay...

Dr. Patel: It is very cold, huh? There will be extreme cold this season. And to take bath in confluence in this biting cold of this cold water.

Prabhupāda: Sometimes I was taking.

Roof Conversation -- January 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, now...

Dr. Patel: You should warm the water and take water from confluence, bring in the tent, warm it up and take a bath. Or you get a pot of water here and daily put two drops in the bucket and take bath (laughs). My wife was doing this. She used to put two drops of Gaṅgā water...

Prabhupāda: Now, if I take such dip I may be paralyzed.

Mr. Gupta: Oh, yes. One man had actually died in Kashi Benares by dipping in the Gaṅgā. The water in Gaṅgā is very cold even in summer, sir, huh? Summer also is...

Prabhupāda: Almost. Because it is coming directly from Himalaya. Up to Prayāga, pure, no mixture. And then Yamunā...

Dr. Patel: And Gaṅgā mix together.

Prabhupāda: Mix together. They say Sarasvatī also.

Dr. Patel: Sarasvatī is the subterranean river. They call Sarasvatī everywhere. "Hindu mythological river."

Trivikrama: Mythological?

Dr. Patel: Yes, it is mythological. It is all subterranean water. Here's Sarasvatī. You got Sarasvatī in Gujarat also.

Prabhupāda: No, there is Sarasvatī

Dr. Patel: You get Sarasvatī in Maharastra also, everywhere. (laughs)

Trivikrama: This is Dr. Patel. I heard him speaking two years ago because a tape came. At the time you were, you and Dr. Patel, you were having very heated conversations. But now I see he is subdued. (chuckles)

Dr. Patel: In these two years I have made an extensive study of the Vaiṣṇava cult, all the three branches of main Vaiṣṇavas, and I think, I think, sir, that... I have studied Śaṅkara also extensively, and I think Śaṅkara is misunderstood very much. That is our opinion.

Prabhupāda: No, no, not misunderstood. He made himself misunderstood.

Room Conversation -- January 7, 1977, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: But you see, after all, it takes upon the health, twenty-four hours.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Rather, doctor, your doc..., civil ser..., man, he said that, "Avoid plane." For me he had said.

Trivikrama: Yes, because the atmosphere changes.

Dr. Patel: But pressurized plane, no. On nonpressurized plane, not.

Trivikrama: He is the knower of his body.

Dr. Patel: All right. I had gone to Allahabad by train. (laughs) I had a very bad experience myself.

Prabhupāda: No, first-class is... We reserved whole room, so no outsider there; will be very comfortable. We'll leave at...

Dr. Patel: First-class have got now berths.

Prabhupāda: Four, we reserve four whenever... So two upper berths, two lower berths—we sleep very comfortably-lock the door. And first-class...

Dr. Patel: You'll be coming back after how many days?

Prabhupāda: Maybe by March

Dr. Patel: More. Fifteen days, no?

Prabhupāda: No. More than that.

Room Conversation -- January 7, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, space is also.

Dr. Patel: I'll tell one of the friends to get me some water on that day. I'll take bath here. (laughs) I had gone to Allahabad once only.

Prabhupāda: Only?

Dr. Patel: We have not had the chance to go there. Delhi also. I've never gone to the Delhi also. Therefore it was calling me. I have seen Delhi in 1939. After that, I have never gone.

Prabhupāda: My family life was in Allahabad, 1923 to 1936 continually. I used to come to Bombay from Allahabad for business. And I was staying in that hotel, Empire Hindu Hotel. Yes, very nice. At that time it was very nice.

Dr. Patel: That is the hotel where Lokamane(?) Tilak died. He was staying there.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is modern standard, very nice hotel, still good hotel.

Dr. Patel: Maharastrian brāhmaṇas keep very good hotel, still good hotel. They are not as greedy as the Gujaratis. That is a fact.

Prabhupāda: No, they are following principle. Now the Gujarati are also... And Maharastra, as good. This material civilization, meat-eating, has spread like anything. Here we see, signboard: "Beef shop." We have seen.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Trivikrama: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (Hindi)

Guest (5) (Indian man): I am going tomorrow to Kumbha. Tomorrow night.

Prabhupāda: Oh, by plane. Oh.

Guest (5): Train. Howrah Mail, Howrah Express, getting down at Prayāga. And I'll be there to 14th and 15th.

Prabhupāda: Oh. So you can go to our camp.

Guest (5): Camp. I am going with Mr. Munshi only. (Hindi) He's already there, and we are going to put up with them only.

Prabhupāda: That is far away. It takes, I understand, one and a half hours to come.

Guest (5): It is three miles away, in water, in the river.

Prabhupāda: Three miles means one and a half hour? So go one and a half hour and come one and a half hour-three hours.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Just see. I have never given vote. Since we have got this sva-rāj, as soon as the vote question, I go away. Because I think, "Why shall I give this nonsense vote? None of them are liked by me." I avoid it. In my gṛhastha life, the municipal board and the..., I avoid. I don't believe in. So give Mr. Asnani some fruits.

Hari-śauri: Some fruit?

Prabhupāda: Cut into pieces.

Mr. Asnani: Prabhupāda, Allahabad, where are you staying?

Prabhupāda: We have got our own camp. You are coming?

Mr. Asnani: I am not fortunate.

Prabhupāda: I am going because I have to go to Bhuvaneśvara via Calcutta. So it is on the way. And besides that, it is a big function. And because my health is not good, if Allahabad atmosphere or Bhuvaneśvara atmosphere helps me little, it is... Of all foodstuff, I see the kitri is good for me, little kitri.

Mr. Asnani: Easily digested also.

Prabhupāda: So I shall begin again kitri. (Hindi) (break) ...take agriculture, you must keep cows. Both of them are related.

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

Prabhupāda: There is some temporary station.

Gurudāsa: Yes. And they're even making a temporary airport from the 14th on.

Prabhupāda: Where?

Gurudāsa: In Allahabad.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Dr. Patel: Allahabad has got an airport already.

Gurudāsa: Yes, but it doesn't function regularly. But now they're going to have planes going and coming.

Prabhupāda: Formerly there was airport. The place is called Babroli.

Dr. Patel: You must have seen all these places. You lived there for twenty years.

Gurudāsa: Thirteen or twenty years?

Prabhupāda: Thirteen years.

Dr. Patel: That is sufficient long time to know a place. At that time what was the population of Allahabad? About ten lakhs?

Prabhupāda: No, not so.

Dr. Patel: No, less than that. Ahmedabad was only four lakhs' population before. Now it is twenty lakhs.

Prabhupāda: Everywhere the population is increased. Why?

Arrival of BBT Manager -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh. You want to go to Māgha Mela? Er...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Kumbhamela?

Dr. Patel: See, the thing is I am prepared to come, but difficulty would be to come back.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Dr. Patel: I would not stay all the time that you are there.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We can help him get a ticket, because we have a letter of introduction from a very big Central Railway officer for the chief man in Allahabad at the Central Railway. He got us the tickets.

Prabhupāda: Or let us go by car.

Dr. Patel: By car?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Patel: It would take three days.

Prabhupāda: Never mind. What is that?

Dr. Patel: All right. I'll come with you.

Prabhupāda: We shall enjoy. We shall stop somewhere and have picnic. I like that.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Your car from Vṛndāvana is reaching there. (pause)

Prabhupāda: So work very vigorously.

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

Prabhupāda: No, my... Of course, I did not attempt in the beginning. I started my activities when I was seventy years old. So they thought, "This man is gṛhastha. He is embarassed with family life. What he'll do?" (laughs) That was their impression. But I never neglected. Guru Mahārāja told me. I was simply thinking, "How to do it? How to do it?" I thought, "Let me become a rich businessman. The money will be required." That was my thought. But Guru Mahārāja was asking me, "You give up this. I'll give you money." That I could not understand. I was planning. My plan was not wrong. But I was thinking "The money required, so let me earn some money. Then I shall begin." And Guru Mahārāja said, "You give up this money-earning endeavor. You come completely. I'll give you money." I can understand now. But my desire was there. Therefore he guided me. So I was... In 1936 or '35 in Bombay, after installation of Deity, so—I was gṛhastha—I helped them to collect some money. All my Godbrothers applauded and recommended to Guru Mahārāja that "Abhay Babu is so influential. Why he lives outside the temple? He can become the temple commander and manage this Bombay temple. Why he is living outside?" Mean "Guru Mahārāja may ask him." So I was... From this Allahabad I was going to Bombay. I had one small office there. So after hearing, he said, "It is better that he is living little away from your Matha. And when time will rise, he'll do everything. He hasn't got to be advised." I could not understand why he said like that. That means he was so kind that he expected that I shall do something. That was my asset, his blessing. And I was thinking that "His, this mission must be done very nicely." Although I was not capable to do anything, I was thinking like that. So desire was there and maybe blessing was there. Yes. There was no question of qualification.

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Rāmeśvara: That's their goal. That is their goal.

Prabhupāda: Goal that may be, but what they have done? That is the first thing.

Rāmeśvara: Then another goal they have is, by controlling the genes, they expect that one day they will be able to produce many men with the same talents, with the same physical appearance, duplicate.

Prabhupāda: "Will," everything "will." (chuckles) Never practical. Such a rascal, they are going on as scientists. Everything in future. "Trust no future, however pleasant." And they are depending everything on future. "Yes, we are trying. We shall do it within millions of years." And people believe that. Rāmeśvara: Because there's no God, so this is the only hope-science. The only hope for immortality is science. That's what people think.

Prabhupāda: But that is bogus.

Rāmeśvara: That means people want to believe in immortality. They want eternal life.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is factual. Nobody wants to die. Even on death bed, one thinks, "If something could have been done for my saving..." One gentleman in Allahabad, he was our friend. So he was dying at the age of fifty-four. So he was requesting the doctors, "Can you not prolong my life for four years more? Then I could finish my scheme." Such a madman. What is nonsense scheme? Āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ kāma... Find out this, āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhaḥ.

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Rāmeśvara: Just the Parliament members, that's all, not the ministers.

Prabhupāda: No, Indira... She must be Parliament member.

Gargamuni: Yes, but I don't think she's affected. I didn't read. I just saw on the man's desk. I just saw the elections to be held.

Rāmeśvara: She's from Allahabad?

Gargamuni: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Gargamuni: So she's Parliament. Maybe for her also.

Rāmeśvara: It'll be fixed.

Gargamuni: So, Prabhupāda, I'll have to leave on the 25th from here 'cause I could only get a 28-day visa from Kathmandu. So I have to leave the country by the 30th. So I'll go to Dacca and check everything out and then return and give report, and we can decide what we should do.

Prabhupāda: If we can get, we shall take it.

Gargamuni: Yes.

Prabhupāda: And you can start a center there. That will be very good. And when they see that Americans are taking, the Muhammadans will be attracted.

Room Conversation -- January 22, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Guest: And you bless us to have the same consciousness.

Prabhupāda: Please come here, take care of the center.

Guest: We belong to a hundred miles from this place.

Prabhupāda: Oh, hundred miles? (break)

Brahmānanda: ...here to Allahabad, I was coming from Bombay on the train. I was riding with some respectable people. They saw this button, and they said, "Oh, you are the disciple of Prabhupāda?" And I said, "Yes." And they were very appreciative of your work. And then I had one Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Eighth Canto, the story of Gajendra. And one man wanted to see the book. And he started reading it, and he kept the book throughout the whole journey, and he read the whole book, and he loved it. He said, "Your guru has written very nicely, very simply, very directly, and everything is there." He wouldn't give me back the book until he finished it.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) So our book-selling appreciated all over the world.

Morning Walk -- January 29, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: You are unhappy.

Pṛthu-putra: So then the question is... After Arjuna heard the whole Bhagavad-gītā and understood it, when he engaged in the battlefield, still, when he heard that Abhimanyu, his son, died, he was very agitated again and...

Prabhupāda: So that is natural. If my sons dies, I will not be agitated? What is the wrong there?

Pṛthu-putra: Well, one advocate asked me this in Allahabad.

Prabhupāda: That is temporary. That is temporary, but it is natural. Suppose if I prick you, you feel some pain, but that is temporary. Āgamāpāyinaḥ anityāḥ. They come and go.

Hari-śauri: Well, you may say that I'm unhappy with the authority I've got now, but if you force me to accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness when I don't want it, then that will also make me unhappy.

Prabhupāda: No, if it is right thing, then I am right to force you.

Satsvarūpa: This is against our democratic spirit in the West. It...

Prabhupāda: Democratic means "demoncratic."

Room Conversation -- January 29, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Japan also, same thing like Bengal and Orissa. They take rice and fish. That is their staple.

Hari-śauri: In the West they regard rice as the poor man's food.

Prabhupāda: But Japanese are very intelligent, Bengalis are intelligent, by taking fish and rice. In Bengal ninety percent people, they take fish. Here also, Orissa, cent percent, even the Jagannātha pūjārīs. In Bihar also, fifty percent. The more you go towards Western part of India, you get more wealthy province, just like Uttar Pradesh, very wealthy province, enlightened. All the big cities are there: Allahabad, Kanpur, Agra, Lucknow. Every hundred miles you get a very nice city in UP, the best province in India. All the holy places-Vṛndāvana, Prayāga, Hardwar, Ayodhyā, many celebrated holy places. Ganges and Yamunā flowing, two sacred rivers. Both of them through in Uttar Pradesh. And all the cities are either on the bank of the Yamunā or Ganges. And that is the best province, state, in India. It has got fifty districts. And fifty districts means fifty towns. Little more or less important. But the Kanpur is the third important city in India. First Calcutta, Bombay, and next, Kanpur.

Satsvarūpa: Not Delhi?

Prabhupāda: No. Delhi has become important on account of capital.

Satsvarūpa: Politics.

Prabhupāda: Government.

Room Conversation -- January 29, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Satsvarūpa: Not Delhi?

Prabhupāda: No. Delhi has become important on account of capital.

Satsvarūpa: Politics.

Prabhupāda: Government.

Satsvarūpa: International government.

Prabhupāda: From business point... Now they're making Delhi industrially developed. That is new attempt. But Calcutta, Bombay, Kanpur is old... Calcutta is manufactured by the British. Bombay also manufactured. But Kanpur is older, very old. Kanyakubja. That Ajāmila upākhyāna?(?) Ajāmila?

Hari-śauri: Ajāmila.

Prabhupāda: Ajāmila story, that was in Kanpur. Very, very old city. Kanpur, Mathurā, they are very old cities. Allahabad, Prayāga. Prehistoric. Manipur. (end)

Room Conversation -- February 10, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Oh. He is appointed to take secret reports.

Jayapatākā: Yes. I guess he goes and gets the report.

Bhavānanda: Self-appointed.

Hari-śauri: That's his business. He goes from one place to another, gossiping.

Jayapatākā: Who appointed, that I don't know. But that's his business. And then Dāmodara was telling about his journey on the bus and train, but Madhusūdana Mahārāja didn't seem very interested. He criticized, "Why do you go to Kumbhamela? What is going for bathing? What is special about that bath?" And then he challenged that, "We go for preaching." "But what preaching you did there?" "No, I preached, gave lectures."

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Jayapatākā: Dāmodara Mahārāja said, "I gave lecture at the mandira, Gauḍīya Maṭha."

Prabhupāda: In Allahabad.

Room Conversation -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: That you should not be.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. That's why it is that the Back to Godhead magazine is being compromised a little. They are fearful. But actually that magazine is our platform for speaking strongly. In your Back to Godhead that you were publishing, you were very, very strong. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...Mr. McPherson. He became my friend in Allahabad. He was coming and talking with me. He spoke of one restaurant in London that "It was so nice, and full of chili. I was crying; still, I could not leave it." (Prabhupāda's chewing)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Wow.

Prabhupāda: Chili in mild quality, it is digestive.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Every day with the lunch that we are getting...

Prabhupāda: Very good.

Room Conversations -- February 20, 1977, Mayapura:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Sometimes people ask whether I have seen anything very powerful in Śrīla Prabhupāda. I sometimes answer, saying that when Śrīla Prabhupāda came to the United States, all the foreign disciples, all the Americans, they all because of their social structure, eating all kinds of things, but they are all now pure Vaiṣṇavas. So it is the greatest wonder that one can expect. So they become very silent, just hearing the answer, seeing that there is something very powerful.

Prabhupāda: Yes. First of all they admitted in that Voice, that "We thought God is dead. Here Swamiji has brought." They admitted like that. (break) ...wife, she is also coming from very respectable family. Her father, grandfather all... Doctor had big...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Allahabad. Dr. Ghosh.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Director of... (break) So arrange for that. (break) ...part of the country where there is vigorous malaria.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Really?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because he is director.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You were also traveling.

Prabhupāda: No, I was not traveling. The wife was traveling.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: His wife?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore doctor became fortunate. He got very good wife.

Room Conversation -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. I cut that advertisement. I was very attracted when I saw it. Do you think it is a good idea?

Prabhupāda: Hm. Go to...

Devotees: Jaya, Śrīla Prabhupāda. (break)

Guest (1): Slowly about the program is that. I am trying to liquidate my assets in Allahabad because all this my dead father, dead mother, brother, all the properties are gone now. So when that is free, I'll take up this property here.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Guest (1): That I am doing at home.

Prabhupāda: No, I mean to say that we are inviting, people may come, live peacefully, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is an attempt. Otherwise, we could have built some apartment house... (break)...the J.P.?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Jaya Prakash Narayan.

Prabhupāda: Jaya Prakash Narayan. Even in old days they were dealing with this politics. What they will do good to the people? But they do not know. This is disease. They do not study the whole history of the world. What Gandhi has done? What Hitler has done? What Napoleon has done? And what they will do? But they are applauded. "He is promising within one year poverty will be driven away." All false propaganda. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (BG 3.27). Vimūḍhātmā. Rascals. They are promising so many things. They will never be able to do anything. And they are applauded.

Evening Darsana -- May 15, 1977, Hrishikesh:

Indian man (1): Sarva-bhūtānām.

Prabhupāda: "I am sādhu. I am the leader of the, this society. And the animal-killing is going on. I don't care for it." Suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām. So titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva... These are the qualities. And ultimately, summary, sādhu is spoken by Kṛṣṇa Himself that bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ: (BG 9.30) "One who has no other business than to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is sādhu." "Well, he is a foreigner. He is not brāhmaṇa. He is accustomed to so many habits." Sādhu is always in good habit. But due to past practice, sometimes we may see some discrepancy. You can find out some fault. But Kṛṣṇa says that "Never mind there is some fault. Still, he is sādhu." "Why?" Now bhajate mām ananya-bhāk: "He has taken Me as everything." So sādhu descriptions are there. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇaḥ. A sādhu means ultimately bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. So tīrtha-sthāna, one should try to associate with sādhus. This is the purpose to go to the tīrtha-sthāna. Otherwise, if you simply go to the tīrtha-sthāna and take bath in the Ganges and Yamunā, and if you think, "My business is finished..." Everywhere, all tīrtha-sthāna... In Gayā-actually, begins from Gayā—there is Phalgu River. Then Benares, there is Ganges. Then there is Prayāga. There is also Ganges, Yamunā. Then go to Mathurā, Vṛndāvana. Everywhere there is the sacred river. So if we simply think that going to the holy place and taking bath... In Kali-yuga it is general hobby. Dūre parjakanam(?) tīrtham. In Calcutta there is Ganges, but...

Conversation Pieces -- May 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Girirāja: But he's not going there. In Maharastra there's no election, and he's not... He's somewhat retired from politics.

Prabhupāda: No... (indistinct) (Hindi conversation)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And they want us to give everything typewritten to them. (Hindi) So I calculated, it will take more time than just doing by hand.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) (Hindi conversation)

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Allahabad is the only hope.

Prabhupāda: Dr. Ghosh... (Hindi) (Hindi conversation with Gopāla Kṛṣṇa) So you do not expect any good things from them. Otherwise you will not have any progress.

Girirāja: Well, we've seen from practical experience, they've never done anything except waste our time. Just like you said, they got rid of a lion and now there is a tiger.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Girirāja: You said that they have got rid of a lion and now in place there is a tiger.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Morarji Desai met some of our devotees in Hoshiapur.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (whispers)

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Swami told me you know it.

Prabhupāda: So why don't you see him?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I was waiting for the Shriman Narayan meeting, but now I think we'll go back and see...

Prabhupāda: There is no... Narayan told... You can say, "This man assured us. Why cannot...? He's not available." So we can take him if he's kind enough to see. "It will be great kind to us." Just simply say.

Conversation Pieces -- May 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Go and see and appeal.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. I'll go tomorrow.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And find out some good confidants.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. I got three very big...

Prabhupāda: You cannot expect Vṛndāvana to go big on business. It is not possible. You also find. Don't sit idly. I am prepared to pay for that. "Why you should not give us?" Here, there, any hell, heaven, find out.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Allahabad is the best place, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: No, you find best place and again it becomes worse. Again you find out. Do it. Don't talk. I don't want talk. I want to see. That's all now. (break) Now the cow-killing is very troublesome. (Hindi) Don't kill now. (laughs) (Hindi) That is very troublesome. Don't kill me now. Go on. (kīrtana) (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This should be done immediately, make trust property.

Prabhupāda: You are seeing it is done? Who says that? Where is the rascal?(?)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: To designate all these...

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It should be done for all the property all over ISKCON.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, but especially here in India.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Like in big temples, like in L.A., New York, like that.

Bhavānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda, the trustees should be designated.

Prabhupāda: You do not know. Trustee without designation—where is the trustee? I have already made one block of trustees, that Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

Conversation Pieces -- May 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Everywhere. (pause) Among yourselves, there is no strong man. That is the defect. All like child. That is the defect. And it requires a very strong man. That is lacking. In every minute details I have poked my nose. Anyone, whatever you have got, sit down and select trustees, and the format is there. Make a trustee. So...? (break) ...should be so many copies. Every one of you GBC and important men must have that copies.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I'll distribute copies today.

Prabhupāda: Among few, Rāmeśvara will be printed in(?). Anyway, do your best. Otherwise there is a very big undercurrent. They are looking for the opportunity. (pause) They want some money first.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. So he's going to go to Allahabad after two weeks. (pause)

Prabhupāda: No, don't waste time, a single moment. Very cautiously, intelligently work. (break) Mr. Sharma in Calcutta, I was guest in his house for some time.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Veni Shankar Sharma.

Prabhupāda: Hm. Hm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Formerly he was an M.P. He's a lawyer also.

Prabhupāda: Yes. I think he can write.

Srila Prabhupada Vigil -- May 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Guest (3): Or he was the chief editor of Sarasvatī and Bhārata Daily paper.

Prabhupāda: Sarasvatī... (Hindi)

Guest (3): In Allahabad. He's from Allahabad.

Prabhupāda: (aside:) So you just take his address and go and see him. He'll help you.

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) Take his address immediately.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: "Yes," what means? You take now address. Sarasvatī... (Hindi) It was started by some woman?

Guest (2): (Hindi)

Prabhupāda: (Hindi)

Guest (3): And he had been one of the chief editors, and he...

Prabhupāda: (Hindi)

Guest (2): Colonel Gaines(?).

Guest (3): Colonel Gaines.

Prabhupāda: Colonel Gaines, oh. (Hindi) (Hindi conversation) (pause) Vidvān sarvatra pūjyate. Sva-deśe pūjyate rāja-vidvān sarvatra pūjyate. (Hindi conversation) (break) Because in India, I can understand, there is an undercurrent.

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

Prabhupāda: This is their... Apauruṣeyam. Actually India's culture is going on that way. Mass of people, they are going to Prayāga for taking bath. What do they know? They have received it from authorities that if you take bath in such and such place... Ah, lakhs of people will go. That is India's culture. Without any advertisement, without any means, walking hundreds of miles they are coming, yes, that is their culture. And the government is perturbed that people are so prejudiced. So how to make them forget? This is going on. But they don't listen. They just, "If I take bath I'll..." That is the difference between Western and Eastern. And as soon as there is interpretation, it is Māyāvāda. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu has rejected-māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169). You see in the Kumbhamela how peacefully they are sitting. They are accepting Vedic culture. So nice atmosphere. Simply by going there you'll be satisfied. That is the difference between East and West.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti...
(BG 7.3)

Therefore tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). There is no other. Submissive. (break) Guru. Tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante. The author is revealed to him. Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve (ŚU 6.23). Otherwise not. So do it as far as possible to your capacity. But things are inconceivable. You cannot adjust within the limitation of your understanding.

Room Conversations -- July 7, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: And his wife takes four bottles of Nax Pomica.(?) If we said that "Dr. Bannerji prescribes Nax Pomica(?) and different (indistinct) to every person," therefore we finished the Nax Pomica(?) bottle very quickly. He was the biggest customer for Nax Pomica, Tincture Nax Pomica.(?) So he... And he was very famous doctor. And Abhinas Chandra Bannerji, he went to Allahabad very poor condition. Then, by medical practice, he became very rich man. I think simply by the mercy of Nax Pomica.(?) So one must know the right way. (coughs)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How's your cold, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: There is nothing.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is it changing the condition at all? We should think how to get rid of it.

Prabhupāda: How to rid?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I remember one thing you were taking to loosen the phlegm in Māyāpur when you had a cough. You were taking a little hot lemon juice in the mornings.

Prabhupāda: You can give me.

Room Conversation -- October 10, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: He's practicing? No.

Dr. Kapoor: He's not practicing. He's doing bhajana, but he's a very old, experienced hand, old, experienced person.

Prabhupāda: Why not try? I have called that G.... You know G. Ghosh.

Dr. Kapoor: Who?

Prabhupāda: Of Allahabad, G. Ghosh.

Dr. Kapoor: G. Ghosh? Is he a doctor? G. Ghosh. There was one Ghosh... He must be very old, isn't he?

Prabhupāda: He is my age.

Dr. Kapoor: Your age. I know G. Ghosh. But would he come? Long distance and old man.

Prabhupāda: But he is my old friend.

Dr. Kapoor: Friend. If he comes, well and good.

Prabhupāda: He recommended when I was in Bombay, he would come to Bombay. And that hospital?

Girirāja: Jhaso.(?)

Prabhupāda: In Jhaso(?) hospital J. P. Narayan was admitted? Again he was sent to foreign country. This is the difficulty. They want up-to-date scientific treatment, which means taking blood, injection, operation, like that.

Visit From Allopathic Doctor -- October 10, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Did you send telegram to this doctor?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Doctor Ghosh?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Doctor Ghosh. I sent him a letter, I think.

Prabhupāda: Because he is in Allahabad. He is coming from Kodaykanal.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, we never sent him a telegram. Maybe someone else sent him a telegram, like that boy Ikṣvāku. I wouldn't be surprised if he might have done it.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One of Haṁsadūta's men has been living in Kodaykanal with this Doctor Ghosh. Perhaps he... I'm saying perhaps. I don't know. I had no contact with the man.

Prabhupāda: I said you don't ask him about anything.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, this Ikṣvāku is crazy. He's crazy. I can find out if that's how he found out, but I suspect that's what it is. He's very difficult, that devotee. I'll be able to find out. I can't... There's no other way he could have possibly come, except through Ikṣvāku.

Prabhupāda: Who is he?

Visit From Allopathic Doctor -- October 10, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very independent. I'm speculating. I'm going to have to investigate, but perhaps after coming here he sent Dr. Ghosh a telegram saying that your condition is very critical and that he should come. Because otherwise there's no possible way I could think of that Dr. Ghosh would have come here, no way. We have no communica... I would never communicate. We already had our business with him four or five months ago. We already rejected him.

Kīrtanānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda? It's Kīrtanānanda. It seems that someone has to be in charge of your care. One day it's this allopath, one day this quack, that quack. That's not good. I'd like to see you ask one of us... I'll be glad to do it. Anyone... Take charge of your care, and we can do the best we can. But just one thing, one thing...

Prabhupāda: But we have already asked Dr. Ghosh of Allahabad, but he has not come.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, he hasn't. We received a letter from him. I think he may have missed our letter, but he said that any correspondence should be sent to Allahabad and would be forwarded to him. But he hasn't come yet.

Prabhupāda: You can see that letter. He is qualified man.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He suggests immediately that Prabhupāda go into a hospital.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Doctor Ghosh's letter, you remember, he suggests that we immediately take you to that Bombay hospital.

Hari-śauri: He wanted to do that last March when he saw you there at Māyāpur.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That was his opinion.

Prabhupāda: You can show him bile. Show him the bile. (end)

Room Conversation With Dr. Ghosh -- October 16, 1977, Vrndavana:

Hari-śauri: ...he died recently.

Prabhupāda: He also died? He is the only person remaining. Otherwise all my contemporary friends gone.

Lokanātha: Dr. Ghosh likes you very much.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Lokanātha: And there's practical liking. Not just words, but he wants to render services unto you. That is better.

Prabhupāda: And Kṛṣṇa has made him happy in all respect.

Lokanātha: Yes. He was mentioning to me that.

Prabhupāda: From monetary point of view, from family life, position. He is the biggest medical practitioner in Allahabad. Everyone knows. Even in the street, Dr. Ghosh they know. So take care of him very carefully.

Lokanātha: Yes, we'll take care of him. I'll promise. Actually his daughter was very much reluctant that he should not go or should not go immediately. But he did not hear her. He just decided to go. But I had to promise his daughter that I would take care of him. She was saying that he should not also become patient along with Śrīla Prabhupāda, as he is old and like that. We'll give him good room and nice accommodation.

Prabhupāda: Attendant, whatever he wants.

Room Conversation -- October 21, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Mutual.

Dr. Ghosh: Just two teaspoons. (Bengali) Small quantities frequently. Small quantities frequently. (Bengali) Tamāla Kṛṣṇa orders... (Bengali) We just take orders from him. Whatever he says, it will be done. You see, I am always at your service. Whatever instruction, I... Today I am going to Allahabad...

Prabhupāda: Āpni, immediately come. Immediately come. (Bengali)

Dr. Ghosh: Ācchā. All right. Consider me as your servant. I'm always ready to serve you. (Bengali) I've never been confined to bed in these long years. (Bengali) I have given medicine to lakhs and lakhs of people, but I myself have never taken any. (Bengali) I am always ready. I am free now, absolutely free, with full energy.

Prabhupāda: Āpnāra life full successful. (Bengali) Āpnāra family life, successful. Āmāra family life, failure

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Your spiritual family life...

Dr. Ghosh: (Bengali)

Prabhupāda: We started life together. His life, family life, is very successful, and my family life is...

Jayapatākā: So better to have an unsuccessful family life, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and be successful in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Prabhupāda: And done big, big business. Eh? Whatever Kṛṣṇa wanted to bring me, so this is work. Anyway... So I was sleeping?

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bhakti-caru: Another thing is I think this noon flight is not a direct flight. It's a Kanadu(?) that hops, say, from Calcutta, Benares, Allahabad, Lucknow, Delhi.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. So how many hours could that be?

Bhakti-caru: Five, six hours. Takes a long time. And it's not as fast as Boeing.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That means it would arrive at 6:30 or 7:00. I think that by tomorrow noon, if they didn't come, then we would have to say that the matter has become hopeless for them coming. And really it's a fact, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that you've been resting today without taking any medicine is not a bad thing.

Bhakti-caru: And the passing stool has stopped.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, that stopped. That's the main thing. That was the disturbance. The stool was passing. So many people are coming to the temple here, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Many pilgrims. The temple is full of people all the time. Lots of pilgrims coming. Devotees were saying that in other temples there's not so much activity. Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma are attracting all of the people of the land. Everyone is attracted to Them. But it seems like Rādhā-Śyāmasundara are equally popular. People like Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa very much, and especially in Vṛndāvana. But Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma is unique. I hear them exclaiming. They are at once surprised and pleased to see the two brothers together.

Bhakti-caru: And the śṛṅgāra is so unique here. It's the best.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, everyone says the śṛṅgāra is the best. But for flowers we have not yet the best. So we have to make that. Bhavānanda Mahārāja was suggesting a program, Śrīla Prabhupāda. He was suggesting that in that open land on the side of the Gurukula, that we could build a prasādam pavilion, and we could serve the public every day free prasādam at noon time. That might become very popular in Vṛndāvana. Ḍāl and cāpāṭis. All the sādhus would come. I don't know if it's a good idea, but he was suggesting.

Prabhupāda: Good idea. Very good idea.

Room Conversation -- November 6, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bhagatji: And Agra University is the biggest university in UP.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Many students.

Bhagatji: It contains many colleges outside Agra also. Just in Aligarh, in Mathurā, all are affiliated to Agra University. All other universities in UP are local universities, just like Allahabad, Benares, Lucknow.

Prabhupāda: This, our Bon Mahārāja's, that is also...

Bhagatji: Affiliated to Agra University, this quarter, yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Some people came here to the temple from Manipur today, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Did you preach to them, Svarūpa Dāmodara?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. They are very impressed. They said they'll come many. They told me they're going to come in many numbers.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What about that temple in Manipur?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I was thinking that we can start...

Prabhupāda: Receive them nicely. The Manipuri is devotee. Receive them nicely.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Didn't some Manipur devotees visit Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Jagannātha Purī sometimes?

Prabhupāda: They go.

Page Title:Prayaga - Allahabad (Conversations)
Compiler:Jahnu, Mayapur
Created:30 of Dec, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=98, Let=0
No. of Quotes:98