Retain (Lect., Conv., and Letters)

Expressions researched:
"retain" |"retained" |"retainer" |"retaining" |"retains"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 2.2.5 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Any question? We invite questions. If you have got any doubts about this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, you can ask. We shall try to reply. So there is no question? Yes?

Madhudviṣa: Prabhupāda? When the soul transmigrates from one body to another, the consciousness of that gross body, does the person retain some of the consciousness of his past lives with that transmigration?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Consciousness is a constant companion of the soul. The consciousness means there is soul. Just like this body. I am speaking, I am talking or I am feeling, this consciousness. I am conscious. Why? Because I, the soul, is present. So consciousness is the symptom of the presence of the soul. Therefore when the soul transmigrates the consciousness is also there in another body. But this consciousness, if I take God consciousness, then I go to God. And if I take dog consciousness, I go to dog. That's all. The consciousness is there. Therefore we have to purify our consciousness. Instead of dog consciousness we have to make it God consciousness. That will be our perfection of life.

Lecture on SB 2.2.5 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Any question? We invite questions. If you have got any doubts about this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, you can ask. We shall try to reply. So there is no question? Yes?

Madhudviṣa: Prabhupāda? When the soul transmigrates from one body to another, the consciousness of that gross body, does the person retain some of the consciousness of his past lives with that transmigration?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Consciousness is a constant companion of the soul. The consciousness means there is soul. Just like this body. I am speaking, I am talking or I am feeling, this consciousness. I am conscious. Why? Because I, the soul, is present. So consciousness is the symptom of the presence of the soul. Therefore when the soul transmigrates the consciousness is also there in another body. But this consciousness, if I take God consciousness, then I go to God. And if I take dog consciousness, I go to dog. That's all. The consciousness is there.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 3.87-88 -- New York, December 27, 1966:

"Oh, we don't want this." They do not care for even Viṣṇu. They are searching after Kṛṣṇa. And when Rādhārāṇī came, Kṛṣṇa could not hide Himself with four hands. He had to become two-handed. The Rādhārāṇī's love was so forceful that Kṛṣṇa could not retain His hiding, I mean to say, feature of Viṣṇu. So for other gopīs He could hide Himself, but they did not care. They simply offered their..., "Oh, Viṣṇu. All right." But they want Kṛṣṇa. But when Rādhārāṇī came, Kṛṣṇa could not hide Himself with His four hands. He became immediately two-handed as Kṛṣṇa.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Los Angeles, February 2, 1968:

People were so sharp in brain that once heard from the spiritual master, they will never forget. The brahmacārī system made their brain so powerful that whatever they will hear from the spiritual master, they will keep in the brain and never forget. They will repeat verbatim. Smṛti. It is called retaining power.

So God realization does not depend on material opulence. Material opulence means to take birth in high family, janma. Janma means high parentage. Then... Janmaiśvarya, and wealthy, great riches. These are material opulences: high parentage, great riches, and great learning, and great beauty. These four things are material opulences. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26).

Lecture -- Seattle, October 11, 1968:

Young man (5): When we get the next body does our mind retain much of what is learned in the life before? At least the general principles? Or does it start all over again and live within that body and gain its knowledge through that body?

Prabhupāda: No. Death means forgetfulness. Death... Just like when you sleep you forget your day's activities. So sleep is partial death. In sleep also, you sometimes think that you have got a different body, you are floating on the air, or you have gone somewhere which you never seen. So that means the mind is forgetful of the day's activities. It has taken a different activity. Similarly, as soon as the body's changed, the mind is also changed. Mind function is thinking, feeling, and willing. So we feel, think, and will according to circumstances. Just like now you have got an American body, you are thinking like American.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: Therefore our prescription is that in the beginning of life, teach him brahmācārya restraint, and when he is grown up, he is above twenty, get him married. In the beginning he will learn how to restrain. If you teach your child to become saintly, he retains his semina, his brain becomes strong, he can understand things, because wasting your semina means less intelligence. So from the beginning, if he is brahmacārī, if he stops misuse of semina, then he becomes intelligent and strong and fully grown. For want of education, everything is being stunted-brain, bodily growth, and everything. So after he is trained as a brahmacārī, if he thinks that still he will have sex enjoyment, all right, he can be married. But because he will have strength of body and brain, he will beget a child, immediately there will be male child.

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Hayagrīva: Marx felt that religion is a symptom of a degraded man. He wrote, "Religion is the sigh of a distressed creature, the soul of a heartless world, as it is also the spirit of a spiritless condition. It is the opium of the people. The more a man puts into God, the less he retains in himself."

Prabhupāda: But practically we see that the Communist are also equally failure, even without God. Now these Chinese and Russians, they are not in agreement. So same thing—that those who believed in God and those who did not believe in God the difference existed. And now amongst the Communist there are coming out so many section. So the difference of opinion is still there even denying God, without God. So that is not improvement. The real purpose is to understand what is really God is.

Philosophy Discussion on Socrates:

Hayagrīva: You once mentioned that Greeks, the ancient Greeks were chased out of India where... They were kṣatriyas chased out of India by Parāśara Muni, something like that. But Socrates was confronted with a society that on one hand included what were called Sophists—these were more or less mental speculators; they were paid money to philosophize or to speculate—and humanists, who said, "Man is the measure of all things." They..., no belief in God or any higher force; nothing beside man. And with the demigod worshipers, the Greek pantheon of gods were very much like the demigods described in the Vedic literatures, like Zeus was like Indra, and Athena was like Sarasvatī. They retained..., the Greeks retained their worship of the demigods, but there is no mention of a Supreme God under whom everyone else served, and Socrates, on..., neglected the worship of these demigods. He felt that there was no use in worshiping the demigods, and he stressed meditation on the self, on the highest good which resides in the heart, which must correspond to the Paramātmā.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- London, August 10, 1971:

Mr. Arnold: This is the first thing. You see, when we're talking of Kingsway Hall, you know, the big one, before, well here you had a bank on the site, and they were rather anxious to keep their premises, and consequently they would have loaned us money to retain their site. Any of these four that we're dealing with at the moment, there are no other banks or building societies on the site. This is what I think is, is absolutely imperative, that within the...

Prabhupāda: The bank will not be prepared to advance in such property?

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- October 25, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Alone.

Gurudāsa: Alone.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct)

Gurudāsa: We will retain him in some way.

Prabhupāda: Yes, you retain him.

Gurudāsa: That is the system, that he stays there but we will do the pūjārī work.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Give him salary.

Gurudāsa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: He is being paid?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 15, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: And if you explain scientifically as you are explaining, that "This will spoil the brain, you cannot take nice things, so you must observe these rules..."

Siddha-svarūpa: Part of their culture is basically.... It's deeply steeped in what's called Taoism, and it's.... An important part of that is retaining the semen for mental power. (break)

Prabhupāda: So give them attention, yes, even at the..., as far as possible. Jaya.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It may be possible for Dhṛṣṭadyumna's father to employ himself and myself in that business. Then I can go...

Prabhupāda: Very easily.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Guest (4): "...both in heaven and in earth. Believe that He has all wisdom and all power both in heaven and in earth. Believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them and humble yourselves before God and ask Him sincerely of heart that He will forgive you. And now, if you believe all these things, see that you do them. And again I say unto you, as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of His goodness and have tasted of His love and have received the remission of your sins, which causes such exceeding great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember and always retain in remembrance the greatness of God and your own nothingness, and His goodness and long suffering towards you unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come which was spoken by the mouth of the angel."

Prabhupāda: So it is very nice. But.... Let me see that book.

Room Conversation -- July 26, 1976, London:

Hari-śauri: To retain it.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: Sometimes the devotees go down there and clean out the rooms, and they have kīrtana there sometimes. I think this is the first book that someone included this photo.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It was very calm and quiet. And people used to offer obeisances from outside because they knew. Practically everyone knew me. So they used to offer...

Hari-śauri: You were very well known in Vṛndāvana before you came?

Prabhupāda: Not very well known, but people knew me.

Room Conversation -- November 20, 1976, Vrndavana:

Hari-śauri: Yes, this retains the heat nicely.

Prabhupāda: People are so misled. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). We have to change this body. There is no preparation. "As sure as death." Death will take place, and you have to accept another body. Who understands this philosophy? Nobody. They are so dull-headed. This body finished, everything finished. All big, big leaders, scholars, they say. One gentleman, his name is... He was Rabindranath Tagore's brother, artist. So in a meeting he was saying, "We are so fool. Thinking of next life, next life, we are spoiling this life." He said like that long, long ago when we were children, young men, about eighteen years, twenty years. So I remember distinctly, he is saying in the meeting that "Simply thinking of next life, we are spoiling this life." He said. That was his explanation. So at that time we were young boys: "Yes, why we should think of, so much of next life?"

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: Straw house is not good.

Gurudāsa: No? What would you like? Because a straw house retains the heat during the day.

Prabhupāda: That's all right, but if there is fire it will be...

Gurudāsa: I see. We made a separate latrine for you and separate shower, etc. That is all enclosed. So what would you like? A big tent?

Prabhupāda: I do not know, but a straw house... Is there any chance of setting, getting fire?

Room Conversation 'GBC Resolutions' -- March 1, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Hm. Where is our Bhagavān dāsa?

Satsvarūpa: Starting with South America... South America's responsibilities would be divided between Pañcadraviḍa Swami and Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja like this: Pañcadraviḍa would be responsible for the temples in Mexico and Central America, Guyana, Santo Domingo and Trinidad. And he will also work as required in the Los Angeles Spanish BBT office. And Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja will retain direct responsibility for Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Ecuador, and also he was going to take on co-GBC responsibilities in Spain and Portugal, which are the same language as the books he's printing in, along with Bhagavān, in whose zone that is, Spain and Portugal in Europe, for spreading Spanish book distribution. And as for the BBT duties that Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja has, he will have Pañcadraviḍa Mahārāja assist him in that also. We passed a resolution about...

Prabhupāda: What about the French printing and translation? That is stopped now?

Room Conversation 'GBC Resolutions' -- March 1, 1977, Mayapura:

Satsvarūpa: Brahmānanda Mahārāja will retain GBC zonal responsibility of Africa and South Africa. However, he will get cooperation of Jayatīrtha, who will...

Prabhupāda: Occasionally.

Satsvarūpa: Yes. He is already GBC of South Africa, so they will become co-GBCs of both Africa and South Africa.

Prabhupāda: Very good arrangement.

Satsvarūpa: As for Jayatīrtha, he will keep England in his zone, but he is also going to take a zone in the United States, which he finds that he can travel to without much difficulty, which is the Mid-West of the United States, including Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, and a little center, Ann Arbor.

Prabhupāda: So you have all agreed to. That's nice.

Room Conversation 'GBC Resolutions' -- March 1, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: So you have all agreed to. That's nice.

Satsvarūpa: Harikeśa Mahārāja will mostly retain the same zone of Eastern European countries, Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavian countries.

Prabhupāda: So you have discussed Hare Kṛṣṇa, er, Harikeśa's activities, reviewed? It is all right?

Rāmeśvara: No. That is yet to be discussed under saṅkīrtana techniques.

Gargamuni: The techniques?

Prabhupāda: Not techniques. On the whole... He's the...

Room Conversation 'GBC Resolutions' -- March 1, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: That means he'll be trained up in his place. Is it not?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Satsvarūpa: And also Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja will retain responsibility for Red China, whatever can be done there.

Prabhupāda: That's very good. (laughter) I asked him to do this last year. Very good.

Satsvarūpa: India was broadly divided, the same as it is now, of Gopāla Kṛṣṇa to do the north and west, Gargamuni Mahārāja to do the east-Calcutta, Māyāpur. And in that connection we resolved that Śatadhanya Mahārāja should take responsibility for being president of Calcutta and Panihati.

Room Conversation 'GBC Resolutions' -- March 1, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: You cannot make depressed. No, that is not good.

Gargamuni: But he admits that he likes to do business work and export.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. You discuss.

Satsvarūpa: Then Haṁsadūta Mahārāja will retain responsibility for the South, Hyderabad.

Rāmeśvara: Including Hyderabad.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: All of South India.

Prabhupāda: Hyderabad is in the South. And further South, Ceylon? That's nice. Yes.

Room Conversation 'GBC Resolutions' -- March 1, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Very good.

Satsvarūpa: Then Gurukṛpā Mahārāja retained responsibility in Hawaii and Japan and Hong Kong; Bali-mardana, responsibility for Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the South Sea islands, and for book distribution in Southeast Asia.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He was the first to go there.

Prabhupāda: Yes. He invented Australia.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He invented Australia. (laughter)

Bali-mardana: It was only when your lotus feet touched Australia that it became worthwhile.

Prabhupāda: I was insisting, South Pacific organization.

Room Conversation 'GBC Resolutions' -- March 1, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Bali. Bali means very powerful.

Satsvarūpa: Then Ātreya Ṛṣi will retain the Mid-East zone. And that's all we did today.

Prabhupāda: That's nice. Very good. All right.

Devotees: Jaya. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (break)

Prabhupāda: So you have to understand it. How you can, mean, simplify it?

Rāmeśvara: But just like sometimes for Back to Godhead...

Prabhupāda: No, no. First of all come to the practical point. How he'll make it more easily understandable. Dharma-kṣetra is a place. Māyāpur is a place. There is...

Room Conversation With Son (Vrindavan De) -- July 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Childish. What dragon will help?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The whole article is more or less... It's not really worth reading the whole thing. It's mainly about that they're here to stay. It mentions Hare Kṛṣṇa. It says, "After nearly a decade of this ferment, the underlying question is whether these new groups will last. The answer appears to be that most of them, though faced with high attrition rates and continuing obstacles to survival, have retained a small but sufficient core of devoted followers and are acquiring the resources needed to continue their work." It mentions that there are a number of court battles, including members of the Hare Kṛṣṇa. Ours is the first group they mention.

Prabhupāda: That, it does not mention about the Transcendental Meditation?

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Roland Michener (Governor-General of Canada) -- Montreal 24 August, 1968:

The aim of ISKCON is not to found a new religious sect, but to invoke the living entity's dormant love of God, and thus provide the human society of all faiths with a common platform of clear theistic knowledge and practice. Members of ISKCON may retain their own respective religious faiths, as ISKCON is meant to establish a clear, practical common formulation of the common ideal of all theists, and to defeat the unnecessary dogmatic wranglings that now divide and invalidate the theistic camp. This common ideal of theism is to develop love of God.

Letter to Brahmananda -- Los Angeles 19 December, 1968:

That is the way of propagating sales organization.

Regarding my apartment, if it is possible to keep it with no strain on your financial condition it is alright. Otherwise I am not very serious about retaining the apartment. Everything should be performed with no strain because too much financial strain will hamper our progress in Krishna Consciousness.

Purusottama is helping me since he has come and I think that he should remain with me always. I require a male secretary because there are so many letters coming daily and which require expert management. At the same time he will be securing advertisements for Back To Godhead so I hope that you will not feel very much inconvenience because he is not there in New York.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 11 January, 1974:

Henceforth we should not accept too much strain. It was a very bitter experience for me in Bombay. As Nair's party was determined not to let us have the land I was more determined to take it at any cost. Krsna has helped us, but we should not strain Krsna by such action.

It is very important that the accounts be kept very clear so that we retain our income tax exemption. So continue to engage Manasvi and competent men so that everything is recorded very clearly.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 11 January, 1974:

I understand that the mrdanga instruction to our devotees is a failure. So retain the teachers and have them engage our students, but if the students are so dull what can be done? Make as many mrdangas as possible. Supervise the workers so that they are working during their work hours.

Yes, I fully agree that "What is the use of a temple if there is no prasadam distribution?" Prasadam distribution on a large scale must be resumed. Such a temple where there is no such distribution has no value, I agree. You say more land is needed for growing crops. So for the time being go ahead and purchase land and I will pay at the rate of Rs 5,000 per month.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Ramesvara -- India 25 February, 1976:

Jayatirtha is experienced; he is very good at negotiations. It is nice that he be retained as consultant/negotiator. The others are neophyte; sometimes they are cheated. George Harrison was cheated 20,000 pounds by reality men.

I have asked several times that you send a copy of the transfer slip when you transfer money to Bombay. You must send it regularly, whenever you transfer. What is the use of Radha-Damodara monies going to Los Angeles; he is sending direct. He will send and you can note.