Expressions researched:
"rice"
Prabhupāda: They boil it with.... Oh, you have come. Good morning. Thank you. With rice. I forgot your name.
Keśavalāl Trivedi: Keśavalāl Trivedi.
Prabhupāda: Trivedi, Mr. Trivedi, yes. So, who is independent? This is our question. Who is independent? Do you know any man who is independent or any animal or any...?
Keśavalāl Trivedi: No.
Prabhupāda: So why they are thinking independently?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (break) Chipped rice?
Mahāmṣa: No, that was sugar.
Prabhupāda: Sugar? Salt.
Harikeśa: That's the way their salt is here.
Acyutānanda: In blocks?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Rock salt.
Prabhupāda: Not rock salt. Sea salt.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They get it from here?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Sea. Not here, where there is sea.
Prabhupāda: Salt means earth. Earth. So in the water there is earth. Bhumir āpaḥ. So within the water there is earth. And within the fire there is water. And within the air there is fire. Sukṣmaṁ to sthūla. From sky to land. These are the different transformation stages. (break) Nehru? Nehru. (break) Eat rice only?
Indian man: Yes, rice only. No capātis.
Yaśodānandana: Yes, in South India they only eat rice. In Mysore we had a meal. The gentleman served us nine different kinds of rice.
Acyutānanda: Nava-dhānya.
Yaśodānandana: Nava-dhānya. Rice with yogurt, rice with chilies, rice with dahl, rice with everything.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is system in South India, with rice, everything. Just like in North India we make purī, kachorī, balusai, sṛṅgāra. There is ghee, wheat, and sugar and salt, varieties, hundreds of variety.
Prabhupāda: Laḍḍu, you prepare laḍḍu? They prepare so many things. The main ingredient is this: besan, āttā, ghee, sugar. That's all. (break) ...also they eat rice more.
Mahāmṣa: (break) ...left in Mysore.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But Bengal tiger.
Acyutānanda: That's.... They've all been shot.
Prabhupāda: (break) First of all understand what is meditation. Do you understand what is meditation? Do you understand?
Acyutānanda: Then they will say, "Well, you are proselytizing by rice."
Prabhupāda: I am not proselytizing. I am bringing him...
Acyutānanda: Unless they take to your religion...
Prabhupāda: ...to his original consciousness.
Acyutānanda: Unless they follow you, then you won't feed them. You are starving them until they...
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. We shall go on. Chanting will also go on. Both things.
Prabhupāda: (break) ...yata āyur-vyayaḥ param. Prahlāda Mahārāja said, tat prayāsaṁ na kartavyam: "This kind of endeavor you should not do, exploitation." Not exploitation. I mean to say, unnecessarily trying for developing economic condition. The modern civilization is: "Exploit nature and materially be opulent."
Yaśodānandana: It has been seen everywhere we travel that there is plenty of rice everywhere, there is plenty of food growing everywhere, but yet the government is advertising that there is scarcity of food in everything. But there is plenty growing everywhere.
Prabhupāda: And reduce population, kill it. Hiraṇyakaśipu was doing that.
Acyutānanda: Birth control?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Prajāpati. He stopped Prajāpatis to beget children.
Prabhupāda: You may go with your, this car, or throw it in the street. Don't take all these charities.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There's that verse about the puffed rice when it blows away.
Prabhupāda: Yes, "Govindāya namaḥ." Purify, govindāya namaḥ. Don't take it. Simply immediately throw it in the street. It is obnoxious. Immediately break the whole thing, and, part by part, sell it. But that is not possible. Ask him to first of all get it outside and then leave here. Don't allow this nonsense. (break) ...stand this space. Why? Why should we allow it? Useless.
Prabhupāda: No, no. I see. Why it is not clean? It must have been clean. (break) (Bengali) Yes, but I don't see they are working at the gate. (break) ...theoretical.
Jayapatāka: They make every day the rice for the day.
Prabhupāda: So where they are doing? Today is no rice required?
Jayapatāka: They start when the schedule starts at 7:30.
Prabhupāda: What is the time now?
Jayapatāka: They're all waiting for you to...
Prabhupāda: Very punctual, 7:30. Not waiting.
Jayapatāka: They put all rice and everything there.
Prabhupāda: Stock.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Books also?
Madhudviṣa: Doesn't it get wet down there, though, Jayapatāka?
Jayapatāka: There's another floor.
Sudāmā: And also up front, behind Bhavānanda Mahārāja, is also another storage which goes all the way up to the front of the ship.
Prabhupāda: Very nice.
Prabhupāda: (Bengali) You cannot utilize it for different crops. Only one you can.
Jayapatāka: You can only use for, in the rainy season, for some type of rice and then now wheat-two crops.
Indian man (3): (Bengali)
Jayapatāka: Winter rice, he is saying, bula(?) rice.
Prabhupāda: Oh. (Bengali) Now, taking instruction from Mādhava Mahārāja, you should be careful about purchasing land. People are very cunning.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So if he had no appetite it means he was transcendentally situated?
Prabhupāda: No, no. Not transcendentally. In his young time he used so many women that after marriage he was impotent. So he could not use, and he made a tact that "I see all women as my mother, even my wife." And that made him famous, this jugglery. Phuraphai(?) govindāya namaḥ. Flying, what is called? Puffed rice flying, "All right, govindāya namaḥ. I offer to Govinda." Phuraphai govindāya. Where is in the history that a saintly person has called his wife "mother"? The saintly person give some home, that's all. And where is the, such instance—a saintly man calls his wife as "mother"? He is the only man. "Mā."
Acyutānanda: No, there was a story like that, that a cow ate a man's grasses. So the man beat the cow and the cow died. So Yamarāja came. And he was saying, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa willed me, and I killed the cow. It is all Kṛṣṇa's kārya. I did not kill him." So Yamarāja said, "Well, who, who planted this rice?" He says, "I did." "And who purchased this land?" He says, "I did." "And who purchased, who raised that land?" "I did." "Who did that?" "I did. I did. I did." "Now, who killed the cow?" (Prabhupāda laughs) So they want to take credit...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Acyutānanda: ...when they do something for their sense gratification, but to sacrifice—"Oh, Kṛṣṇa has to tell me. Kṛṣṇa wills it." Then they don't... They say, "Why did Kṛṣṇa create evil?" Then there is a very peculiar question that comes sometimes: "If Kṛṣṇa knows that we were going to fall down, why didn't He save us?" or something like that.
Prabhupāda: He's saving you.
Sudāmā: In the West, that is a very popular question.
Prabhupāda: He's saving.
Acyutānanda: They have a law. If you have the high, dry land, you can have fifty acres per person. And if you have wet land, rice growing, irrigated, you can only have twenty-five acres. So I said, "Suppose you have dry land, and then you irrigate..."
Prabhupāda: The difficulty is that they have no standard idea, their. So they can do anything. And because they are in power, they can pass law whimsically, whatever he likes. (break) ...that bābu candra mantrī. (?) You know this?
Acyutānanda: "Many kings and many..."
Prabhupāda: No, no. Bābu candra rāya. It is a sarcastic word, bābu, bābu candra. Mean a foolish...
Acyutānanda: Foolish king.
Prabhupāda: And bābu candra mantrī. Another foolish mantrī. One, one foolish, king; another foolish is ministers. So that is going on. All the rascals, they are getting vote. One is becoming president, another is becoming the prime minister. But both of them are rascals.
Yaśodānandana: Yes. We were reading in Nectar of Devotion this morning. Your Divine Grace is writing that it is customary in India that whenever one visits the Deity or a saintly person to offer something, even one grain of rice. Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the system. Lokanātha: But encouraging is not recommended? Prabhupāda: Huh? What is that encouraging? Yaśodānandana: Requesting should not be done. Prabhupāda: No. Lokanātha: It is voluntary. Prabhupāda: Encouraging means your behavior should be so nice that he voluntarily gives. That is encouraging, not that begging and "Put something here. My belly is empty." (laughter) ...that is nice, that "Here is an institution. You kindly become a member. Help us." That is another thing. But why should you earn by showing the Deity? You work so nicely they will become voluntarily member, contributing. That is nice. But not that "Now we have got Deity. He's starving. Please give me something." No. That is not good.
Reporter (2): Were they receptive to what you...
Prabhupāda: Yes. I was invited by Professor Kotovsky to talk. On my way to Europe I stayed there. So I have studied the people. They are very good, as our Indian people, innocent masses, they are also like that. But they are being sophisticated by their new philosophy, communism, artificial thing. But they are not happy. They are being forced to accept a philosophy. People are.... I have seen from their face. They look unhappy. Everything dependent on government. You have to accept. You cannot select your food even. Whatever nonsense things the government will supply, you have to accept, even you don't like it. And for us it was a great difficulty. We could not get rice, could not get flour, neither fruit. Only milk is available and flesh, as much as you like. So on the whole, it was artificial and people are not happy.
Prabhupāda: The government can. (break)
Pañcadraviḍa: ...go to beg rice or something, like we were doing for a food program, all the people slam the door in your face. (break)
Pañcadraviḍa: ...went to America, what was your idea of what would be your program when you got there?
Prabhupāda: This idea: I shall speak to don't eat meat, and they'll immediately kick me out. (laughter) That was my program. And I was going to say that "Don't eat meat. No illicit sex," and immediately they will kick me out. "All right." I never thought that you would accept it. That is the idea of my poetry. That is sung, no? You have got that?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: And I was asking Kṛṣṇa, "I do not know why You have brought me here. As soon as I will say these things, they will kick me out. What is Your program, I do not know."
Prabhupāda: We can get everything, but the government will not allow. That is the difficulty. We can get grain, food...
Dr. Patel: I think grain they would allow. So many Christian institutions from America donate butter and ghee and rice and wheat to the Christian churches here. I think they would not object. We have not tried, perhaps.
Prabhupāda: No, we are trying. In Bengal they are trying.
Dr. Patel: Not here. They allow. How we are getting that Australian ghee all the time?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Dr. Patel: That will be here also. I have been to Ceylon, sir. And in Colombo they are giving free ration to the people. I mean, the rice.
Prabhupāda: There is a story in Bengal. (Bengali) The woman had seven sons. The mother requested first son, "My dear boy, now I am going to die. Take me to the Ganges side." He said, "Why? You have got so many other sons, why you are requesting me?"
Dr. Patel: She was calling every one, and nobody took her.
Prabhupāda: And then second son, third.... Everyone said like that, and she died without Gaṅgā. Agar mā gaṅgā.(?) So this.... And everyone has to work. And he thinks that "Why I shall work? Let him work. No work today."
Prabhupāda: Grains, no. Grains, they are starch. According to medical science, we require four different groups: starch, carbohydrate, protein, and fat. That is full food. So you can get all these things by eating rice, dahl, mean pulses, and wheat, and.... These things contain.... Pulses and wheat contains protein. And milk also contains protein. So protein we require. Fat we get from milk. Fat is required. And vegetables, carbohydrate; and food grain, starch. So if you prepare nice foodstuff with all these ingredients, you get full..., and offer to Kṛṣṇa, then it's purified. Then you are free from all sinful activities. Otherwise, even if you kill vegetable, you are sinful because it has got life. You have no right to kill another life. But you have to live on life. This is your position. Therefore the solution is that you take prasādam. If there is sin by eating vegetable or meat it goes to the eater. We take the remnants, that's all.
Prabhupāda: The thing is the spirit, real service of preaching, stopped. Formality is going on, but the real business.... Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement means āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). That is stopped. Do you follow? The formalities is there, but the real life of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement is preaching. Otherwise why Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra ei deśa. Tāra means preaching. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa-upadeśa' (CC Madhya 7.128). And that is stopped. They are satisfied if they could construct one temple and beg some rice from the neighborhood: "Sir, we have got some temple," that's all. They are satisfied. The spirit of preaching forward-pāpī tāpī jata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo—that is stopped. So by hari-nāma, by chanting, by this way, to live little peacefully in the temple and eat and sleep, that much they have got. If that is the success, that success they have got. And this was condemned by my Guru Mahārāja, that "To earn some money by showing Deity in the temple and eat and sleep—better you become a sweeper in the street and earn your honest livelihood and live." This is cheating. This was condemned. To construct a temple.... Just like the Vṛndāvana Gosvāmīs are doing. They thought that "This is our business. Some innocent people will come here and offer some.... Bas, that's our good income." According to the temple's popularity, they think, "This is our success." Therefore they are deteriorating. So that is not success. Success is his who is pushing forward the preaching method. That is his success. And if we think that "By showing a temple Deity we get some money and rice and cloth and just peacefully live here. Don't bother about going to Fiji and all over..." (laughs) That much success they have got. But that is not Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma, sarvatra pracāra. (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) What they are doing for that? That is point.
Prabhupāda: Everything..., and we could not get nice food. There was no nice rice, wheat, fruit, flour, nothing. Fruit means the strawberries. I don't remember we could get any other fruit.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Perhaps you went at a bad season.
Prabhupāda: No, no. Everything is controlled. Whatever government will give you, they have to accept. And all the stores, it is just like, what is called? The old?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Grocery store?
Prabhupāda: Antique, antique, antique shop. That means no purchaser. People have no p..., no bank. People have no money, simply bare necessities of life their government supplies. And bus transport, buses standing in one place, best time, and people are running after. Women, men, mostly they walk.
Prabhupāda: Stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12). In Bhāgavata it is written that everything belongs to God. You take whatever is your necessity. You take more, then you'll be punished. This is Bhāgavata's statement. So now the business is to become capitalist. He's taking more, holding the whole stock, at least in India. It is not coming to the market, and people are starving. So they will be punished. (break) ...also. The excess grain they are throwing it into the sea. So they'll be punished. They are also waiting, (Sanskrit). (break) ...spiritual communism. Don't take more. Just like the natural birds, if you keep one bag of rice here, he'll come, but they will take three, four grains, and they'll go away. And if you ask a man, "Here is some stack of rice." "Ah, I'll take." Immediately finished. One man will take it the whole stack, everything. "Oh, I've got it free. Let me take it." But the birds, they're under natural law. They know, "Ah, I have finished. I have got my belly filled up. I don't require any more." So God has given everything sufficiently. If every man takes whatever he wants absolutely, then there is no difficulty. That is your complication. But why there should be fight? Father's property of every son. He take as much as he requires. Accept father, his property, and take as much as you require. Don't take more. That is real communism. So where is that communism? Who has it? The material nature, the mother, and God is the father. And we are all children. That's all. Plain truth.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Actually, their philosophy came from rats.
Prabhupāda: Hmm? What is that philosophy? Rat philosophy? This is called vṛścika-taṇḍula-nyāya in Sanskrit. The scorpion is coming from the stock of rice. Actually, the scorpions they lay egg within the stock of rice, and by fermentation the eggs become scorpion and come out. Not that the rice is producing scorpion.
Rādhāvallabha: The scientists know about that, and they say yes, that is very laughable, primitive. But their new theory is simply that life comes from chemicals. So it is actually the same thing.
Hṛdayānanda: Yes, because life is also chemicals.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: But the fact is that they cannot even manufacture a tiny seed which will fructify.
Prabhupāda: Yes, let them manufacture a seed. From that seed a big tree will come.
Prabhupāda: Liquids, yes. Milk is the best food. Children, when there is no teeth, milk is the food. In Western country also, I think old men, they take milk and puffed rice. Is it?
Hari-śauri: Yes, soft foods anyway.
Prabhupāda: In India, especially in Bengal, there is a preparation, it is softer than the puffed rice-khoi, fused rice. That is very good. Light, at the same time soft purgative. That milk mixed with is a very good food for old men.
Prabhupāda: Yes, if they work, they can do that. (break)
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: In West Bengal they have huge quantities of rice surplus.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Hari-śauri: Could that be due to our saṅkīrtana activities?
Prabhupāda: Certainly. Bhavanti parjanyaḥ parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. There was big valley like this in Tokyo. We walked, and there was a creek like this. Not so dirty.
Prabhupāda: Hmm. Lāvaṇyam, now you know very well in the Western country. Beauty increases by having long hair. (laughter) I was just trying to recite this verse only, and now see how it is current. Who expected that this foretelling is there in the Bhāgavatam? To increase beauty, have long hair. Is it not? Now just see. How five thousand years this thing was foretold? That is the proof. There was no hippie movement then. (laughs) But Vyāsadeva foretold that in the Kali-yuga if one keeps long hair he will think himself as very beautiful. There are so many things. Ultimately, with the advancement of Kali-yuga you'll have no food. Food means there will be no food grains, there will be no milk, there will be no sugar, like that. No fruits. If you get fruits, there will be no pulp, it is simply seeds. These things are there. You get a mango, but a mango means simply the big seed, that's all. So how can you check it? If nature's way, things are going to happen like that, what the scientists will do? If there is no rice, no wheat, will the scientists...? They can say replace with a pill, but they cannot produce wheat or rice or dahl or milk, sugar. That is not possible.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Yes. We can analyze the chemical structure and make...
Prabhupāda: No, the flower has taken directly, without any chemical addition. You do that. It is a fact the flavor is there within the earth, you take the flavor, extract the flavor. Not only this flavor, there are different flavors, all, everything there. There are so many flowers coming out. Huh? Sarva-kāma dugha-mahī. Mahī means earth. Everything's coming out from the earth. But not in your attempt. It is Kṛṣṇa's attempt that He can take out. Out of so many different flavors, everything is there within the earth, but Kṛṣṇa's manipulation takes the different colors, different flavors, different bodies, everything. That is Kṛṣṇa's manipulation. Mayādhyakṣeṇa (BG 9.10). Just like in our kitchen we have got the ingredients, rice, dahl, āṭṭā, ghee. But the expert can prepare hundreds of preparations. That expert is Kṛṣṇa. And if one is not expert, even the ingredients are there, he'll spoil everything. He'll mix the āṭṭā with water then put ghee and then put rice. (laughter) This is the... We have to become expert. If you become expert, then you'll do very nice purī, dahl, rice, ah... There are so many varieties. You enjoy. And if you are not expert, you'll spoil. So Kṛṣṇa is expert and Kṛṣṇa bhakta is expert because he takes lessons from Kṛṣṇa. So for them this is not mithyā. Rascals who spoil it, they think it is mithyā. He could not do anything. He mix with a conglomeration, and because he could not get any result, he said mithyā, disappointment. And one who knows, he knows how to utilize it. Just like we are utilizing the cows in so many nice preparations, and these rascals killing them. Finished.
Prabhupāda: You do not know expert. So if we remain under the guidance of Kṛṣṇa, then we also become expert to some extent. And Kṛṣṇa's expertly service or intelligence we can see in the flower, so many flowers. So why shall I not take shelter of Kṛṣṇa? Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). That is intelligence. That is intelligence. We see Kṛṣṇa's expertly manipulation. So if we take Kṛṣṇa's shelter, at least we shall get little intelligence. Dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam. "He gets the intelligence directly from Me." And that is wanted. Why it is foolishly dealing with this rice, dahl and make spoil everything? Be little expert from Kṛṣṇa's instructions and make everything nice. Kṛṣṇa personally teaches how to deal with cows. He never showed the example of killing the cows. He maintained the cows, the calf. He was distributing butter even to the monkeys. And the pasturing ground became muddy on account of milk dropping from the bags. This is Kṛṣṇa. And He is personally taking care. So why the Kṛṣṇa's devotees should not do it? Give protection to the cows and utilize the milk. That is one of the items of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are not keeping hogs and dogs. We are keeping cows, because we are Kṛṣṇa conscious. Kṛṣṇa did not keep so many dogs as nowadays so many big, big men, they are keeping dogs. Kṛṣṇa did not do so. If we follow Kṛṣṇa's instruction, then we are perfect. Practical example. We have not invent. If we simply follow what Kṛṣṇa has instructed us, then we become perfect.
Prabhupāda: Who? No, this is used for medicine.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Many, many of the Western medicines are taken from different glands from animals.
Prabhupāda: Yes. (break)
Devotee (1): They had an Āyur-vedic doctor in New Vrindaban, and he was prescribing mung and rice diet for the...
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He's the one who told Rameśvara prabhu not to take any sugar when he had hepatitis. He told them that for hepatitis one should take—what was it?
Devotees: Mung and rice.
Devotee (1): Mung and rice, and no sugar.
Prabhupāda: So it was taken?
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Rameśvara was taking, but then he heard that Your Divine Grace said he should take papaya and sugar.
Prabhupāda: Sugar candy.
Kīrtanānanda: Our community is gaining in opulence.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Dhānyena dhanavān. If you have got grain, then you are rich. And if you have got cows, then you are rich. This is the standard of Vedic richness. Dhānyena dhanavān gavayo dhanavān. They don't say, "Keep some papers and you become rich." All rascal, one thousand dollar I promise to pay, a piece of paper. Practical, we have got enough food grains. We have got enough... That is richness. What is use of paper? Even gold you have got, you have to exchange. And if you have grain, immediate food. Just boil with milk, and it is nectarean, param anna, immediately. Take some wood collected from the wood and have fire, put the milk and the grains-oḥ, you'll get so nice food, nutritious, full of vitamin, and so easily made. It is practical. So tasteful, so nutritious, and don't require. If you simply boil little milk and little grain, whole day, so much sweet rice, you take-bas. You don't require any more. And if you add little apples and fruits, oh, it is heavenly. Your whole day free from any food anxiety, and you can work. And you can work. You can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Make this ideal life here. America has got good potency. We have got so much land here. We can have hundreds of New Vrindabans or farms like that. And people will be happy. And invite all the world, "Please come and live with us. Why you are suffering congestion, overpopulation? Welcome here. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Make that. Indian culture and American strength make the whole world happy. That logic even I have given? Andha-paṅgu?
Prabhupāda: Any sane man will be frustrated. Why you are spending money and going there? Kevala-bodha-labdhaya, kliśyanti kevala, bhaktim.... Kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām. Just like the husk... The outer portion of rice? If there is rice, you husk, beat it, rice will come. The rice is not there, simply husk, what is the use of this beating? It is like that. Rice will not come, simply they are trying to beat it. So the result is they become tired, that's all. They only result is they'll become tired. Kleśala eva śiṣyate, that's all. The result of hard labor is tiresome. So they'll get that only, that's all. They are satisfied, "Now we are tiresome, let us sleep." What you have gotten? "Dust." That's all. This is the philosophy. Bhaktim, what is that verse?
Pradyumna: Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8)?
Prabhupāda: Huh? That's not it. Kleśala, kleśala.
Hari-śauri: It's from the Bhāgavatam?
Prabhupāda: Yes, it is mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Any process you accept, rejecting devotional service, the result will be that there is no profit. You simply labor for nothing, as much as to beat the husk, you'll never get the rice, you will simply be tiresome, that's all. Just like so-called religion. There is no faith in God. There is no need of God, and "religion." This is nonsense. Religion means without God? This is going on. God, you can accept anyone, Ramakrishna Mission. Any rascal...He was a fool, illiterate rascal, Ramakrishna. He became God. No standard, and they are propagating Ramakrishna Mission. As we are preaching Kṛṣṇa is God, they are preaching Ramakrishna. And who's accepting them? For the last hundred years, they are preaching. So who has become a devotee of Ramakrishna?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: It's absurd to even think about becoming a devotee of Ramakrishna.
Prabhupāda: You have got Caitanya-caritāmṛta?
Pradyumna: I think it is Tenth Canto. Śreyaḥ śrutiṁ bhaktim? I've been making a list of all the verses that you quote most.
Prabhupāda: That's nice.
Prabhupāda: So, without reference to God, what is the meaning of sacred rites? Everything is reference that accepting the supreme controller. That is the real meaning. At least, Christian religion accepts God, Muhammadan religion accepts God, or Hindu religion accepts God. So without God, how it can be religion? If there is no understanding of God, the conclusion comes that there is no religion. Fictitious. "We trust in God," but do not know what is God. This is going on. So we have to fight against all this nonsense. Nonsense scientists, nonsense religionists. What do you think? It is not easy-going, sleeping business. We have to fight with so many demons. Otherwise, kava dava adakanam (?), my Guru Mahārāja used to say. Beg some rice and bring it and cook it and eat and sleep.
Pradyumna: Kava daka?
Prabhupāda: Kava dava adakanam. As all our Godbrothers are doing. They have got a little temple, and a few devotees go and beg rice and cook it and eat and sleep, that's all.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Like being dead almost.
Devotee: (indistinct) arguing that rice can bring forth scorpions, he said that can happen.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: That... Prabhupāda said that rice can give scorpions? Something like that, scorpion comes out of rice.
Prabhupāda: Yes, taṇḍula-vṛścika-nyāya. Taṇḍula-vṛścika-nyāya.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Where is this, Śrīla Prabhupāda? Is it in...?
Prabhupāda: In the Nyāya-śāstra, it is there. Taṇḍula-vṛścika-nyāya. Taṇḍula means rice, and vṛścika means scorpion. The scorpion coming out of the heaps of rice, so therefore rice is producing scorpion. This logic is wrong.
Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, we are layman, and we follow Kṛṣṇa's instruction that cow, milk is very important, we drink the cow's milk, therefore she is mother. So at least she should be saved from being killed. This is common sense. Apart from other big, big reasoning, we take it, Kṛṣṇa says go-rakṣya, so we take it. Besides that, so far vegetables are concerned, Kṛṣṇa says that patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: (BG 9.26) "If anyone offers Me even patram," patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam,"I eat them." So we take Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. So Kṛṣṇa says "You give Me these vegetables, plants." So we offer Him, and then we take. Besides that, everybody has to eat something. So generally, food grains, vegetables, they are recommended for eating purpose. And those who want to eat meat or fish, they can do so, but at least they can avoid the important life of cow. That is recommended. So far we are concerned, we are eating Kṛṣṇa prasādam, foodstuff offered to Kṛṣṇa, and this, there is no such thing as meat or fish, or egg, but we are living. Not that because we do not eat meat or fish, we are dying. We can eat very easily. Anna. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Actually, if we take food grains like wheat, rice, pulses, vegetables, fruits, milk, that is quite sufficient, nutritious foodstuff, full with vitamins and, what is called, protein, carbohydrate. That is sufficient. Why should we kill? At least, cow? That is our request, because Kṛṣṇa says go-rakṣya. And in His practical life He played as a cowherd boy giving protection to other cows. There is a picture, Kṛṣṇa is sitting, and the cow and the calf is feeling very safety. Kṛṣṇa is embracing. So because we want to be Kṛṣṇa conscious, we want to follow His personal behavior and instruction.
Prabhupāda: They should be trained up. Therefore Vedic civilization is training. Some section of the people, they should be very intellectuals, brain, just like to maintain this body we require first of all the brain. If the brain is not order, then other parts, they may be there, but they are also useless. So similarly, in the society, some intellectuals should be maintained. They are called brāhmaṇas, and some of the brāhmaṇas, they are sannyāsīs. They are simply meant for giving good instruction. They should personally become very good and intellectual, and they should give instruction to other people what is the value of life, how to live. This is one section. They should be free from the anxiety of maintaining themselves. The society should treat them as children and give them all necessities, bare necessities, not they are meant for living very luxuriously. No. Simple living. Then the next class, kṣatriyas, the politicians, administrators, they are also required to give protection to the people from injury. Kṣatriya, kṣat means injury, and trāyate, "one who saves people from injury." It is kṣatriya's duty. So kṣatriya should protect all the living entities, including the animals. They are also subjects. So the first, intellectual brāhmaṇas, then kṣatriya. Then vaiśyas, their business is to produce food. Food production you can do by agriculture, kṛṣi, and by giving protection to the cows. If you get sufficient food grains, like rice, wheat, pulses, and sufficient milk—from milk you get yogurt, butter, ghee—then your all food problem is solved. You must eat. You must eat, you must live properly.
Prabhupāda: Physical life, so you must keep yourself fit to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not our desire that you become sick and you cannot chant. But our purpose is to chant and we require the physical necessities just to keep ourselves fit, not more than that. Eating is necessary. Without eating, I will die. So we take Kṛṣṇa prasādam, not in the restaurant or hotel anything, no. We take nice vegetables, nice food grains, rice, wheat, sugar, milk, all vitaminous, full of vitamins. So there is no deficiency of food. Even from food value it is very nice. We do not unnecessarily kill animals.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How many preparations in the feast? There was halavā, sabji, very good sabji by Ṛṣi Kumāra, rice, sweet, lemonade, popper-six preps. And puri, seven preps.
Prabhupāda: Very nice. Very good preps, sumptuous.
Bali-mardana: Oh, yes. Besides that, we had booths with watermelon, lassi and burfi.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Lassi was selling very big. We could not supply it fast enough.
Bali-mardana: We could not... All the time, those booths, there was a line.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Because this was our first year, we were not expecting such a big turnout, so we did not have sufficient stands to meet everybody's needs.
Prabhupāda: And the police officer has approved.
Prabhupāda: Good. No, now we are book selling nicely. I think our settlement.... (?) Kṛṣṇa has arranged everything cautiously and not extravagantly. You go on. Everything will be all right. There will be no scarcity. Yāvad-artha-prayojanam. Our parents taught us, mother, if there was a grain of rice on the ground and it is touched with feet, "Oh, you take it." We were taught like that.
Prabhupāda: Bitter melon, you teach them how to do it.
Bhagavān: Samosa?
Prabhupāda: Not necessarily, simple prepare nice dahl, nice rice, vegetables, some bitter melon, and two, three capatis, that's all. Not cumbrous. Must be well cooked, rice. That's all.
Bhagavān: Mung dahl is all right? Mung dahl?
Prabhupāda: Mung dahl, yes.
Bhagavān: Mung dahl.
Prabhupāda: It boils nicely? Any dahl which boils nicely, that's all right. Without being boiled, it is useless.
Devotee (1): But now I'm wondering how this should be managed, who should take charge of this project.
Prabhupāda: No, we can send some men from India. Bangkok is not far away from India. If we get a living place, then we can find out. When there are rice thrown, the crows will come. If there is no rice, how the crows will come? This is the philosophy. (laughter) If there is living place, then many crows will come.
Devotee (1): So we can first go and see the situation and then contact our men in India.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Men will be supplied from India. What is his name? Send him some thanks.
Devotee (1): Yes, Mr. Bulson(?). I'll give it to you. Jaya, very nice.
Prabhupāda: He's a Hong Kong man?
Devotee (1): No, he is from Thailand.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, Bangkok.
Prabhupāda: In, actually, in Bengal, Bengal has lost its original culture. In other provinces the brāhmaṇa class, they are keeping very strictly the original culture. Even a brāhmaṇa would not accept foodstuff prepared by his wife, because woman is considered śūdra. The woman, when she becomes the wife of a brāhmaṇa, then she is called brāhmaṇī, but she's not offered brahminical culture. She remains as śūdra. So therefore a strict brāhmaṇa does not accept foodstuff prepared by his wife. Still there are in U.P. The wife will arrange for cooking, and he'll sit down and cook dāl, cāpāṭis. Then he will eat, and whatever remains, that is there, that will be taken by her. But he will not take foodstuff cooked by his even wife. And if there are several brāhmaṇas, so each one of them will cook his own food. In Calcutta, mostly the rich men they used to keep the collector's darwans, they are called darwans. Means guard, policemen, guard. They're all, very big, big brāhmaṇa family, they used to take, accept the job. But each of them, even in police, I have seen, they are cooking separately. They take bath thrice, cook their own food, very strictly. The government had to give them a big hall for cooking. So, it will not take much space, say, little space. One small oven and demarcated: "This, you see, is mine, and then I, you get, this is yours, this is yours." So within that space they'll sit down and cook dāl, cāpāṭis, rice, one vegetable, and cook, and immediately all the utensils will be cleansed and washed, and the space washed and kept. You'd like to eat, they cook so nicely, although simple. And I have got practical experience, if you cook your own food, whatever it may be, it is healthy.
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.
Hari-śauri: Puffed rice. This Chavana-prash, it says five to ten grams every morning with milk.
Prabhupāda: With milk. Five to ten grams.
Prabhupāda: Puffed rice. (break)
Bhagavān: Zucchini?
Hari-śauri: This is zucchini? This?
Bhagavān: Yes. We should show Prabhupāda each thing that we're doing. (break)
Devotee (1): These are flowers which decorate the vases, they are very tall. They put in the vases every day on the altar, Kṛṣṇa, and this morning, taking garlands made out of this, smells very nice. Also the carnation. It was the one I gave you yesterday on your walk. It has a very nice scent.
Prabhupāda: No, you have got this cucumber?
Devotee (1): Yes, there is cucumber.
Prabhupāda: So if fresh, why not eat?
Hari-śauri: We have fresh cucumber every day.
Prabhupāda: But when I take it does not appear to be fresh.
Prabhupāda: You have got puffed rice? So bring some this pod. I shall, with puffed rice, I shall take this.
Hari-śauri: How do you want them cooking?
Prabhupāda: Yes, I'll take it. Let them bring.
Hari-śauri: Bring some now? (laughter)
Bhagavān: Glories to Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) Give Mandākinī these peas. Tomorrow she can utilize it for kacuri. I've asked her to make kacuri. Let them use this.
Hari-śauri: They must have only just come ripe just this last week.
Prabhupāda: So many things are growing. Puffed rice, you simply make it hot, dry, take it away, and then take some of the peas, put very little ghee and masalā and some peas, fry it nicely. Then put little water and cover it. When it is soft, you can add with it little the green chilis.
Hari-śauri: These are not very hot, the big ones. The small ones are the hot ones, but we don't have any of those left.
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Hari-śauri: Then mix them or keep them separate?
Prabhupāda: No, keep separate. They should be very soft. And the puffed rice hot. Then mix with little ghee and masalā. Then, I'll take little.
Prabhupāda: My mother used to make puffed rice at home. So there is special rice available for making puffed rice. Either you can prepare at home or you can purchase in the market, special rice. So she was preparing nice puffed rice, very, very nice. In a sand pot. My mother was always engaged in making some food preparation. Some pickle, some chutney, and this puffed rice, or something else, something else, something else. Besides cooking for the family, she was being assisted by my sisters. Always palatable foodstuff. So many guests were there, and if son-in-law would come, they would specially prepare food for him. To receive guests, give them nice food to eat, prepare nice food for the family, this is the Indian pleasure. They are not very much, nowadays, for upkeep of the home, very... That, in their own way, they keep it very nicely. Every utensils, very cleansed, they are kept ready for use, some cloth. If you go in a poor man's home, but you'll find everything very neat and clean. Ask these gṛhasthas to keep their home very neat and clean. Are they keeping?
Bhagavān: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Chickpeas fried?
Bhagavān: Boiled, chick peas. And apple, orange and banana. And in the afternoon they have rice, dāl, cāpāṭi, and salad, and in the evening they have a glass of milk and a little bread.
Prabhupāda: That's nice. What is that machine?
Hari-śauri: One of the vans.
Prabhupāda: Vans. (child crying outside) "Prabhupāda?" (laughs)
Atreya Ṛṣi: It is in the process.
Prabhupāda: Yes. By shaving, there are so many shaven headed. Does it means that he's in the process? Just like a doctor carries one stethoscope. But if somebody thinks "Let me carry a stethoscope, I'll become a doctor." But for a doctor the stethoscope is required. But a false man takes a stethoscope and declares himself a doctor, medical man, that is cheating. (pause) You get your puffed rice? No. Get?
Atreya Ṛṣi: Yes. Let me ask. We may have little bit.
Prabhupāda: No, here they prepare puffed rice?
Atreya Ṛṣi: No, from India or from America. We don't...
Prabhupāda: You get imported.
Atreya Ṛṣi: Yes. Would you like me to ask?
Prabhupāda: Yes. You bring.
Hari-śauri: We brought some flat rice, kṣira.
Prabhupāda: No, don't, I shall not take it.
Prabhupāda: Puffed rice? No.
Atreya Ṛṣi: What would you like, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: No, doesn't matter.
Nava-yauvana: Someone has given us some from India.
Prabhupāda: Puffed rice?
Nava-yauvana: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Bring it, let me see. I think today is cooler, so I don't require to lie down outside.
Hari-śauri: Sleep inside?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Pradyumna: It's coming to pūrṇimā.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Moon is the cooling effect. Desert will make a cooling effect. (laughter) Just see. At least I shall not believe that this is desert and rock. I'm not so fool. The desert and rock is giving so nice brilliant shining, everyone is feeling comfortable. Just see. We have to believe it.
Prabhupāda: Persian rice is famous.
Atreya Ṛṣi: Yes, it is prepared in a different way.
Prabhupāda: Persian rice?
Atreya Ṛṣi: Yes, we prepare it also differently. We first boil it and then take the water out and then steam it.
Prabhupāda: So first of all you boil?
Atreya Ṛṣi: And take the water out.
Prabhupāda: Paddy?
Atreya Ṛṣi: No, boil for two three minutes and then steam.
Prabhupāda: Rice?
Atreya Ṛṣi: And then steam.
Pradyumna: Was that the rice she made, did she prepare it that way last night? This afternoon?
Atreya Ṛṣi: No. This rice isn't even Persian, it's American rice. Persian rice is too expensive, even in Persia. (break)
Prabhupāda: They make very nice puffed rice in Melbourne.
Atreya Ṛṣi: How do they make it, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Not difficult. The paddy, they are boiled. And then again baked in the sunshine. Again boil, then again baked in the sunshine. Then the skin is taken out by that dekhi, what is called? That rice...
Pradyumna: Thresher?
Prabhupāda: Dekhi, husking, the skin is taken away. Then mixed with salt and make it heated. Then when it is prepared, then they heat sand, and in that heated sand you put the rice and immediately puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff-puff. Like that.
Prabhupāda: And mix with mustard oil and this, what is called, eggplant. Eggplant roasted in the fire and put with little mustard oil, salt and chilis, it becomes very tasteful. So puffed rice and that, they take in Bengal. That is tiffin, for breakfast. Formerly they were happy simply by eating palatable dishes according to...
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Today they have become so rich they cannot eat.
Prabhupāda: That's it. Simply they can eat meat.
Prabhupāda: It belongs to God. This is accepted. And God... And everyone is God's son. Therefore as the son can enjoy the father's property, they can enjoy. But they cannot claim proprietorship. As directed by the father, one can enjoy the father's property, but he cannot claim that it is his property. This is the correct position. And the king is supposed to be representative of God to see that things are rightly going on, that's all. Nobody's unnecessarily claiming proprietorship. He should remind that "It is God's property. You can utilize it as far as you need; you don't take more. Whatever you need you take, but you cannot take more." Like the birds and beasts they are living. They do not make stock. They need to eat something, they'll eat some fruit, then they go away. When they are hungry they will go another tree. They never claim that "This is my tree, this is my fruit." This is natural. If you put a bag of rice here, the birds will come, they will eat some grains and go away. But a man, he'll go and try to stock something, and he will take more.
Prabhupāda: I will take little milk.
Hari-śauri: Any puffed rice or anything like that?
Prabhupāda: You have puffed rice?
Hari-śauri: Yes.
Prabhupāda: So puffed rice and milk. (Hindi) We are now advertised all over the world, "The beggar's nation." We have got satsampatti, and we are now advertised "beggar's nation." And actually doing that.
Prabhupāda: No.
Atreya Ṛṣi: We're going to travel already into town once Thursday. We got some Persian puffed rice. They make puffed rice.
Prabhupāda: I'll take. You first of all give them.
Atreya Ṛṣi: We'll go downstairs and have prasādam.
Prabhupāda: All right. Thank you very much for your coming.
Dayānanda: If God is meant to be propitiated, then why is it that we have so many things for our enjoyment? You say that everything is for God's enjoyment.
Prabhupāda: Yes, God has given you enjoyment, but you cannot enjoy yourself, alone. There are other sons, they will also enjoy. If you interfere with other sons, then you'll be punished. God's son is the lamb, and you let him enjoy, you also enjoy. But if you interfere with his right, then you'll be punished. That is God's law. Sarva-yoniṣu, God is not only your father, he's father of the lamb also. So if by your brute force you want to kill the poor lamb, then you'll be punished. This is natural. You have got your food, you produce your foodgrain and you eat. Why should you eat another animal? God says that annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14), you must eat to become strong. But that does not mean you'll eat another brother. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā (ISO 1), whatever He has designated, you eat like that. You are human being, you can produce food. You grow foodstuffs, rice, wheat, fruit, flowers, vegetables. That is allowed. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni, you produce anna, why should you kill an animal? And offer it to Kṛṣṇa, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26). He never says that "You give Me an animal." Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. So you produce patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalam, and offer to Kṛṣṇa, and then take.
Nava-yauvana: That means it cost only six rupees per month for food.
Prabhupāda: Yes. In the hotel also they were charging six rupees. Means third-class hotel, not first class for cooking dāl, vegetables. Rice was, first-class rice, six rupees per month. Dāl, twelve annas for kg, flour, five annas for two and a half kgs. And from 1942, all of a sudden the price increased, artificially. Milk, two annas per kg. Now three rupees, four rupees. Ghee, first-class ghee, one rupee per kg. First-class ghee. (break) ...paying for the clerks thirty rupees per month. And head clerk, sixty rupees. Officers, hundred to two hundred rupees. High-court judges, four thousand rupees. High-court judges were highly paid.
Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, there's puffies and peanuts and hot milk. Puffies.
Prabhupāda: Puffies?
Hari-śauri: Puffed rice.
Prabhupāda: Puffed rice.
Devotee: And some fried, and there's hot milk.
Prabhupāda: You can give me little puffed rice. (long pause) During wartime some, during noncooperation movement, so one firm, they were supplying printing machine, and, very famous firm, forgot the name. So they had 113 branches all over the world. So somebody questioned that "If you British boycott, if by boycott movement, if your firm is closed..." So the manager replied, "So what is wrong there? If one branch is closed, we'll still have 112 branches all over the world." So if the Communist party in India they want like that, so we have our own branches all over. (slapping sound—for mosquito?) Don't kill.
Indian man (4): In Janmāṣṭamī day usually many times it rains also.
Prabhupāda: So where is the puffed rice? Somebody is bringing it?
Harikeśa: Pālikā is...
Prabhupāda: Why Pālikā, huh?
Harikeśa: Pālikā is in the kitchen taking care of it.
Prabhupāda: No, bring it to... Why you making there, puffed rice? There is... It is too late now. (long pause) So what she is doing?
Harikeśa: I will check.
Mahāṁśa: She is cooking prasāda.
Prabhupāda: Cooking? What she is cooking?
Mahāṁśa: Only puffed rice.
Prabhupāda: No, no, what she is cooking?
Prabhupāda: Chanting is the main thing. Chanting and distributing prasādam.
Jayapatākā: If we get prasādam, then... I think that they all contribute some grain. They are very poor agricultural people, but there's no theft there. I asked. There's one man who has three acres. Three bighās of land he's giving. So they just grow their rice there and...
Prabhupāda: You can ask that instead of making paraṭā, a light khicuḍi in the morning. That is...
Hari-śauri: Instead of that sabji and everything.
Prabhupāda: No, sabji can make.
Jayapatākā: Khicuḍi instead of paraṭā?
Prabhupāda: So khicuḍi will be easy, like...
Hari-śauri: You want some khicuḍi and the potato?
Prabhupāda: Put in the khicuḍi and tomato. Like in the morning.
Prabhupāda: That's it. Actually it is losing. Actually it is losing. Every day the price... Just like the price of rice has increased.
Jayapatākā: It is up and down.
Prabhupāda: Up and down, now... Take it. When it goes up it does not come down, generally. So this is practical example. Two months ago you were purchasing two rupees—now two-eighty. So where is the value of the money?
Gargamuni: If we invest in books... Just like this little pamphlet I printed. It cost me fifty paisa. If we sell it in one month...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Unfortunately, (laughs) I am not eating very much.
Indian man: Rice, anything you would care for.
Children: Go this way. This way.
Prabhupāda: I cannot digest. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) Because you have to walk. (laughs) (break) ...can stay here. Jaya.
Prabhupāda: Everything is possible by Kṛṣṇa's inconceivable energy. Everything is possible. That is inconceivable. It is called therefore "inconceivable." You, we cannot conceive how it is done. Our intelligence is very little. We cannot conceive. Therefore we say, "Oh, this is all mythology." Because we cannot conceive of it. Whatever we cannot conceive we take it as mythology. Nothing is mythology. Everything is possible. That is inconceivable. But they cannot understand what is inconceivable. Unless it is conceivable by them, they do not accept. That is their foolishness. We can see at night worms or flies so small Just like if you divide one grain of rice into one hundred divisions one division—such a small fly. They are independently walking, flying. Freedom. Now just imagine how their anatomic physiology is manufactured within that small (indistinct) of life. But he's exactly doing everything just like a big fly. How it is doing? Therefore I said in that, my interview.
Prabhupāda: Oh, he knows so many things. You have learned something? You?
Devotee: Very little. I can cook halavā and puris. Simple things. I can cook sweet rice. Sweet rice I can cook.
Prabhupāda: Sweet rice. That is very sweet for you. (laughs) The Europeans and Americans, they like sweet rice. Is it not?
Harikeśa: Oh yes.
Devotee: I think they like halavā the best, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Ācchā? If halavā is made nicely, actually it is best. So prepare all these things. Offer to Kṛṣṇa and devotees, and at last you take. Don't take first. Give all, as much as you like, then you take. Susukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). It is such a nice movement. It is simply pleasing. To execute, it is simply pleasing. And avyayam. Whatever you do is permanent. Whatever little service you have given. It will never be lost. Avyayam. Therefore Nārada Muni says, bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi. Even if he's not fully matured and falls down, kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kim. Where is loss? Whatever he has done, that is permanent. Because that will grow. If the seed is permanently sown, then it will naturally grow. It may take some time, but it will grow. So he's not loser. If he's little careful, then it will grow. Mālī hañā sei bīja kare āropaṇa, śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye... Then the creeper goes, grows, and at last takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa. These are described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Others are just dāl, sabji, rice, cāpāṭi.
Prabhupāda: Everything. Everything calculated.
Akṣayānanda: I believe you, Prabhupāda. But to make it practical I want to see every item. The cost, the weight, and everything.
Prabhupāda: It is already calculated.
Akṣayānanda: Then I can do it. Then we can do it.
Prabhupāda: It is already calculated. I calculated not with a fool. With an experienced man.
Hari-śauri: That's a long drive.
Prabhupāda: Yes, nine hours on the bus. And I took a little chipped rice, and whatever I had with me. So I got down from the ship about one o'clock. Then I had to wait for the bus till five o'clock. Then at five o'clock the bus started. About two o'clock, three o'clock in the morning, I went to Pennsylvania, and just in front of the bus Gopal was standing with his car, that... What is called? Van Car ?
Harikeśa: Stationwagon.
Prabhupāda: Stationwagon. So he took my luggage, and from there thirty miles off, the Butler County. So I went there. Then at night he took my (indistinct). The next day, he had no many rooms in his apartment, he arranged for my stay in the YMCA nearby them.
Prabhupāda: That's all... But what is that great? What is God you do not know. We know. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). There is no more greater principle than Me. That is great. How you are great? Aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). "I am the origin of all the demigods." Next how you are great? Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). This is their ignorance. They have simply heard God is great, but how He is great, that they do not know. Here is the... God is personally speaking, "Yes, I am great in this way." Ahaṁ sarvasya. Vedānta says janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). That is greatness. The original source of everything. So we are presenting God, "Here is God." Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ (SB 1.3.28). There are other incarnations, but kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. That's a fact. So try to present the real fact. It will be effective. If there is real reality, just like first class pure ghee... If one tastes, he'll hanker after. Without any advertisement, by the taste of the ghee, it will go on. Is it not? If you put little pure ghee on the rice, it will be so tasteful, that he'll want it again.
Prabhupāda: He remembers? How God can forget?
Pradyumna: That he says. That he says here. He says that, "Take paddy or rice by way of an illustration. Every grain of rice is enclosed in a husk. You have to remove the husk to get the grain of rice. Now husk and rice both come from the same seed. Rice is the equivalent of God in man."
Prabhupāda: But still husk is not rice. You cannot say husk is rice.
Pradyumna: He says the husk... He says "Rice is the equivalent of God in man while the husk can be compared to desire which reduces God to man."
Prabhupāda: No, no.
Harikeśa: Abortion.
Prabhupāda: Yes, also. Otherwise, we have seen in our childhood how happy people were. They were. Simple. If one has five rupees income per month he's happy. I've seen it. Husband, wife, a small family. If he has got five rupees income, they can maintain very nicely, happily. Why not? Suppose he has got five rupees income. The rice was selling at four rupees. So two person, say one-fourth kg., one-fourth share each. A gentleman cannot eat more than that. So means half a share. And the whole month, fifteen share. It is about one rupee eight annas. And further, one rupees eight annas add for vegetables and other things. With three rupees they can maintain, the husband and wife. And two rupees still there. He can spend for other purposes. I have seen it. Fresh vegetables, rice, this and... Just like with banana leaf. The pots were of earthen, the wife is cooking and she's utilizing dry foliage as fuel, a little temperature, everything is cooked. The husband takes one banana leaf and spreads, and the wife gives sufficient rice, vegetables. And things were so cheap. I have seen it. And fresh.
Prabhupāda: In Hong Kong. Yes. In Hong Kong you won't find street dogs. They'll eat them. So in India also there are dog-eaters. In Assam you'll find. They make kukura-piṭhā. Kukura-piṭhā means that first of all the dog is given to eat some rice preparation with gur (Indian brown sugar). And pushing, pushing. When he dies, then it is roasted. Then that is very good food. (laughter) Kukura-piṭhā. The Assamese, they eat. There are different nations. Śva-paca, this word is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini śuni caiva śva-pāke ca (BG 5.18). This śva-pāke means this caṇḍāla. One who eats a dog. Śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ. So everyone can be raised to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no difficulty. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement.
Jagadīśa: They're squandering billions of dollars.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And they, you spend money for cigarette, for cinema, for restaurant, unnecessarily. We don't spend a farthing even, for all this purpose. Simply we take little rice, cāpāṭi, that's all. And still, you are culprit?
Hari-śauri: They, in the papers report that, that we spend very lavishly for the Deities, but for ourselves we eat only very simply.
Prabhupāda: So is it not credit? We spend for God. We are servant of God. We want to see God gorgeously situated, and for us we have no comforts, we don't care for any comfort. We simply spend minimum just to keep the body and soul together, that's all. This is our principle. We don't spend a farthing for our sense gratification. This should be noted down if some case is there, this should be presented. We don't go to restaurant, we don't go to cinema, we don't spend lavishly for dress or something else, no. Neither for furniture (laughter).
Prabhupāda: Not needed. After prasādam they should not take bathing at least for four hours.
Pradyumna: They have a schedule where they have dāl, rice, and sabji, and cāpāṭi at 9:30 in the morning. Is that what they have in the afternoon?
Prabhupāda: Eh? So, when they first take bathing?
Jagadīśa: Uh, when they rise, at around four o'clock.
Prabhupāda: Oh, that's nice.
Prabhupāda: Cere... Not... It is all gobar. Take out. (pause) Ne, make khicuḍi.
Devotee: Puṣpānna rice?
Prabhupāda: Little, little.
Devotee: Always keep it simple, puris, one, and one other thing?
Prabhupāda: No, one kind. Either puri or puṣpānna or khicuḍi, like that. You cannot make.
Devotee: Tonight I made sabji and puri.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is easiest, puri and sabji. Similarly, khicuḍi and sabji, puṣpānna and chutney, like that. Temple means feeding them with prasādam. In Bombay the Sunday feast going on?
Surabhi: We don't have so much facility to feed them because there's only the temple floor so there's always a big crowd and we have to do two shifts. So sometimes...
Prabhupāda: When it will be complete, more facility.
Prabhupāda: Not nice, it is not eatable even by the dogs. But you are less than the dogs if you (prepare) such thing. I was surprised. You allowed a sweeper to cook. I was surprised. We have distribution prasādam, not dog's food. Such rascals as here. You do not know. I do not wish to discuss anymore on this point. You have murdered the whole thing in two days. Now if possible, bring them, bring them first class prasādam, very palatable. Foodstuff means even one has no appetite he'll eat. That is food. Not that even one has got appetite, he'll forget. That is not food. So do like that and for money produce, use cane, sugar cane, rice. We shall spend for that. Don't spoil money, but do like businessman. He invests money, he gets a return. Spend it for Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. There is no question of becoming a miser. I never did it. When I have got that farthing, I want to spend it. Immediately spend. Oh, what I have made this BBT? Immediately 50% for printing, and 50% for spreading this. (indistinct) and understand what I want to do. So whatever is done is done, now do it very nicely. I want to see at least 1,000 men coming from the villages. There are 20,000 men here, you cannot attract them?
Prabhupāda: I shall go. I shall speak. Give them very nice food. From tomorrow I will... If there are rascals, you'll bring. I will pay nice cook. Make varieties, very palatable food. Kichranna,(?) puṣpānna, rice, there are so many preparations. Paramānna. You do not make paramānna, kichranna,(?) puṣpānna. There are varieties of rice preparation. They know, the southern people, with curd, yogurt...
Mahāṁśa: Tamarind.
Prabhupāda: Water required. Fill up with water and distribute water and produce. Huge quantity. Whatever can be produced. Sugar cane, rice, these are very valuable commodity at the present moment. Produce. And sugar cane means the upper portion will be the food for the cow.
Mahāṁśa: Even rice.
Prabhupāda: Even... Oh, yes. Very, very practic... We want some (indistinct) food. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Bhūtāni means both animal and men. Animals should be well fed. Not only human being, but animal also. Otherwise, how he'll work? Don't use tractor, use this bulls. Otherwise there will be a problem, how to engage the bulls.
Prabhupāda: Hm. As far as possible, our men should cook, a professional man who is in good habit, who has promised that they will not do this smoking. We have to manage somehow.
Mahāṁśa: As far as our devotees' cooking, it's practically impossible. We have tried so hard. They just can't do it. Yesterday two of the boys tried to help, and the rice was not cooked because it was not done and he burned his leg. The water fell on his leg, and he couldn't handle the pots properly and he got... Now the poor boy, he is suffering. He's got a wounded leg, one of the German boys, the one with long hair. So our devotees, they are not... This boy, Bengali boy, Divid (?), he's good. He can do it but he needs at least four or five men to help.
Tejas: He was a professional cook but he's not... He can't do it himself. He needs too much...
Mahāṁśa: He needs at least four people to help. It's a big cooking, so it's also very difficult for one man to do and nobody wants to help the cooking because it's so hot, the smoke goes in the eyes and it's very troublesome. So nobody wants to help in the cooking, devotees.
Prabhupāda: Not willing. They are not willing.
| Page Title: | Rice (Conversations - 1976) |
| Compiler: | Rishab, Mayapur |
| Created: | 23 of May, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=79, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 79 |