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Sankirtana devotees

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 13, 1976, Mayapur:

Pañcadraviḍa: I had experience, because when I was younger I was stealing, and I was taking to the hock shop one typewriter, and while I was taking to the hock shop this typewriter, the police came and showed me his badge and took this typewriter and one French horn from... He took the money, and he said, "I am going to check to see if this is stolen." So one week later I was worried. I called him. I said, "What is happening?" He said, "That typewriter was reported one year ago stolen from the school." But he said, "Because I think you're a good boy, I'm not going to arrest, you because I don't think you did it. If I thought for a moment you did it, I would immediately come and take you." So I said, "That's all right. What about the French horn? When can I have my money back?" He said, "You just forget about this. You leave it to me."

Prabhupāda: To keep you honest. (laughter) To keep you honest, you just don't hope your money.

Guru-krpa: Their practice is that they watch our saṅkīrtana devotees collect all day, and they know when he has good pocketful of money. Then they arrest him...

Prabhupāda: In Germany they have done this.

Guru-krpa: ...take to jail, and then they say... Actually the boy collected two hundred dollars. They say, "Oh, he only collected thirty dollars," and then the others, they split.

Prabhupāda: Where it is done?

Guru-krpa: This happened in Chicago to us.

Prabhupāda: Then? What action is taken?

Room Conversation -- July 26, 1976, London:

Jayatīrtha: Ah! It's a very good decision.

Bhagavān: Doctor of letters.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: These European scholars are very appreciative of your books.

Bhagavān: Every book comes with these bookmarks.

Prabhupāda: Oh, bookmark. So, it is another step forward. (laughs) Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma.

Bhagavān: The saṅkīrtana devotees, they are distributing always in dhoti.

Prabhupāda: Like him.

Bhagavān: They do not wear the karmī clothes.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Bhagavān: And they are having nice success also. They go into the offices, into the.... They are walking everywhere. Even the hospitals they are going.

Prabhupāda: There is no obstruction.

Bhagavān: No. (laughs) They are very determined.

Jayatīrtha: In France the atmosphere is very nice.

Prabhupāda: So why your cloth is so dirty?

Pṛthu-putra: I just traveled with him.

Prabhupāda: For a sannyāsī it is very nice. So people may not dislike it, but for a sannyāsī this is very nice.

Room Conversation -- July 26, 1976, London:

Prabhupāda: They have very well managed. And everyone is eating very nicely. (laughter) Similarly in New Vrindaban. What is the.... I want this, that you have sufficient grain, sufficient milk, then where is your economic question? And from milk, by intelligence you can get so many preparation-luci, puri, halava, rasagulla, sandesh, rabri, wonderful.

Bhagavān: There is one boy, one of our sankīrtana devotees, who previously was a farmer. His father has given him a farm in the north of France. So recently he has given us his whole crop of hay for the cows. The value of that was thirty thousand dollars. It's enough hay to supply twenty-five or thirty cows for two years, and on top of that he's able to get a loan from the bank of forty-five thousand dollars for twenty years at four percent.

Prabhupāda: To be repaid.

Bhagavān: Yes. But this he can use to purchase cows and build barn.

Prabhupāda: Only four percent. How their bank is giving so cheap?

Bhagavān: Because he's a farmer. They're helping...

Prabhupāda: Oh, farmers...

Jayatīrtha: Special concession for farmers to help farm.

Prabhupāda: That means government encouraging farming.

Room Conversation -- August 4, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Sixty-nine or seventy. (pause) Huh? Yes, this picture is nice.

Hari-śauri: Taken in Germany, I think.

Prabhupāda: Who is behind?

Hari-śauri: There's a, this is Haṁsadūta, Vedavyāsa, and then some of the devotees, saṅkīrtana devotees. You were making a joke. (break) But you were preaching before that in India though.

Prabhupāda: Not very much. Oh, yes, that Back to Godhead.

Hari-śauri: In Vṛndāvana you were just translating?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: The library party said that everywhere in Delhi they went, they found that you had already placed your three volumes of Bhāgavatam.

Prabhupāda: Yes. In American also. The Congress Library purchased nineteen sets.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

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

Prabhupāda: No, we have got judgment. You read those judgment, judges? We have got counterjudgements also.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Now, this is from Philadelphia, Judge Alfred Longo, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia decree was typical and included the following points: "Kṛṣṇa consciousness is recognized as an authentic religion. To broadcast the glories of God to all people, members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness society can perform saṅkīrtana, a missionary activity including chanting, dancing, and playing cymbals and drums, the dissemination of the word of God through preaching and reading aloud from religious literature, the distribution of religious literature, sanctified food and flowers to the public, and the solicitation and acceptance of contribution. In performing saṅkīrtana devotees can go wherever people gather: streets, libraries and other public places." So we also had decisions... Eventually we win almost all cases.

Prabhupāda: And we have got good support from the scholarly section by big, big professors. Even one priest, Mr. Cox, he is forming an association to support this movement in Harvard University. So we have got supporters also.

CID Chief: People are also coming in a good number to join this organization.

Prabhupāda: Indian community, they are also supporting us.

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: No, not going out. I mean to say in the temple.

Yogeśvara: Inside the temple. Oh, yes. Inside the temple regular programs are there.

Prabhupāda: So why outside? There is no sufficient men? But when I was there I saw so many men.

Yogeśvara: Wherever you go, thousands of people will follow.

Hari-śauri: They were not all from the farm. They were from everywhere.

Prabhupāda: Then not many devotees are there in the farm?

Yogeśvara: There are maybe thirty-five devotees traveling, saṅkīrtana devotees, and then...

Prabhupāda: Centering that farm?

Yogeśvara: Centered at the farm. They come back maybe once every two months. And then there are about eighty devotees at the farm, of which forty are children. Of those children, twenty or twenty-two are Gurukula children. The others are too small.

Prabhupāda: So nobody is engaged in production, fruit, flowers, grains, milk?

Yogeśvara: There are not many full-time devotees doing production, maybe four full time.

Prabhupāda: And why part time?

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

Bhagavān: There was just a little cash flow since last Māyāpura. We spent a lot of money coming here. And this year a lot of saṅkīrtana devotees were ill.

Prabhupāda: Lot of money coming here from France? How is that?

Gargamuni: On transportation. Air flight.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And also no one collected. He's improving that also.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One problem is that to this date they have to separate the BBT account from the temple accounts. They are not yet separate, so that...

Bhagavān: It is separate.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I was informed that they weren't.

Devotee: No, theirs is separate now.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I don't know who to believe.

Prabhupāda: So anyway, printing and translation must continue. That is our main business. It cannot be stopped. Must go on. Just like persisting, now we have got so many Hindi literature. (laughs) I was simply persisting, "Where is Hindi? Where is Hindi?" So it has come to some tangible form. And I was simply poking him: "Where is Hindi? Where is Hindi?" So he has brought into fact. Similarly for French language also, very important, we must translate and bring books, as many as possible. "Bring books" means we have got already book. Simply translate it in the particular language and publish it. That's all. Idea is already there. You haven't got to manufacture idea. So France is very important country. So printing and translation must go on. That is my request. Then?

Correspondence

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Jagadisa Pandita -- Bombay 28 December, 1974:

My opinion is that it is not necessary for us to utilize these different musical talents for spreading Krsna Consciousness. I would rather see people follow strictly the path of Lord Caitanya and His Sankirtana devotees. We are using mrdanga, karatala, that is enough. We are not musicians. We are Krsna bhaktas. Therefore we do not stress so much importance on these different musical talents. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is God Himself. Had He thought it would have been better to spread Krsna Consciousness by another way He would have done so. But no, simply with mrdanga and karatala, traveling and chanting Hare Krsna, asking everyone to chant Hare Krsna, preaching simply Srimad-Bhagavatam philosophy, this is the process. There is no need for us to try and add anything to this simple method. It will only be a distraction. Therefore I request you to follow the simple path of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and help me spread this wonderful mission all over the world. Keep yourself pure and fixed up in Krsna Consciousness by following the basic principles that I have given; chanting 16 rounds daily, following the four regulative principles, rising early, attending mangala arati and classes etc. This is of the utmost importance.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Uttamasloka -- Vrindaban 11 December, 1975:

I read your Sankirtana news letter with great relish. Europe and America are in great danger, this Hare Krishna movement is enveloping them. The Sankirtana devotees are very very dear to Krishna. Because you are doing the field work of book distribution, Krishna has immediately recognized them as true servants. Just like during war time, a farm boy or ordinary clerk who goes to fight for his country on the front, immediately becomes a national hero for his sincere effort. So Krishna immediately recognizes a preacher of Krishna consciousness who takes all risks to deliver his message.

It is called Dhira vrata—determination. These boys and girls are mahatmas, mahatmanas tu mam partha, daivim prakrtim asritah, bhajantyananya manaso, jnatva bhutadim avyayam (BG 9.13) "O son of Pritha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible." This verse is applicable here, if these boys were under material nature they would not take so much risk, they are mahatma, they are real mahatma, not that long beard and saffron cloth mahatma. They are unswerving in their determination, dhira vrata. All glories to the American devotees!

I hope this letter finds you and all the sankirtana devotees well.

Page Title:Sankirtana devotees
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:01 of Feb, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=7, Let=2
No. of Quotes:9