Tangible (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"tangibility" |"tangible" |"tangibly"

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Meeting with Devotees -- June 9, 1969, New Vrindaban:

Hayagrīva: Well, I think that until things are set in motion here... I don't know. Actually he does most of the supervision here, and things aren't in motion. I'm at a loss. I don't like to get people down and get them to do their job.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. That's all right. In the meantime, you prepare the literature. You give me the literature. I'll get it printed somehow or other. You give me the synopsis. Both you consult, make a literature. And as soon as the literature is prepared, you will be out with that. And we have got so many centers. There is no difficulty of staying. He can stay in some center and go and see the important men there. He is educated. He is learned. He has known our philosophy. He can convince people. He can arrange a big meeting of respectable men. They must know what we are doing, the importance of this movement. And your people, your government, is anxious to have something tangible because there are already frustration in so many departments, in so many factions. So this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, will, I mean to say, smooth everything, pave everything. So they must know. And our process is very simple. We can introduce this process even in factories, even in anywhere, and we make peaceful everything. That is a fact. School, college, university, factory, everywhere.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- London, August 10, 1971:

Prabhupāda: So, so long I am here, let us try some tangible, not simply proposal.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Kenneth Keating, U.S. Ambassador to India -- October 14, 1972, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: So there is some defect, and here is a chance to rectify that defect. Here is a chance. I can argue with any scientist, any philosopher, that this is the only remedy to save people from frustration. This is the only remedy. Why it should go unnoticed by your country, such a great, who are willing to help others, willing to help. You started the United Nations in your country for that. Let us do something tangible, scientific, that people will be happy.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: It is, it is something like, giving post-dated check. I pay you one lakh of rupees, post-dated. Although I have no money,... What is the value of that check? Will anybody accept that check? "Oh, I have received the money." That is foolishness. Why future? You are talking of future, and you are talking of perfectness at present. What is this nonsense? You are claiming that your science is perfect, and, at the same time, when practical example wanted, you say; "I shall do it." The same example. I am saying I am millions, owner of millions of dollars. And you ask me: "Give me some payment." "Yes, I give you post-dated check." Will you accept? At present, if you give me five dollar, I see something tangible. And you're talking of big, big word, but you'll pay me in the future. So is it very sanguine proposal? And I am to accept it? So what kind of intelligent man I am also? You cannot produce even a grass by biological chemistry. You cannot do anything. Still you are claiming: "It is produced of chemistry, biology." What is this nonsense? Nobody questions?

Room Conversation with Rosicrucians -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: These are simply words. What is the spiritual life. I want to know. (break) ...is useless.

Yogeśvara: He says when God. He is just using a lot of names.

Prabhupāda: He is simply speaking. He does not know what is the aim, what is the goal, what is spiritual life... (break) ...no tangible knowledge of everything, what I ask. As I asked you what is spiritual life, he cannot describe. (break) ...distinguish between spiritual life and material life?

Yogeśvara: (break)... as we can have spiritual realization and still live in the material world.

Prabhupāda: But what is the spiritual life? What is the distinction between spiritual life and material life? What is the goal? He cannot define Spiritual life.

Room Conversation with Banker -- September 21, 1973, Bombay:

Lady: And he makes you concentrate on... Some people (indistinct) something...

Prabhupāda: It is all "something," nothing tangible.

Lady: I at least here practiced psychiatry of...

Banker: You go there, and you sit on cushions in a very dark room.

Prabhupāda: He does not know. She does not know.

Lady: No, I never practiced it...

Prabhupāda: She knows only "dark room." That's all. In darkness.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- March 16, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: We say approaching Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute. We have got Kṛṣṇa's form, we have Kṛṣṇa's name, we have personal address, His pastime. Just like you know me, I know you, means I have got form, you have got form, I know your qualities, you know my qualities; therefore we know each other. But if the approach is void, then how the approach is the same? There must be something tangible; then the approach is the same.

Guest: Well, I know your philosophy, cause I was very intimately involved with it, but I still believe that if, uh, your uh, you may have a different style, and you may call it Kṛṣṇa consciousness or you may call it nirvāṇa, but I think that ultimately it's, uh...

Prabhupāda: I can, I can explain Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but you cannot explain nirvāṇa. That is the difficulty. I can explain my position but you cannot explain your position.

Room Conversation with Biochemist, Dr. Sallaz -- June 4, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: Well, same truth, this is vague. But what is the tangible presentation of the truth. (French)

Room Conversation with Russian Orthodox Church Representative -- June 13, 1974, Paris:

Yogeśvara: But it would be hard to describe, he thinks, the nature of the soul. The body, which is something tangible, we can describe. But something of a spiritual nature like the soul must be much more difficult to describe.

Prabhupāda: You can describe it by the negative way, that soul is not body. (French)

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 5, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Another body, immediately. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). That is the tangible proof that there is God. You have to die and accept another body. Just like the proof of government is that you are acting irresponsibly, you must be arrested or be punished. That's all.

Room Conversation with Director of Research of the Dept. of Social Welfare -- May 21, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Sanctioning. They are allowing homosex. And there was report that man and man was married by the priest. In New York there is a paper, Watchtower. That is a Christian paper. I have seen in that paper. They are condemning it, that priest is allowing man-to-man marriage. And they are passing resolution, homosex is passed, "All right." And in Perth you said that the students are discussing about homosex, in favor of homosex. So where is the ideal character? If you want something tangible business, train some people to become ideal character. That is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- June 17, 1976, Toronto:

Jagadīśa: Those were purchased before I got involved.

Prabhupāda: That means money was spent unnecessarily, without any tangible result. Now Dayānanda left. He was there.... Without any consideration, he left. So what to do with all these things?

Room Conversation -- June 17, 1976, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: Now one thing is, that he has given service for the benefit of the society. Very tangible service. He can be in charge of book distribution.

Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan's Journal -- June 28, 1976, Vrndavana:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Are these actually the tangible signs by which one can judge what is real religion?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Real religion is how to love God. And love cannot be done without knowing the person whom you love. That is the criterion, test. So if you have no conception, God, His personality, then how you'll love? Where is the question of love? Love is something tangible. It is not fictitious. So we accept, Kṛṣṇa conscious people, Kṛṣṇa is God, and we are worshiping Kṛṣṇa. And we are making progress. Just see our behavior and other persons behavior and judge. Hm? What do you think?

Room Conversation -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Dayānanda: The difference is that humanity is tangible, it's something we can understand, but God we cannot understand.

Prabhupāda: So we are also tangible, but we are more advanced. How you can, wherefrom the humanity came, the next question will be. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Wherefrom the human being came, hm? Do little.

Room Conversation with U.N. Doctor -- September 29, 1976, Vrndavana:

Doctor: Geneva has got so many specialized agencies of the United Nations, like the I.L.O. and so on.

Prabhupāda: Do you think United Nations is making any tangible progress?

Doctor: Sir, it at least brings people together under one umbrella to discuss. If you did not have that...

Prabhupāda: But discussion, that I have already explained.

Room Conversation -- October 3, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: I thought, I could not do something tangible. That's a fact. (indistinct) Somehow or other, I thought, let me go to Vṛndāvana. What is the use of fighting? Otherwise, all the big lawyers in Jhansi, they were my friends. They said that "You not go. We shall arrange." I thought that "I have left my home, for this reason I am going to, again litigation. I don't want this house. Let her do something."

Room Conversation -- December 27, 1976, Bombay:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, this will be very good. This will really make us look different from others. We're giving kuśa grass, linen, and robe, beads...

Prabhupāda: And they will understand that they are actually doing something.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. And they will see, because these karmīs, they look for these tangible differences.

Prabhupāda: At least twice taking bath and then chanting, dancing and so on.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 6, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Everyone will die. But (Hindi). If you do something tangible, then you will live. And if you do something fictitious, then with your death everything is gone. (Hindi) But here the whole population is duṣkṛti. They are kṛti, but they are doing something wrong: duṣkṛti. How? Prapanna prapa jante mām. This is a miscon..., mischievous activity. Because he has not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, whatever he has done, it is all mischievous. Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). Why he has done mischievous activities, mūḍha? The only test is, if one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, whatever he does it is all mischievous. So immediately go and you'll see.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Arthardam. Although it is temporary, arthadam. The dog will die, and I will also die. Both of our body is temporary. But I can die understanding the importance of life. The dog cannot. That is the difference. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advises, kaumāra ācaret: "From the beginning of life teach dharmān bhāgavatān." So these are the indications in the śāstras. We have to do that if we actually want to do something tangible. And if you manufacture ideas, that we can do, but that will not be very much effective.

Room Conversation -- January 28, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: No, you say, but he is such a learned, overlearned, he's asking somebody blessing who is not bona fide to find out bona fide. Just see his position. If you are seeking a bona fide spiritual master, why you asking the blessing of non-bona fide? (laughs) I could simply laugh, that's all, that such a rascal... He was doing some tangible service, editing work. He left everything. Now he's going to find out bona fide spiritual..., for bhajanānanda. Therefore, asat-saṅga-tyāgī ei vaiṣṇava. The first thing is... It is enunciated by... Whether this man is attached to woman? Then finish, all bona fide finish. As soon as one is attached to woman, either legal or illegal, his all qualification finished. Asat eka strī-saṅgī. And these rascals have derived meaning that "One who has one strī only, he's asat. One who has more than one strī, he's sat." They have interpreted like that. Asat eka strī-saṅgī. Kṛṣṇa mean... Number one asat is strī-saṅgī, and number two asat is who is not devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is the meaning. But they have taken, eka strī-saṅgī: "One who keeps only one woman, he's asat. One who keeps more than one woman, he is sat. So we are keeping more than one woman." This is going on. (break) Nobody has seen. Somebody came. He... They only saw. And there are other devotees; they could not see. He's so advanced, only he is, he could see. This is bogus.

Room Conversation -- February 19, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Make it simplified. At the present moment, especially in the Western countries, it is not possible to follow very elaborate program, but what I have given already, that is sufficient, six times worshiping, ārati, just like here going on, just like the same program. Not to make it difficult thing, because with the advancement of Kali-yuga, more difficulties are coming. So simple, things should be simplified. That is wanted. (break) Go on preaching from one place to another, another place. Mahā-vicalanam. Mahātmās should walk. Vicalanam, "movement." Just like I was in Vṛndāvana. If I had not moved, then this movement would not have been started. Because I moved at the age of seventy years, something is now tangible. So similarly, every sannyāsī should move from place to place. Parivrājakācārya, that is... Ācārya means teacher, and parivrāja, movement. Bhavānanda Mahārāja has become very popular in Bengal. You can move from village to village. People will like you. You can speak little Bengali?

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

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?