Teeth (Conversations and Letters)

Expressions researched:
"fang" |"fangs" |"teeth" |"tooth" |"toothache" |"toothbrush" |"toothbrushes" |"toothless" |"toothpaste" |"toothpicks" |"toothpowder"

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview -- March 9, 1968, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Diet is very important thing. Just like when a patient goes to a physician, he prescribes a certain type of diet. Why? That's a practical fact. Why you accept a physician prescription of diet? Suppose a man is suffering from diabetes; his diet is different. A man is suffering from tuberculosis; his diet is different. A man is suffering from typhoid fever; his diet is different. Therefore diet shall not be extravagant or whimsical. They must be selected. First of all we have to see what is the diet of the human being. Actually I read in some scientific magazine, a medical magazine, that our teeth is not meant for eating meats. These teeth are meant for eating fruits. Actually the shape of the teeth is like that, just like sharp knife. You can, apple you can take immediately. But if you take one piece of meat, you cannot eat so easily with these teeth. So first of all you have to understand what is your diet. So your diet is different from animals' diet.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 27, 1969, Boston:

Prabhupāda: Just like when some ambassador comes to a foreign country, there is a ceremony that that ambassador must be recognized by the governor or the governor-general in that state, and he has to place his credentials, similarly, anybody is claiming as God, he has to place his credentials. And what is that credential? The test is there in the Upaniṣad, in the Bhagavad-gītā and so many, all literatures, Brahma-saṁhitā, Vedānta-sūtra, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam first it is said, janmādy asya yataḥ, anvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ (SB 1.1.1). Svarāṭ, svarāṭ means fully independent. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi. The Supreme Truth, fully independent. We are not fully independent. And just now, if I feel a little toothache, I will have to go to a doctor. So how can I claim that I am God? God's first qualification is fully independent, svarāṭ. Abhijñaḥ. Abhijñaḥ means fully cognizant of everything.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Dr. Weir of the Mensa Society -- September 5, 1971, London:

Dr. Weir: Yes. I've always wanted to go there. We've got four Tibetans over studying (indistinct) part of the college estate of Hampstead. And I've always liked, the idea of their going up into those wonderful mountains and... Although you may say, you know, one mustn't overvalue material things, as far as their diet is concerned, they must be very much like you followers. You know, they have... because they have to learn (indistinct) perfect (indistinct) They have nothing wrong with their gums or their teeth. It must be about the only place in the world...

Śyāmasundara: Prabhupāda has all his teeth too he is nearly eighty.

Prabhupāda: Yes. I've got my natural teeth.

Śyāmasundara: Perfect diet.

Room Conversation -- December 11, 1971, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: If you remain cleansed, you eat properly-don't eat more, don't eat less—there will be no disease, no doctor. That's a fact. But you do not know cleanliness, although you are..., that is because your, your cleanliness is with machine. And without machine, you cannot keep clean. Why not this broomstick is sufficient? If in India machine is not available, you cannot be clean? Keep everything cleansed-utensils, plates, teeth, hands, feet. Use sufficient water. There will be no (indistinct). Dirty things should be removed, and cleansed inside and outside. Inside cleansed: simply Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That is inside clean. And outside, that is also required. You cannot neglect, because outside unclean means inside also you'll see unclean.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 18, 1972, Hong Kong:

Prabhupāda: You cannot expect many disciples, but still, there are two thousand. Because I have got so many conditions and the fact is so difficult to understand, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, they have forgotten God, and I am trying to make them Kṛṣṇa conscious. It is a very difficult job. I have to shed my blood three tons before I make one convinced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is my experience. I have to talk with him, especially these Europeans and Americans. They do not accept anything so blindly. They try to... I am always being questioned, even in my tooth(?) Question, question, question. That's nice. Inquisitive, they want to know. So I give them answers. I have got four secretaries always with me. They are giving answers.

Room Conversation with Dai Nippon -- April 22, 1972, Tokyo:

Prabhupāda: We avoid doctor's bill. Yes. As far as possible. And we, because we are vegetarian, hardly we get sick. If you take strictly vegetarian food, you will avoid so many doctor's bills. Yes. Because our constitution is meant for eating vegetables. Just like this teeth. This is not meant for eating meat. It is meant for eating fruits, vegetables, grains. Our constitution is made like that. In India still 80% population (break) ...grains, milk products, vegetables, fruits, and sugar. You can make hundreds of nice palatable dishes. Sometimes we invite Mr. Tajima. You accept our invitation. You'll see. The other day I invited your assistant. (Japanese)

Room Conversation -- June 14, 1972, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes. So therefore, if a man wants to become animal, he becomes worse than animal. A tiger, a tiger eats meat and he has got equipments in his body, what is called, nails, teeth, immediately pounce upon any animal and kills and eats. But a man cannot do that, but his teeth is different, he has no nails; therefore he has to kill animal in different way, by slaughterhouse. So he is worse than animal. You kill one animal for your eating purpose, that is one thing, but if you keep slaughterhouse for business, then you are more (indistinct). Therefore for a human being to try to become animal is worse than the animals, because... Just like you are now grown up. If you imitate that "I want to become child, so I enter anyone's house," the law will not allow you.

Room Conversation -- June 14, 1972, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Well vegetarians are not animals. (laughter) In India, you'll still you'll find ninety-percent of the population, they're vegetarians, strictly. Always vegetarians. They're quite healthy, they're working. Therefore vegetarians are human beings. Vegetables, that food is meant for human beings. That is natural. For a human being to become nonvegetarian is unnatural. And to become vegetarian, that is natural. Just like our teeth, it is meant for cutting vegetables, fruit, not meat. You will find cutting by these teeth, meat, it will be difficult. But you take any vegetable, any fruit, you can immediately cut. Our medical laws says that anything eatable which you cannot cut with the teeth and smash it properly, it will not be digested. So fruits and vegetables you can properly cut even raw, not to speak of cooked. Raw vegetables and raw fruits, you can cut with these teeth and smash it and you swallow, it will be nicely digested. You get all food value. But you cannot do in that way, raw meat. It is not possible. You cannot take raw meat or bite one animal and take some flesh out of it. You cannot. But animal can do that. They are made for that purpose.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 12, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: And nora means mortar and what is called, pestle? So it is your śilā nora. I take it and break your teeth. (laughter) So take their, this jugglery of words and break their teeth. That should be the policy. "These molecules and this and that," so many words. You have to simply catch their words, and with their words kill them. That is intelligence. We are saying plainly. You say with these words which is their sona, mortar and pestle, and break their teeth. That's all. Tora śilā tora nora tora bāṇi dāntera gora.(?) This policy should be adopted. Otherwise, we know they are rascals. But if I say, rascal, people will say, "You are not a scientific man, how you can say he is rascal?" "Therefore I am flattering you that otherwise..." You haven't got to convince me, that (he's a) rascal. I know that he is a rascal.

Room Conversation with Two Buddhist Monks -- July 12, 1973, London:

Buddhist Monk (1): If one radiates love and kindness...

Prabhupāda: That is another thing. Defense is allowed to everyone. You must defend. That is another thing. But ordinarily, not that because a lion has got jaws and teeth, therefore he's simply jumping over. Not like that. Even people have experienced that when the, these ferocious animals, they are not hungry, they don't attack. They don't attack.

Room Conversation With David Lawrence -- July 12, 1973, London:

David Lawrence: Yes, try four also. That's it. It's a wonder that technology... I suppose technology has produced a machine that does it.

Prabhupāda: Hm. The technology is here in the teeth. (laughter) God has given.

Śyāmasundara: Yes. You'll have to eat the whole thing.

Prabhupāda: Yes, you have to eat. That is the technology.

David Lawrence: Perhaps a parrot's beak would be a very good thing to grow.

Prabhupāda: So give them this... You use your technology.

Room Conversation with Malcolm -- July 18, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: Come on. Come on. Yes, yes, yes. Come on. Thank you.

Śyāmasundara: He's the youngest one I've ever seen.

Prabhupāda: How old he is? One year?

Malcolm: One year.

Prabhupāda: That's nice. He has got teeth?

Mother: A few.

Room Conversation with Lord Brockway -- July 23, 1973, London:

Haṁsadūta: They always argue that "In India they should kill the cows and eat them, and then they would not starve" because they're so foolish.

Prabhupāda: You have got your natural teeth? Your teeth?

Lord Brockway: No, not natural.

Prabhupāda: Not natural.

Lord Brockway: No, no. I used to play rugby football.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Lord Brockway: And my teeth got kicked out of my mouth. (laughter)

Śyāmasundara: He was a great athlete when he was young, a famous athlete.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Room Conversation -- September 18, 1973, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: They are talking like nonsense because their intelligence is not..., it is purified. He's therefore wrongly thinking that "I am the Supreme Lord. I am moving the sun." These rascals, they meditate, "I am moving the sun, I am moving the moon. I am this, I am that." This is their meditation. So 'ham. So they are rascals. And how you can become the Supreme? As soon as you have got a toothache, you have to go to the doctor. And he was thinking he was supreme, nonsense. Rascal. (break) ...bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa. These are Māyāvādīs, those who are after, "I am the Supreme." They are Māyāvādīs. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "Anyone who hears the philosophy of Māyāvāda, he is doomed. He is gone."

Room Conversation with Latin Professor -- December 9, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: I think some German doctor proved it, that our teeth are meant for eating vegetables. So as devotee of Kṛṣṇa, we are not after accepting a vegetarian and rejecting a nonvegetarian. That is not our criterion. God is open for vegetarian and nonvegetarian, both. But once he becomes, I mean, a devotee of God, automatically he becomes vegetarian. So we don't make any propaganda to make one vegetarian. We make propaganda to make one devotee of God. One, if one becomes devotee of God, automatically all good qualities will come. That is the test. How one has become devotee of God, it will be tested that he is qualified with all good qualities. You cannot find fault with him. That is God consciousness.

Morning Walk -- December 20, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: We talk in relationship, everything, because this is relative world. Everything we talk, that is in relative consideration. That is Māyāvāda philosophy. They do not accept the relativity. Although when there is some toothache, he will go to the doctor. Why does he not..., "No, it is māyā. Why I shall be troubled with the toothache?" Why does he go to the doctor? That is the defect of Māyāvāda philosophy. They are being affected by the change, but still, they will say, "There is no change. It is all the same."

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 13, 1974, Vrndavana:

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

Prabhupāda: But your teeth are very strong.

Dr. Kapoor: Teeth (indistinct)?

Prabhupāda: You're having strong teeth.

Dr. Kapoor: They are, so long as you don't know that I have not real ones. (laughter)

Morning Walk -- March 6, 1974, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: This is the position. "You wanted to become a sera. All right, you become a sera. Jump over some animal and immediately suck his blood." All facility is—the nails, the teeth-given. But is he happy? But everyone thinking that "If I could become like this, I would have been happy." So Kṛṣṇa gives all chance. "All right, you become this." This is transmigration. This is transmigration. (break) ...yathāndhair upa... We are thinking something like that, and Kṛṣṇa is giving us chance, "All right, you take this chance; you become like this." Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). But it will not make you happy. Therefore ultimately says, sarva-dharmān.

Morning Walk -- March 6, 1974, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Just like dog. Dog, if you give...

Siddha-svarūpānanda: Because the teeth are not made...

Prabhupāda: ...meat. (makes sound) Like dog. Yes.

Siddha-svarūpānanda: But the dog doesn't choke so much. Well, sometimes they choke, though.

Prabhupāda: Dog is a natural animal.

Siddha-svarūpānanda: He has teeth for meat.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Siddha-svarūpānanda: The human beings, they don't have so much teeth for meat. So they're trying to eat, and then they choke.

Morning Walk -- March 29, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: The Vedas are meant for everyone. Those who are meat-eaters, you cannot stop them all of a sudden. Similarly, drunkards. You cannot stop them, drunkards, "Don't drink." They'll not hear you. Therefore restriction. "Yes, you can drink, after offering to the devī," and that means restriction. So what is the meaning of marriage? Because sex like the cats and dogs, stop it. Just get married. In this way, otherwise, you may say "No marriage." Just like, the other day these sannyāsīs come, because saw woman was sitting, they'll not enter. But I saw their teeth was so unclean, and the dress was never washed. But they have got this restriction, no seeing of woman.

Morning Walk -- April 1, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: They should not talk anything else except Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Vacaṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. So this is sam... Unless you give engagement to the senses, proper, how you can control it? Your eyes want to see beautiful of man or woman. (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa. But when you are captivated by seeing the Deity of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā, then that eyes being engaged otherwise is stopped. That has been explained by Prabhodānanda Sarasvatī. Durdantendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī-protkhāta-daṁstrāyate. Protkhāta-damstrāyate. Protkhāta means extracted, the poison teeth. The poison teeth of the tea, uh, teeth of the snake is dangerous. Now, here is a snake. Everyone is afraid, "Oh, snake! Snake! Snake!" But if everyone knows that his poison teeth have been taken away, then there is no more danger. Similarly, these indriyas have been compared with the kāla-sarpa-paṭalī. Kāla-sarpa-paṭalī.

Morning Walk -- April 7, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...the psychologically whatever mental condition we prepare throughout this life, that means you are preparing next life, and in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam tyajanty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). The situation of the mind at the time of death will carry you to the similar body. Just like one who likes to eat some special foodstuff, so... Suppose the meat-eaters... So the mentality is "How to eat meat, how to eat meat." So they are given next life the canine teeth to give facility for eating meat. Canine teeth means dogs, cats, tigers, like that.

Morning Walk -- April 11, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). (break) ...is the same. Quality, it is same. It is salt, salty. And the whole ocean is also salty. That is tat tvam asi. "You are also salty," if I say. If the drop of the water, I say that "This is also salty," that is tat tvam asi. Not that he has become the whole sea. This is rascaldom. (break) ...God create another ocean in the sky. Then you are God. When there is some tooth pain, you go to the doctor, and you are God. Just see how much nonsense they are. As soon as there is tooth pain, "Oh, oh. Just now I am not God, I am patient." So these things are going on. I have seen so many gods. I have seen one that Dr. Misra. When he had a toothache, "Ohhh, oh." You see? (break) ...cheap philosophy, by misunderstanding the whole world has become atheists, all rascals. Atheist means rascal number one, mūḍhāḥ, āsuriṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. As soon as one becomes atheist, he is rascal number one.

Morning Walk -- April 13, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: This is gṛhamedhi. Gṛheṣu gṛhamedhinām. Vedic culture is that one must rise early in the morning. And even Kṛṣṇa in His gṛhastha life, immediately He rose up. Rukmiṇī was disturbed because womanly nature, and again immediately taking bath, meditation. This is Vedic culture. And sleeping up to seven and then unless takes bed tea, without washing teeth, and he is advanced. You see. And if one is asked to "Rise early in the morning and wash yourself, take your bathing and attend maṅgala ārati." "Oh, this is old way, bhajana nonsense." You see. Gṛheṣu gṛhamedhinām.

Room Conversation with Professor Oliver La Combe Director of the Sorbonne University -- June 14, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: No, age.

Professor La Combe: Oh, I shall be seventy after three weeks.

Prabhupāda: Oh. I am also seventy-eight. But your health is better than me. You have got your natural teeth?

Professor La Combe: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Oh, then very good. (laughter)

Morning Walk -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: See the tiger has got its nails and teeth and jaw. So there was no firearm. He will challenge the tiger with a..., and he will take a sword and kill him. And then the tiger would be brought in procession, giving all honor, military honor.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 11, 1975, London:

Prabhupāda: Ivory, yes. There is a current proverb, "Dead elephant, one lakh rupees." Mara hati lakṣa na:(?) "Elephant, alive or dead, one lakh of rupees." On account of ivory. When the elephant is dead, it is put into a hole and covered. And after sometimes you find all the ivory. The bones and the teeth are very, very valuable. Formerly big, big kings, they used to manufacture their furniture of ivory and gold and silk pad. This is luxury. And the rooms bedecked with jewel. No electricity, no lamp. This is description of Kṛṣṇa's sixteen thousand palace. Who has got now? Sixteen thousand wives and sixteen thousand palace of marble and furniture ivory and gold. Where is there now? Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the richest. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya.

Room Conversation with Carol Cameron -- May 9, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: The dog is sleeping on the floor, and if we sleep in very nice apartment, very decorated, that is advancement of civilization. The dog is having sexual intercourse on the street without any shame, and we are also coming to that point already. And if we have sex intercourse in the name of love and so on, so on, that is advancement. And dog is defending with his jaws and nails and teeth, you are defending with atomic bomb, therefore we are advanced. But they have forgotten that the human being has got this special intellect to understand God. That they are not doing.

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

Director: Come again this often...

Prabhupāda: Yes. So I am going, but I only hopeful on these young boys. They will do. Take the whole plate. Take the whole plate, it is fruit, it is very nice. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26). This is meant for human being, the fruits. The tigers will not eat the fruits. The tiger, canine teeth, they will not like. We have got different teeth for eating fruit.

Director: It's very nice and sweet.

Morning Walk -- June 17, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: Sit down... I have seen meditation. (makes snoring sound) I have seen. (people shouting in background) (break)

Siddha-svarūpa: They are waving.

Śrutakīrti: They are cheering.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...toothpicks, no? They are not so hard. Too soft. (break) ...an apartment. (break)

Manasvī: We got from one of the devotee who comes to the temple every day.

Śrutakīrti: One of the other valleys here. It's called... I forget the name. He brought a bunch of them back. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...nice. Ask him to bring daily. (break) ...portion is being watered specifically?

Room Conversation with Mr. & Mrs. Wax, Writer and Editing Manager of Playboy Magazine -- July 5, 1975, Chicago:

Prabhupāda: The dog is eating on the floor and the human being is eating in a very nice table, nice dish, and therefore he is civilized. But the business is eating. The dog is trying to defend itself by barking or by teeth and jaws, and the human being is trying to defend the society by atom bomb, but the business is defense. Therefore śāstra says, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca samanyam etat paśubhir narāṇām: "This business of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending is common to the animal and to the man." The man, if he does not understand what he is, why he is suffering this material tribulations, then he remains cats and dogs. The cats and dogs, they cannot question, but human being can question. And he should take the answer from these books of knowledge.

Morning Walk -- August 6, 1975, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: Nityānanda Prabhu used to decorate Himself with very costly ornaments. Your teeth does not look very clean. Why?

Harikeśa: They never get white. They are yellow all the time.

Prabhupāda: You washed daily?

Harikeśa: Every day.

Ambarīṣa: Did you try baking soda?

Harikeśa: Yes.

Morning Walk -- October 8, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: ...900,000 forms of life in the water. How many they have seen? They are giving pictures. (break) Calcium carbonate, oil wintergreen, and soap powder, powder hard soap, and I will make toothpaste.

Harikeśa: What is this soap powder?

Prabhupāda: It is called powdered hard soap.

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1975, Johannesburg:

Harikeśa: Yes, he's the gardener, you know, the one who gives you the flower every morning.

Prabhupāda: So he was troubled.

Harikeśa: Oh, yes. He had very much trouble because of it.

Prabhupāda: So he has got artificial teeth? No.

Harikeśa: No. Now he has no teeth. He's getting some teeth. They're making some. The dentist is working free in Bombay.

Room Conversation -- October 15, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: That may be in few cases. Generally the duration of life is reduced. Nobody lives nowadays like his forefather. So where is extension? It is reduced. And what is the extension? In old age the body becomes subjected to so many ailments. What is the use of living with ailments, with toothache and many other things? What is the use of such life? Better die young, in good health, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. What is the use of prolonged life? The prolonged life... The trees are also prolonged life. Does it mean it is happy? They live for five hundred years, five thousand years. Hundred, two hundred years' living for tree is not at all difficult. But they live for thousands of years. So is it very pleasing to live like a tree for many thousands of years? Hm?

Morning Walk -- November 12, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: The elephant takes bath in the river or in the lake very minutely, becomes very clean. And as soon as he will come on the shore, he takes some dust and... You will find this. He's such a big animal, but he has no sense that "Now I have washed all dirty things. Again I am taking dirt?" So this kind of knowledge, that "Cleanse yourself by doing prāyaścitta, and again unclean." If you have cleansed yourself, then keep yourself clean. Why you are uncleaning again? This is foolishness. (break) "What is this, pious activities and sinful activities? These are all old, primitive ideas. Now we are advanced." (Hindi) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya (break) ...surfing introduced as (Hindi) ...Surfing sport... (Hindi) (break) ...that toothpaste within the box?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation With Radha-Damodara Sankirtana Party -- March 16, 1976, Mayapur:

Devotee (2): Sometimes they take their teeth out.

Prabhupāda: Then what remains? The teeth is dangerous. Yes, how condemned life. And we had to pass through all these. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. Nine lakhs of forms in the water. Crocodile is one of these. Just see how accurate is Vedic information. Never says "ten lakhs" or "eight lakhs." Nine lakhs. Now, if you don't believe, count. Go ahead. Count. How this knowledge is there? Nobody can go within the water to count how many forms are there, but how the Vedas gives the knowledge perfectly? Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. This is Vedic knowledge. Where you cannot reach and you refer to Vedas, you'll get the knowledge. That is Vedas, perfect knowledge. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi.

Room Conversation -- May 7, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: That is the way everywhere. (break) They will be automatically finished. Just like the Rāmakrishna Mission, who are advertising that they have got wonderful importance. They are now finished. They are simply making false propaganda in India. Actually, they have got fangs, what is called, fangs?

Devotee: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: The quality?

Devotees: Fangs.

Prabhupāda: Fangs, fangs. That is broken. So make... First of all try to push books, everywhere all over the world. They have got so many languages, like Russian or... Blackmarket. Chinese also. Blackmarket, they cannot check.

Morning Walk -- June 3, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: And he does not agree to be guided by the supreme controller. He does not agree that He is supreme controller. "I am everything." Therefore they are called mūḍhas, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.15). Mūḍha. He's being controlled. As soon as there is some toothache, he goes to the doctor. And he says "I am God." He's becoming old, and he says that "I am God." Why you are becoming old? God is always young.

Room Conversation -- June 17, 1976, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: No, there is some pain. My teeth are now useless. So it is all rotten now. Sometimes it becomes acute. There is no strength in the teeth. Some of them, fifty percent, have already fallen. Therefore I cannot eat.

Jagadīśa: I think that a very nutritious diet can be made just from liquids.

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.

Garden Conversation -- June 28, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: So payaḥ-pānaṁ bhujaṅgānāṁ kevalaṁ viṣa-vardhanam. If you give milk to a human child he'll grow healthy, and the same milk you give to a serpent child, it will grow poison. One day he'll: "Ohnn!" He'll ready to bite you. You have given milk, it has increased poison, and it will show his fangs, hood. That is asura. So therefore they become snakes, scorpion, so low-grade life. Snake life is so degraded that at once you see a snake, immediately every one of us will be ready to kill it. Everyone, without any mercy. Nobody will say, "No, no, let this go." So he is put into that life that he cannot come in the light. As soon as he comes in the vision of somebody, everyone is ready to kill.

Conversation with Prof. Saligram and Dr. Sukla -- July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: (Sanskrit) Serpent is dangerous, so long he has got the fangs. (indistinct) If the fang is taken away that means he's no more dangerous. So (indistinct). But if I am sure that his fangs are taken away (indistinct). Senses are dangerous, it is compared with the serpent. (Sanskrit) But if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness that (Sanskrit) the fangs are no more existing therefore it is no more dangerous.

Room Conversation -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: I can give you formula. That toothpaste formula, that is my invention. It's working very nicely.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Can we have it? What if we can't find nim leaves here?

Prabhupāda: No, we can supply nim leaves from India, any amount, from Vṛndāvana.

Room Conversation -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Ātreya Ṛṣi: So if you will give us the formulas, we can learn from him the formulas for toothpaste?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: For toothpaste and what else?

Prabhupāda: You remember it?

Harikeśa: Hm...

Ātreya Ṛṣi: No, exactly?

Prabhupāda: But toothpaste, you require collapsible tube.

Harikeśa: It was better in the bottles. In a tube it just doesn't come out.

Prabhupāda: No, that will come out. The powder must be made very fine. Otherwise, it will not come out.

Room Conversation -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Harikeśa: No, that big batch last I made in Sanand. When you went to that Sanand above Ahmedabad, where that king had his palace, we stayed in that palace. That's when I made that big batch. But first it was developed in Durban.

Prabhupāda: Durban, yes. Because there was no possibility of using (indistinct-word for stick toothbrush). My teeth broken, and it became painful, it was not working. Therefore I invented. But it is effective.

Room Conversation -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Harikeśa: You said on account of this toothpaste... Your teeth were so rotten they want to fall out, but the toothpaste won't allow them.

Prabhupāda: Yes, actually my teeth have gone all bad. It is useless. But on account of this toothpaste it is still working. (laughs) Otherwise, according to dental science, it has to be extracted. It is no other remedy. If you go to a dentist, immediately he will say, "Extract all this and have a new set, artificial." That is, I know that. But I don't want to extract. As far as possible, use them and let them fall out automatically, as they have already fallen out so many. Fifty percent already fallen out, and twenty-five percent are shaking, and still I am eating. Otherwise, according to the dental science, I should not eat any salt. In Bengal there is a word that when teeth is rot, then your eating is gone. You cannot digest, you cannot eat. It is not... If the foodstuff is not properly chewed, it causes digestive disturbance. And digestive disturbance means so many diseases. This coughing is due to digestive disturbance. I know that.

Room Conversation -- August 12, 1976, Tehran:

Hari-śauri: That's because liver's not working?

Prabhupāda: No. Yes. It is old man's disease. Liver doesn't work nicely, teeth does not work nicely, there is susceptibility to cold. Old age. All my young friends, they have all died. Nobody's living. One or two still. You know that Dinanath came? I think you know. He's living. He's seventy-five, seventy-six. Little younger than me.

Room Conversation -- September 5, 1976, Vrndavana:

Haṁsadūta: If it's three rupees, thirty paisa a day for eating, soap, and toothpaste...

Prabhupāda: No soap. Take this Rādhā-kuṇḍa's... Why soap? You are so devotee of Rādhā-kuṇḍa, why you require soap? This is nonsense. You take earth from the Rādhā-kuṇḍa or Vṛndāvana. Vṛndāvana-dhūli. Why you require soap? (Hindi conversation to the effect that if one has the dust of Vṛndāvana or Rādhā-kuṇḍa, there is no necessity for soap) Nim datun? I was doing nim datun(?) until the teeth fell down. You will know that I was collecting nim. But now it is impossible. That also I have manufactured my own toothpaste. I purchase only the brush and I made my toothpaste at home. I never used any toothpaste. Even in my young days. I never used. You have seen it practically. Not only that now I have become sannyāsī. When I was gṛhastha I never used. When I was gṛhastha I was using that nim datun(?) regularly. And I can give you the paste. So if you cannot use nim datun, you can use this paste. Very simple.

Room Conversation -- December 7, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: So then what is the use of purchase? If you get free, no need of purchasing. So make this arrangement immediately. Then go and we shall go out. Is it clear? No. Not?

Mahāṁśa: Yes, it's light.

Prabhupāda: I shall wash my teeth and go.

Tejas: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.

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

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: When Bhagavān has a toothache he goes to the dentist.

Prabhupāda: Yes, when there's a toothache he goes to the doctor. These kind of nonsense has to be stopped. Otherwise people become atheists. "Anyone can become God, anyone can become Bhagavān."

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 4, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Extracted the fangs. The fangs if they are taken away, it may do like useless. Similarly, for a devotee the indriyas are dangerous. But because devotee, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa. they have engaged their indriyas in the service of the Lord, the fangs are taken out. Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate. The whole universe for them is very happy. Everyone is it is very unhappy. For them it is very happy. Because he does not see anything which is not suitable for Kṛṣṇa's service.

Room Conversation -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: I stopped that medicine.

Guest (5): Too much bitter, I think.

Prabhupāda: Not only bitter. I got some trouble in the teeth. Pap(?) means suspended.

Guest (5): Pills are taken or not taken?

Prabhupāda: Pills? No. If required I shall take again.

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

Rāmeśvara: ...we can start some businesses. Just like Spiritual Sky was started. It is giving every month to Los Angeles five thousand dollars.

Prabhupāda: So you can do business. Why don't you start this toothpaste? It is very effective. I am using personally. Toothpaste is a very common thing. If you introduce, it is used by cent percent persons. Simply they should like it.

Room Conversation -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Here it is said that Īśvara, the Lord, is situated everyone's heart. He can understand "What this rascal wants." He's so kind, He's living as friend. "My dear son, please come back. Why you are desiring so many nonsense things?" But the child will not hear. He wants. Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare. He wants sense gratification this way, that way, that way, that way. So He gives him facility: "All right." And all facility. He wants to become a tiger, "All fixed." Nails, jaws, fangs—"Become a tiger." Yantra. The body is yantra, perfect yantra. That is supplied by māyā. Māyā. Daiva-netreṇa. He wants this, to give up this body. This machine is dead.

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

Prabhupāda: This is acintya for the Māyāvādīs. They say kalpanāyā. These Akhandananda and other Māyāvādīs, they explain Bhāgavata-kalpanāyā. They are making some imagination that "I am God," but they are alleging us, that "You are in illusion." God, as soon as there is some toothache, he goes to the doctor. He's such a rascal hypocrite. There was some heart attack going on, so Akhandananda, immediately he called one of his chief disciples, that Mishra, Jasri, and he was taken to Bombay hospital. And he's God.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Brahmananda -- San Francisco 21 March, 1968:

Those leaves are nim leaves; keep them and when I come there I shall make a preparation of tooth paste. Neem tree is very antiseptic.

ISOKRISHNA has got two-fold meaning. It means International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and also, that Krishna is the All-Attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. So it is all-round perfect.

Letter to Krsna dasa -- Allston, Mass 23 May, 1968:

I am receiving your twigs for washing my teeth very regularly and I thank you very much. What about Krishna's flute you attempted to prepare? I think you can prepare one silver flute and I am inserting measurement. It should be with golden relief work—raised embroidery-like designs—on the body of the flute.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Kirtanananda -- Los Angeles 14 February, 1969:

For your toothache trouble, you can brush your teeth with the following mixture; common salt, 1 part, and pure mustard oil, quite sufficient to make it a suitable paste. With this paste brush your teeth, especially the painful part, very nicely. Gargle in hot water, and keep always some cloves in your mouth. I think that will cure your troubles. It doesn't require to extract any teeth.

Letter to Gargamuni -- London 15 December, 1969:

I am so sorry to learn about your wisdom teeth affair. These wisdom teeth are a good example of Maya's tribulations to us. In my younger days, by Krishna's Grace I had no such trouble, but I saw in my eldest sister this suffering from the wisdom teeth problem, and her gum was also operated upon. That I saw, and I saw how much she was suffering also. This is the way of material existence. So Lord Krishna has advised in this connection that we have to learn tolerance. Your example of dedicated life is very noble. You are handling thousands of dollars for Krishna, but you ask your mother for helping your personal needs. I very much appreciate this example, but it is my order that whenever you are in such trouble, you should not minimize any expenditure. You must have the best kind of treatment available, and you can spend from the money you are collecting on behalf of Krishna.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Rukmini -- Los Angeles 20 March, 1970:

Deity worship means to be very, very clean. You should try to bathe twice daily. The Deities should never be approached without having bathed first and changed to clean cloths after passing stool, etc. Keep teeth brushed after each meal, fingernails clean and trim. Be sure that your hands are clean before touching anything on the altar or the Deities. And cleanse the Deity room, altar and floor daily thoroughly. Shine the various Aratrik paraphernalia after Aratrik. This is described in the booklet for pujaris written by Silavati Dasi. The idea is summit cleanliness—that will satisfy Krsna.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Laksmimoni -- Bombay 1 May, 1971:

If he grows more teeth you will have to supply him more prasadam. That's nice. And he is such a fortunate child. From the very beginning he is having association with devotees, when he was 6 months old he chose Bhagavatam. So take care of him nicely and raise him a Krishna Conscious child and be blessed with your good husband and child and Lord Jagannatha, and be full of transcendental bliss.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Damodara -- London 6 August, 1972:

I am more interested in preachers than builders and decorators. But if you think you are able, and there is good opportunity, you may purchase, I have no objection. When I come there in September I can install the Jagannatha Deities if you invite me. If you can find eucalyptus twigs, you can send them to me wherever I am in the world, and I shall always have nice toothbrushes thanks to you. Eucalyptus is the best.

Letter to Sri Govinda -- Bombay 25 December, 1972:

So that competitive spirit makes us strong, otherwise it is a society of weak men only, and what is the good of such society? But if you ask anyone are you weak or strong, he must answer that he is weak—he cannot control even his toothache, what to speak of his death. Therefore, in fact, it is a society of weak men—everyone is weak before Durga Devi or the material energy. If you see sometimes her picture, the foolish materialist is being held by the claws of her tiger-carrier, while she pierces him to death with her trident weapon.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Dinesh Candra Sarkar -- Johannesburg 20 October, 1975:

I am not keeping always very well. At the present moment I have some trouble with my teeth. By the end of the month, I shall go to Bombay where I shall decide to go either to Calcutta or Vrindaban. Please find out if there is any good big house for sale near where you stay.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Robert -- Mayapur 8 March, 1976:

I take your mortar and pestle and I break your teeth. This means that we use the scientists own weapons and with them we defeat their atheistic philosophy. There is another example. A hatchet is sitting before a tree. The tree asks, "what are you doing here?" The hatchet replies, "I have come here to cut you down." The tree then said, "You can not cut me down, alone, but with the help of my descendants you can do it." The idea is that the ax-handle is made of wood, and so without the assistance of the wooden tree, the hatchet is useless. Similarly, we can use our materialistic knowledge to defeat the atheistic philosophy of the scientists. So you also can continue your studies and learn what is shil and noda (mortar and pestle) so you can break their dater goda (break their teeth).

Letter to Prabhupada -- Los Angeles 6 June, 1976:

Concerning the production of toothpaste and cosmetics for which I may be able to supply the information, etc., you can come to see me in Toronto when I visit there between the 16th of June until the 21st of June.