Prabhupāda: These are our books. You have seen?
Professor: Yes, sir, seen . . . some of them, I've seen. This one in particular I have seen.
Prabhupāda: Yes. We are . . . this is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There are sixty volumes, books like this.
Professor: Sixty volumes like this?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Six zero. And you can see how we are doing Sanskrit.
Professor: Transliteration.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Transliteration and word meaning, then translation, then purport.
Professor: Yes, I've studied the text myself.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Professor: I've studied the text myself.
Prabhupāda: I see. You have studied? How do you like it?
Professor: Yes, I like it very much.
Prabhupāda: Thank you.
Professor: I'm interested in the bhakti.
Prabhupāda: Which one you have studied?
Professor: Oh, well, I haven't read all of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, but of course, this Tenth Chapter I read.
Prabhupāda: Tenth Canto?
Professor: Yes, the Tenth Canto I read. And other parts, other parts also.
Prabhupāda: Oh. We have begun from the First Canto, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1).
(aside) You show him the verse, janmādy asya yataḥ. This is first . . .
Pradyumna: First volume.
Professor: Yes.
Pradyumna: After introduction . . . (indistinct)
Professor: Yes, yes, it's . . .
Prabhupāda: Janmādy asya yato 'nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye . . . like that.
Professor: You belong to the Caitanya . . .?
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. We have translated Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
Professor: Oh?
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is one chapter only, sample.
Professor: In the Bengali script. That's good.
Prabhupāda: Yes, in . . . Caitanya-caritāmṛta is in Bengali.
Professor: I've read also. I've read parts of that also.
Prabhupāda: Caitanya . . . original Bengali?
Professor: Yes.
Prabhupāda: So you know Bengali?
Professor: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Oh, thank you. (laughs)
Professor: Yes. Sanskrit and Hindi and Bengali and Tamil.
Prabhupāda: Oh, oh, that's nice.
Professor: So I read lot of the Tamil bhakti scriptures.
Prabhupāda: Oh, I see.
Professor: The Alwars and the Nayanas.
Prabhupāda: I see. Just a . . . immediately he came, Damodaran, the Ambassador. He came just now.
Professor: Yes. Oh, he came just now?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Professor: He has left now?
Paramahaṁsa: Yes, Ambassador Damodaran. He was . . . just prior to your coming, he was also meeting with Śrīla Prabhupāda, yes.
Professor: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Just a half an hour before, he was here.
Professor: I see, I see. I know him well.
Prabhupāda: He's coming from Malayalam.
Professor: Yes.
Prabhupāda: So we can see . . . you can see how we have done.
Professor: Do you recite this also, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Bengali?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.
Professor: Do you think you could do a little?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Professor: I would be very interested.
Pradyumna: Glasses.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Shall I read? You want?
Professor: Yes.
Prabhupāda: All right.
(pause)
This is . . .
Professor: If you could read some of the Bengali part. Of course, in the beginning there are Sanskrit.
Prabhupāda: Only one verse.
Professor: Some Sanskrit.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Professor: But the pure Bengali.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
- jaya jaya mahāprabhu śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya
- tāṅhāra caraṇāśrita, sei baḍa dhanya
You understand Bengali?
Professor: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Or shall I explain?
Professor: Oh, well, I understand.
Prabhupāda: All right.
Professor: Yes.