750803 - Conversation - Detroit

Conversations by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Conversation

750803CC-DETROIT - August 03, 1975 - 20:35 Minutes

(in car)

Prabhupāda: Money means . . .

Ambarīṣa: Happiness.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) This is the civilization. And after getting money—drink wine and topless, bottomless, and go to hell." That's all. This is their position, mūḍha, rākṣasa, thinking that "I am living this fifty years or hundred years so luxuriantly. That is the fulfillment of life." Because he does not know the life is eternal, one spot he is taking very important. The meaning of life, what is the aim of life—"Don't bother. Enjoy." And what is that enjoyment? Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukham (SB 7.9.45). Is that enjoyment? (break) . . . used in the Bhagavad-gītā, mūḍha, it is very appropriate. No knowledge. Not only here; throughout the whole universe, even in the upper planetary system, they are also engaged in the same foolishness. Greater fool and a smaller fool. (break) . . . sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). That part is Canada?

Ambarīṣa: Over here where the lights are, that is Canada.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Ambarīṣa: There is a city over there called Windsor.

Prabhupāda: This is a . . .? This is a . . .?

Brahmānanda: This is Detroit there. We are now on an island, and Canada is there.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Real Detroit there.

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Everything belongs to God, Kṛṣṇa. And we are sons of Kṛṣṇa. (break) I came this side last time when I came. You were there?

Jagadīśa: In Detroit? Yes.

Prabhupāda: This river side, did I not come?

Jagadīśa: We came to this park last time, yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. I remember. The river is navigable. Big, big ship can go.

Ambarīṣa: Yes. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . St. Lawrence? No.

Jagadīśa: Detroit River.

Prabhupāda: And St. Lawrence is different river.

Jagadīśa: St. Lawrence is near Montreal.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) . . . given so much property. Use it properly. Be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Be happy. "No, we don't want happiness. At the same time, we aspire after happiness." (break) . . . bird?

Jagadīśa: Seagulls.

Prabhupāda: Bird? It is a bird?

Jagadīśa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (quietly sings śrī kṛṣṇa-caitanya doyā koro more) (break) Canada is good or America is good? Which one is good?

Brahmānanda: What's the economic position in Canada?

Prabhupāda: No, economic or not . . .

Brahmānanda: I think many Canadian young men, they come to America for jobs? No?

Jagadīśa: Many Americans go to Canada.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Jagadīśa: It's more peaceful.

Prabhupāda: Our Jayapatāka, he is American. He went to Canada. Bharadvāja is Canadian.

Brahmānanda: Bharadvāja, yes.

Prabhupāda: And he has come to America. So there was no war between Canadian and American? In the history?

Jagadīśa: Before the countries actually took their present names and boundaries there were some wars between the French and the English. The French and the English settled in this area of North America. Sometimes they fought.

Brahmānanda: What percentage of the popu . . .

Prabhupāda: Formerly Canada was also American? No.

Jagadīśa: No.

Brahmānanda: What percentage is French in Canada?

Jagadīśa: About fifteen to twenty percent. In the province of Quebec it is a hundred percent French.

Satsvarūpa: There's a fawn, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Satsvarūpa: A baby deer.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Ambarīṣa: I never expected to see that here.

Jagadīśa: There were two back there.

Prabhupāda: There is peacock also? No.

Jagadīśa: No.

Ambarīṣa: Possibly in the zoo. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . people, just like China or India. The America invite them, "Come here. Grow your food." Immediately world solution. But they won't . . . "No, we shall keep it jungle. Still we shall not allow you to come here." (break) . . . come here to hunt. No?

Jagadīśa: No.

Ambarīṣa: I think they are protected. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . those who were killing tigers, and not that by making arrangement from behind. No.

Brahmānanda: Ah, they would come face to face.

Prabhupāda: Yes, face to face. Yes. Where there is tiger, a kṣatriya would meet him with a sword, that's all, "Come on. You attack and be killed." Even twenty years before, the king of Jaipur, every year he should go in the forest and kill one tiger personally. And the dead tiger will be brought in procession. He'd be given . . . just like a prince or king dies—his body is taken in procession—tiger would be brought that way. Both of them kṣatriyas. So the tiger should be given the honor of a prince. (break) . . . means enemy is going out of fear of life and showing his back side, then he will not be killed. (break) . . . into Canada?

Brahmānanda: No, that's Detroit.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that is Detroit.

Brahmānanda: This part is Canada, there.

Prabhupāda: In Canada they grow large quantity of wheat?

Jagadīśa: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Brahmānanda: America is now selling wheat to Russia again.

Prabhupāda: Oh. And what exchange they are getting?

Brahmānanda: I don't know how they pay for it. They pay for it in dollars.

Prabhupāda: So they are no more enemies?

Brahmānanda: They are trying very hard to be friends.

Prabhupāda: Who is trying more? America?

Brahmānanda: I think so.

Ambarīṣa: Yes. They just had a big conference in Finland. They all signed . . . all the heads of state of the Western countries signed a document saying that they would respect each other's boundaries.

Prabhupāda: Russian boundary, American boundary meets there. What is that? The corner?

Jagadīśa: Alaska?

Prabhupāda: Alaska. That boundary? No.

Brahmānanda: No. This is in regards to Europe, isn't it?

Jagadīśa: Eastern Europe. America finally agreed to recognize that . . .

Prabhupāda: East Berlin.

Jagadīśa: . . . Eastern Europe is under Russian dominance and should stay that way.

Prabhupāda: So the Eastern countries, they agree?

Brahmānanda: Well, they don't have much opportunity to disagree.

Jagadīśa: Actually, the Russians were the host of the conference.

Brahmānanda: And they received the benefit.

Prabhupāda: Therefore they are commanding.

Brahmānanda: Yes. Recently one famous author came to America. He was a freedom fighter, freedom author.

Satsvarūpa: Prabhupāda knows about him.

Brahmānanda: Oh, yeah.

Jagadīśa: Solzhenitsyn.

Prabhupāda: What is the name?

Brahmānanda: Solzhenitsyn?

Jagadīśa: Solzhenitsyn.

Brahmānanda: Did you see him when you went to Moscow? Śyāmasundara was saying.

Prabhupāda: No. There was proposal.

Brahmānanda: He talks so much, Śyāmasundara. He told a whole story, that you went outside Moscow to some colony, artist colony. He was living there.

Prabhupāda: I think Śyāmasundara went to see him.

Brahmānanda: Oh. Anyway, he came to America, but President Ford refused to see him.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Brahmānanda: Because he was afraid. He was advised by Kissinger that, "If you see him, then the Russian leaders, they will become angry upon you." So he refused to see him. So this received a great deal of criticism in America that, "We are for freedom, and here he is coming, freedom fighter, and you refused to see him, simply to pacify the Russian leaders." (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . was a fault?

Satsvarūpa: His fault is that he spoke out against the whole Russian . . .

Brahmānanda: He speaks very strongly, condemns the Russian system.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Russian, it is terrorism.

Brahmānanda: Yes. And he says that America should not become . . . try to become friendly, but should try to defeat them.

Prabhupāda: Er, Russian government did not take any step against him?

Brahmānanda: They exiled him. He was too famous to . . . if they persecuted him, he was too famous. It would have brought a lot of criticism against them, so they exiled.

Prabhupāda: Asked him to go out.

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Satsvarūpa: He is officially a nonperson in Russia.

Brahmānanda: He has no longer any existence.

Jagadīśa: The Americans are playing right into their hands, because now the Americans won't meet the man.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Jagadīśa: The Americans should have taken advantage and given the man a great welcome, but they refused to see him. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . God conscious or he is another edition?

Brahmānanda: He has some leanings toward some mysticism.

Satsvarūpa: Yes. His philosophy is . . . Dr. Wolfe sent you a clipping on it when you were in Bombay, that he wants that people should just live on the land and raise crops and live in a simple way like that and, yeah, worship God.

Brahmānanda: There is even some talk that he was wanting to join a monastery and live a life of austerity and contemplation.

Jagadīśa: He also favors a monarchy, a religious monarchy.

Prabhupāda: That is my philosophy.

Brahmānanda: Mahendra in Philadelphia was trying to arrange a meeting with Your Divine Grace and him. There wasn't time. (break)

Prabhupāda: He is American?

Brahmānanda: I think so.

Jagadīśa: I don't know. (break)

Brahmānanda: . . . Switzerland is his home. (break) . . . in this agreement that they signed in Finland was that Russia has pledged to make it easier for granting visas for families, members who are outside of Russia so that they can come to Russia and visit their family members.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Brahmānanda: So this will be good for our . . . what is her name? That devotee?

Jagadīśa: Mālatī? Himāvatī?

Brahmānanda: No. That girl devotee.

Prabhupāda: Mandākinī.

Brahmānanda: Mandākinī. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . cious animals.

Brahmānanda: Here?

Ambarīṣa: The black people from Detroit. (laughter)

Brahmānanda: They come here?

Ambarīṣa: Yes. It's a very dangerous park.

Prabhupāda: No, black?

Brahmānanda: The Negroes from Detroit, they are the fierce animals that come here at night.

Prabhupāda: They come?

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: At night? Why?

Jagadīśa: Drink.

Brahmānanda: Drinking and sex.

Prabhupāda: So why the Americans gave them freedom?

Ambarīṣa: They thought they were being humanitarian.

Prabhupāda: And now they are afraid of them.

Ambarīṣa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: This is a redundant house.

Brahmānanda: I think it's stopped raining now.

Jagadīśa: Yes.

Brahmānanda: (indistinct) . . . seven.

Prabhupāda: No, it is past seven. (end)