760911 - Conversation A - Vrndavana

Conversations by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

760911R1-VRNDAVAN - September 11, 1976 - 20:11 Minutes

Saurabha: . . . in Bombay.

Prabhupāda: So first of all finish your construction. Then you go to . . . (indistinct)

Saurabha: No, but I mean they are carving the wood and everything, the shape of the . . .

Prabhupāda: Now, we shall bring priests from Hyderabad.

Saurabha: Ah. That is the technical thing. But I was speaking regarding the construction, because I want to know whether you want to have the (break) bathing ceremony only taking place on the opening day, or also later on the facility can . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Saurabha: Only that day.

Prabhupāda: Only that day.

Saurabha: Then is it necessary to make this special arrangement that this . . . because I think that they . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no. The small Deities, śālagrāma, They are worshiped. And big Deity, They are decorated nicely. No need of washing.

Saurabha: So only the opening ceremony.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Harikeśa: Nitāi had them bathe the big Deities here, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, on Janmāṣṭamī.

Dhanañjaya: And on Balarāma's appearance day, the big Deities were bathed. Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma.

Harikeśa: Terrible speculation.

Dhanañjaya: Actually, Janmāṣṭamī celebrations were very bad, and it's very . . .

Prabhupāda: Therefore the color has faded? He is a rascal.

Harikeśa: I remember that when these Deities . . . they're never to be washed. Never water was to touch. Supposed to put a plastic bag over the Deity. That was . . . if you have to use the big Deities, you're supposed to cover Them with plastic.

Prabhupāda: Why did you allow? Just see, this is the disease. Rascals, they do not know. And although I was . . .

Dhanañjaya: No, but everyone was listening to him. He was posing himself as the most learned in Deity worship.

Prabhupāda: That he's fond of.

Dhanañjaya: He was introducing Hari-bhakti-vilāsa.

Harikeśa: But it doesn't say in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa that you bathe in water marble Deities. It says you're supposed to have a smaller set for bathing. That's in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa.

Dhanañjaya: His idea was that we would become the most famous temple for bathing big Deities in Vṛndāvana. This was his idea.

Prabhupāda: That bathing is not done on the siṁhāsana. The Deity is taken out. Then it is done. But that is very risky. You cannot do it.

Dhanañjaya: And besides that, the bathing was done by devotees who are not experienced in Deity worship.

Prabhupāda: Don't allow him. This botheration he has gone. He is simply posing himself very learned Sanskrit scholar, above everything. That is his ambition.

Saurabha: And on the opening day the Deities will be on the altar, or They will be in front when They're bathed? When the bathing is taking place in Bombay for the opening, then They'll . . .

Prabhupāda: That the priest will arrange, who will come from . . .

Saurabha: Yes. But They will be on the altar or They will be in front?

Prabhupāda: No. In the front They are left.

Saurabha: So not on the altar.

Prabhupāda: No. But if it is risky, you should not do. Big Deity . . . we have got big Deity, huh?

Harikeśa: Yes, very heavy. They are very heavy, Rādhā-Rāsabihārī.

Prabhupāda: What they do in Hyderabad?

Harikeśa: Hyderabad the Deity was already installed. There was no need for bathing, so they didn't do it.

Prabhupāda: Other Deities?

Dhanañjaya: Here, just like here for the opening prāṇa-pratiṣṭhā.

Harikeśa: Yes, they bathed the small Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, we should not take risk at any rate.

Harikeśa: Rādhā-Rāsabihārī, also, when They came from Akash-Ganga there was a disturbance with Them also. Rādhā has a tendency to crack on the arm. Her left arm cracks.

Prabhupāda: Where?

Harikeśa: Slightly. There was a very weak . . . it was very weak. Very weak. I remember 'cause they had to move three times. I was there when all the times when They were moved.

Prabhupāda: In Bombay.

Harikeśa: In Bombay. And every time they were very upset because of this left arm.

Prabhupāda: This risk should not be taken at any gain. Never mind Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, this-vilāsa - no risk. You must always know - no risk. That is the first point. Then we consult Hari-bhakti-vilāsa and all this . . . nobody can give reference to Hari-bhakti-vilāsa at risk. No. Not at all. So? Anything more?

Dhanañjaya: Can I ask one question? You were mentioning that you wanted to start local industries, casting Deities.

Prabhupāda: Yes, we can purchase . . . we can . . .

Dhanañjaya: Purchase raw materials?

Prabhupāda: So, everything is all right now?

Devotee: Yes.

Dhanañjaya: So I was wondering . . .

Prabhupāda: Can you come, there . . . (break)

Hari-śauri: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: There are, what is called, Deity makers here?

Dhanañjaya: Well, most of the Deities, they are cast in Aligarh.

Prabhupāda: Aligarh? Oh.

Dhanañjaya: Yes. Then they're brought here, and there is . . . craftsmen, they finish. They polish, then they add . . .

Prabhupāda: So who is from Aligarh? You go to . . . we have got a best friend in Aligarh.

Dhanañjaya: Surendra Kumar. Surendra Kumar.

Prabhupāda: Ah. He'll get you all those things.

Hari-śauri: He should know everything about that, because he's making lots.

Prabhupāda: And another . . . Aligarh is the best place. (aside) What is that?

Akṣaya: It's the gentleman who was with you last night, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Prem Yogi. He has come with his luggage.

Prabhupāda: Prem Yogi. So give him that place vacated by the old man.

Hari-śauri: Next to Akṣayānanda's room. Seventeen. Take him up there.

Harikeśa: Actually you can just bring him to Bhakti-pradhāna and tell him. Bhakti-pradhāna is the manager of the guesthouse, so he should take care of it.

Prabhupāda: No, this old man has gone. So give him that place. Yes.

Akṣaya: I believe there are two men.

Prabhupāda: Two men, that's all right. Yes.

Akṣaya: Thank you.

Prabhupāda: So, you just officially receive them. He's got M.A., Ph.D. Good man. This is etiquette.

Dhanañjaya: So, what I wanted to know was that, ah, you wanted . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no. Develop that business and give engagement. The women can live here for sewing. They must be comfortably situated. If they are feeling, women, they cannot feel very bad and stay. We do not want that. So they can live here in a room and work sewing. And our women who has learned, they can teach. Very simple thing. That's all. And men must be engaged there for finishing. And if at Aligarh they are, what is called . . .?

Dhanañjaya: Casting.

Prabhupāda: . . . casting, then there is no difference. And there is no difficulty.

Dhanañjaya: So the Deity should be cast in Aligarh and then finished here.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dhanañjaya: Just like we are doing.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Aligarh is from here 45 miles away. You can go and bring them, and Surendranath will help you. If there are expert men in Aligarh, that will be very nice. A different size Deity, you get there.

Dhanañjaya: Six inches, nine inches, twelve, fifteen.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And nice Gaura-Nitāi and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. And they'll prepare nice dress and pack in a box and send to our different centers. There are hundred centers. If you can dispatch at least one dozen pairs, you can make business for twelve hundred pairs. It will be very big business. And if they are displayed, people will like to purchase. It will be very good business.

Dhanañjaya: Even here. For people coming to our temple, if we have display they will purchase.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We can have our shop here. We are getting so many shops. So one shop Deity and Deity clothes and mukuṭas. Just like they have got . . .

Dhanañjaya: In Loi Bazaar.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dhanañjaya: The same.

Harikeśa: One shop sweets.

Prabhupāda: Apply business brain. Everything I'll have to tell you. You can . . . anyone who has got business brain, he can earn any amount of money. That is the . . . these are all . . . incense, Deity, and then mukuṭa, then tulasī-mālā, then karatālas, manjiras, some pañcapātrā. In this way.

Harikeśa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? This man brought his friend. That room is not big enough for three. So they will have to take another room for two.

Prabhupāda: Friend?

Harikeśa: His friend.

Dhanañjaya: One friend has come with him.

Harikeśa: That same person from last night, the one wearing white?

Prabhupāda: Ah. So the three men cannot live there?

Harikeśa: No.

Prabhupāda: Why?

Harikeśa: It's too small.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Not so. First of all, give them, then we shall see later on. Why immediately want facilities? Or he can . . . the other man can go with the brahmacārīs.

Harikeśa: The younger one.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Yes, somebody may go to the brahmacārīs. Just now make them accommodated there, then we shall see what to do. That "First of all you stay here, then we shall see what is convenient to you then."

Harikeśa: Because they're in an awful small room. If I put three in that room, that one man who's already there may become upset.

Prabhupāda: He has already gone there?

Harikeśa: No, I mean, I know. I've been there. But that one man who's there now . . .

Prabhupāda: So four men cannot live in that room?

Harikeśa: Three men not possible. Because they've got two beds in there. Two of these big, huge . . .

Prabhupāda: At least you provide them two men there and one man with brahmacārīs. That's all. Not that we can spare so many rooms.

Harikeśa: If I ask that man who's already there to go to the brahmacārīs, he may become offended.

Prabhupāda: Yes, you do that. He can go to the brahmacārīs. That's all.

Hari-śauri: You can give him one of those sannyāsī rooms in the brahmacārīs.

Harikeśa: All right.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Arrange everything. But don't turn this, and very easily give the other guest room. Then it will be awkward like anything. Very cautiously. So this is the program I am giving, and if you can give some practical sense, it will be very nice, profitable business.

Dhanañjaya: Yes. But it will require some capital in the beginning.

Prabhupāda: So capital required, we can give. There is no scarcity of capital. But it must be consulted between three—Gopāla, Viśvambhara and yourself. And then if capital is required, how capital you will repay, make them assured. I shall give you. There is no difficulty. Capital you will have, provided you can make profit. Not that we give capital and then never return. That will not be possible. Take any amount of capital, but we must be paid interest as bank gives loan. I can say bank will give you. If I order the bank, bank will give you. So capital there is no question. The question is how you shall utilize it, how you shall make profit. Capital, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, you can take lakhs and lakhs. That I can arrange. The bank, if I say to the bank they will have to give you, or I shall personally give you. There is no question of capital scarcity. So only thing is how will you utilize this capital and how you will make profit. That's all. You make that program. So far capital is concerned, there is no concern. You'll get any amount of capital if you can develop the business. Now we have got credit in the bank, any bank will give you if I say yes. There will be no scarcity of capital.

Prabhupāda: In Aligarh he has got so many friends. (Bhagatjī laughs) Aligarh we have got many friends.

Bhagatjī: Half of my life was spent in Aligarh. (laughing)

Prabhupāda: Aligarh is maternal uncle's house. So many relatives. So Aligarh, if the Deities are manufactured there, so there is no difficulty.

Bhagatjī: No problem. If we get money . . .

Prabhupāda: He'll arrange money. Money I shall bring . . . (indistinct) . . . money, we shall bring any amount of money, provided I am sure that you will make some profit. There is no scarcity.

Bhagatjī: Prabhupāda, I was sick last night very much.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Bhagatjī: So I could not come to you.

Prabhupāda: Last night you did not come?

Bhagatjī: I came to see only to have your darśana, but I was in fever so much.

Prabhupāda: Oh. So capital you'll get, rest assured. Anyone will give. He will give, or I will give, the bank will give. That is . . . but you must utilize it properly.

Bhagatjī: You understand how to utilize?

Dhanañjaya: Yes, I understand.

Prabhupāda: There is no scarcity.

Dhanañjaya: Utilize means return.

Bhagatjī: Return means to utilize it properly.

Prabhupāda: No, return also gradually, not at a time. Because if you take five thousand rupees, pay at the rate of five hundred rupees.

Bhagatjī: Junior Sorcar jo magician hai world ke sabse bade, woh darshan karne ke liye aapke yahan aaye hain. Wahan se woh Ghaziabad jaa rahe hain abhi. Woh aapke darshan ke liye bahut zyada . . . (Junior Sorcar who is the world's biggest magician is here to meet you. He is leaving for Ghaziabad after that. He is very eager to meet you . . .) (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . is concerned, that is our home, Aligarh.

Bhagatjī: Aligarh.

Prabhupāda: Money is concerned, you'll get any amount. Now organize and . . . (indistinct)

Dhanañjaya: Now, another thing I wanted to ask. Many devotees were asking me if we could make a deity of Your Divine Grace.

Prabhupāda: That is not very . . . well . . . that is not immediate. We shall see later on. You can make. That we shall see later on. Not immediately. Immediately you make this arrangement.

Dhanañjaya: And for design of Gaura-Nitāi and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, we should just use the same design, or we should make better?

Prabhupāda: Make a hand design like that, and have your people make like that. Make a nice . . .

Dhanañjaya: Make, yes. I mean, better design.

Prabhupāda: Yes, make a better design. And the hand will be like this. (Prabhupāda raises his arms above his head, and stretches his palms open with his fingers pointing outwards)

Dhanañjaya: Not like this. I like this myself. It's Navadvīpa style.

Prabhupāda: This is Navadvīpa style.

Dhanañjaya: Yes, I like this much better. Otherwise the arms are too long and thin.

Prabhupāda: No. In this way make a nice design Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. And Rādhārāṇī should be like this. (demonstrates Rādhārāṇī's right hand raised above waist-level, Her palm upwards and the thumb joined to the tip of Her index finger) This is Vṛndāvana style. Not this. This is Lakṣmī style. This. Make these arrangements. I am hopeful of this business. Very good business we'll have. I want to introduce in every family. They'll do it. If they do not worship, let them keep as dolls. That will also give them inspiration.

Dhanañjaya: Actually, so many Indians in the West, they're keeping just like dolls. They are not worshiping regularly. They're keeping on the mantelpiece or on the side.

Prabhupāda: In this way be encouraged, and in full capacity do business and get others.

Dhanañjaya: There was one boy who just came from Italy, and he's expert in wood carving.

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Dhanañjaya: So we can take artists for wooden siṁhāsanas. Siṁhāsanas he said he can make. He even brought his tools. He has a whole box of tools he brought just for carving, and he studied in the south of Spain, religious architecture.

Prabhupāda: He can make a small siṁhāsana for the Deities, collapsible, so that if anyone wants, he can dispatch them. (end)