761104 - Conversation - Vrndavana

Conversations by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

761104R1-VRNDAVAN - November 04, 1976 - 16:23 Minutes

Prabhupāda: . . . one hour.

Pradyumna: Just after it gets dark.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Pradyumna: Just after sun does down it gets a little dark.

Prabhupāda: Then at what time it should be happened? You can inquire from other temple.

Akśayananda: Last winter we had 6:30.

Pradyumna: With the season it changes little.

Prabhupāda: So is there any regulation given in the Pañjikā when?

Pradyumna: Just . . . only regulation given for timing is that for Deity going to rest at noon. The Deity should take rest at noon, two yāmas after sunrise, and take rest in evening, one yāma after sunset. But it didn't say anything about the other āratis. But at six hours . . .

Prabhupāda: The ārati, it is called sandhya ārati. Sandhya ārati means just in the evening. So when evening time is there . . . after sunset it is not evening. What is the time of sunset nowadays? Bring Pañjikā.

Akśayananda: Around 5:30, isn't it?

Prabhupāda: What is the time of sunset?

Hari-śauri: It's about 5:30, approximately.

Prabhupāda: 5:30, then one hour after. Then 6:30 is all right. 6:30 is all right.

Akśayananda: Okay. So in that case, when would you like to come and visit?

Prabhupāda: No, 6:30.

Akśayananda: Now you're coming six till seven.

Hari-śauri: 5:30 to 6:30?

Prabhupāda: We shall come . . . 6:30–7:00, ārati will go on. So we can come half an hour before.

Hari-śauri: 5:30.

Prabhupāda: 5:30. 5:30. Instead of coming there at six, I come there 5:30. And one hour, then 6:30 begins. Make that like that. That will be very nice. So why you were not present in the meeting?

Pradyumna: I was there, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Jaya. That's all right. I think you can understand Hindi? No.

Pradyumna: I am trying to. I can understand little bit. I am practicing.

Prabhupāda: You should learn Hindi, Bengali. You are learning?

Pradyumna: He talks . . . when he talks, he talks a little fast, when he reads the anuvāda.

Prabhupāda: Who?

Pradyumna: Ah, Prem Yogi.

Prabhupāda: Ah, he is . . . but I am studying. He is translating nice. He is learned.

Hari-śauri: We wanted to ask you about . . . he was training up Prem Yogi to do the editing, but there's no one to do the transcribing. We're probably going to . . . we'll have to send the tapes . . .

Prabhupāda: Transcribing? No, why?

Pradyumna: Why can't Pālikā do?

Hari-śauri: She can do it? I don't know.

Prabhupāda: Yes, she can do.

Hari-śauri: Pālikā can do it? That will be all right, then.

Prabhupāda: You also learn.

Hari-śauri: Typing.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: Yes.

Prabhupāda: In case there is none, you should do.

Pradyumna: Pālikā's done it before.

Prabhupāda: No, Pālikā can do. I know that.

Akśayananda: She is expert.

Prabhupāda: She is expert in typing. Amongst the women, she is expert typist. She is expert in so many things. Only defect is that she is woman. (laughter) But Kṛṣṇa says, striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyaḥ: "Never mind woman. If she is devotee, she also comes to Me." Striyaḥ śūdrās tathā, "no one barred." Especially naming striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśya te 'pi yānti parām (BG 9.32). Everyone is to be . . . Kṛṣṇa is so kind. There is no restriction. Everyone is open to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Jīvera 'svarūpa' haya-nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108-109). This is open to all living entities. There is no restriction. And so long this body is there, material, there is distinction between this and that. Otherwise, when you come to the platform of spiritual understanding, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18), then there is no restriction. Higher, lower, this, that, so many. Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). So any newspaper propaganda against us? No. One complaint is standing, that with our Life Members and others, subscriber, they always complain they are not getting paper, they are not getting book. That is the general complaint.

Akśayananda: They send regularly. We are sending. But many times the mail is stolen, magazines, Back to Godhead.

Prabhupāda: That is a fact.

Akśayananda: Yes, it is very difficult.

Prabhupāda: Because there are so many nice picture. I have seen. When I was printing my books in a Delhi press, so one peon was coming there to work part time as compositor. So his mailbag he will put somewhere in the press, and he will being composing. And all other compositors, they'll check the mail bag, and if something is attractive, they will take. I have seen it. Our magazine is so . . .

Akśayananda: It's so beautiful.

Prabhupāda: . . . full of pictures, so naturally, as soon as they . . . the pictorial and . . . they take it.

Akśayananda: Yes, that's the trouble. So we have a system in some towns. We find one member who is very much liking us, and we send all the magazines to him, and he goes, sends his . . . given by hand, to all the other members in that city.

Prabhupāda: That is not possible.

Akśayananda: We are doing that in some cities, but we don't have in all cities such a system. That system works.

Prabhupāda: How it is possible? Some are living ten miles from him. It is not possible. No, that is happening in India, not in other countries. In your country the peons are very responsible.

Akśayananda: Yes, the post office is also very good.

Prabhupāda: Here they never satisfied. This is the modern mentality. Nobody is satisfied with his income. He wants more money. And for that purpose he can do anything rascal. I have seen it. This peon puts his bag without any responsibility. Letters are strewn, and maybe some letters stolen. Who can say? And he came to earn some money. For some time he'll compose and get some labor. And in Calcutta I have seen all the office peons, they are sleeping in Dalhousie Square, the peon book as the pillow, for hours together. And when they, after distributing, when they return to the office it is going to be closed. And if they are asked explanation, "Why you are so late?" "Oh, he was not there. I had to wait three hours," and so on, so on, so on. Everyone is dishonest. Nobody is working honestly, especially in India, because poverty-stricken. If they can sleep two hours he thinks that he has made some profit. Formerly people were God conscious. They did not like to cheat that, "God will be displeased." Now they don't believe in God, so they can do anything.

Akśayananda: Now that we've become devotee . . .

Prabhupāda: "Everyone is God."

Akśayananda: . . . if we sleep for two hours we think we have wasted two hours.

Prabhupāda: That should be. Sleeping is waste of time. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau: we have to conquer over eating and sleeping and mating.

Hari-śauri: Just the opposite to the karmīs. They want to increase their eating.

Prabhupāda: Formerly, when I was in Rādhā-Dāmodara temple, there was a khol manufacturer here. Is he here still?

Akśayananda: Khol manufacturer?

Prabhupāda: He supplied me khol very nice, very big. This khol was taken to Germany or . . .

Akśayananda: What was his name?

Prabhupāda: I forgot.

Akśayananda: There is one man here.

Prabhupāda: In here?

Akśayananda: One man is here, but I don't know if it's the same one.

Prabhupāda: Can you call him?

Akśayananda: Yes. I think he's just a repairman though.

Prabhupāda: Whatever he may be. Yes. We must have very good khol. You have no good khol.

Akśayananda: I had one under repair. I had two under repair with him. But he takes a long time. I am waiting now for repair.

Prabhupāda: So you can call him.

Akśayananda: Okay. You'd like to meet him?

Prabhupāda: Yes. If the same man, then I can ask him to prepare some khol.

Akśayananda: Ours get damaged.

Hari-śauri: The shells or . . .?

Akśayananda: They break them so easily. They cannot control them. The shell, the skin, anything, always break.

Hari-śauri: You should make some padded covers for them. See they get some padded cover.

Prabhupāda: Who is doing that? Everyone is irresponsible.

Akśayananda: Even with that, they break.

Hari-śauri: But at least it helps the chances they'll survive.

Prabhupāda: The one thing is that they neglect that rings. That ring and the strap, if it is . . . that will never do. As soon as they khol . . . some rope, bās.

Hari-śauri: Usually what breaks is that little leather loop. They have a small loop on each end. But that's what usually breaks. If you want to . . .

Prabhupāda: No, if you make it nicely with chain.

Akśayananda: I have made it even nicely with a cord, with a ring, and the proper straps. But they put it like this and like this, and they bang it the wrong way. This is my problem. I can't stop it, no matter what we do.

Hari-śauri: You just bring them out for ārati and then have somebody take them back, and they won't get broken. Haṁsadūta was doing that with his mṛdaṅgas.

Akśayananda: I was also doing that.

Hari-śauri: The mṛdaṅgas are in there all day long. Any karmī that comes in, they beat the drum and mess around. The little kids go in and they do the same thing. I've seen them. You should take them out of the temple. Let them be there for kīrtana and then take them away and store them in your room. There's no kartālas now, either, because everybody steals them.

Prabhupāda: These two rooms can be used for keeping.

Akśayananda: Kartālas are locked away every time, and the drums were done . . . that was done until they were broken.

Hari-śauri: Or you can just put them in the tourist room. They'll be safe. Or in the pūjārī room.

Akśayananda: Yeah, I'll arrange for that.

Prabhupāda: Everything depends on organized management.

(pause)

Prabhupāda: Give some . . .

Akśayananda: Shall I put . . . some gentlemen, some bābājīs, are coming now, from Mathura.

Prabhupāda: Aiye, aiye. Betiye.

Akśayananda: May I help Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Betiye. (end)