761227 - Conversation C - Bombay
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Hari-śauri: (announces) The following is a conversation held in Śrīla Prabhupāda's room regarding the starting up of yoga courses for tourists in Vṛndāvana and Bombay.
Prabhupāda: There are . . . just note down.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: No, if you teach yoga system, they'll pay for that?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This is how it's going to work. We are going to give them free yoga lessons. They will come in our guesthouse and live there. But we have already increased the rate of the rooms.
Prabhupāda: That is not good.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, this is how all these yoga camps are working. What they make their money from . . . the rest from the rent.
Prabhupāda: One who is not going to learn yoga system, then they have to pay increased rate?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No. This is an extra facility. In other words . . .
Prabhupāda: No, extra facility is . . . somebody may be interested in learning yoga, others may not be. So why he should pay more?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, we can charge them little more. I am just saying how the other establishments are running, because this is the big attraction to get people, and almost every foreigner will be interested in this. This is like . . . it's not that they are really getting it free, because we are covering ourselves by increasing the rates and the restaurant . . .
Prabhupāda: You are covering, but those who are not interested, why they should pay more? That is my point.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No. But . . . yes . . . but the answer is, we have established a double-pricing system, for all foreigners are paying fifteen rupees for single room, twenty-five for double. And the Indians are paying eight and fifteen. And we are working . . .
Prabhupāda: When they understand that you have got such discrimination, they are dissatisfied.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, what we have done, we have added in various different points like extra bedsheet, one rupee; extra this . . . we have added in these extra points. So the total does come to fifteen and twenty. I have spoken to all the travel agencies, and they are willing to go along with us. In fact, they think that fifteen and twenty-five is very cheap. But I then explain to them that we can't make it any more because we are in competition with Jaipur . . .
Prabhupāda: But you don't get customer even lesser than that. First of all see your position. You may calculate in the mind that, "This is cheap; this is not," but cheap or no cheap, you are not getting any customers. (chuckling)
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, because we never went after the tourist traffic. We have just started going after this foreign traffic with these brochures, and now we have . . .
Prabhupāda: And now, in the Sixth Chapter there are forty-seven verses. So divide forty-seven with seven.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That's seven.
Hari-śauri: Seven.
Jagadīśa: Almost seven.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Seven verses.
Hari-śauri: You want to do like seven verses a day?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, we can do seven verses a day.
Prabhupāda: Forty-seven verses should be divided by seven. So daily seven verses, average, one class.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: One hour class?
Jagadīśa: No, you said three hours a day.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, but that . . . it doesn't have to be spread out. This is . . .
Prabhupāda: One hour . . . to explain seven verses may take more than one hour. It will take not less than two hours.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We want to have, in total, three hours of total yoga a day, including practice and class, like two hours in the morning, one hour in the evening.
Prabhupāda: So practice two hours and one hour class. And the yoga class, they should be given the seat cailājina, ajina, kuśottaram.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Seat?
Prabhupāda: Seat. One straw . . . that . . . what is called? Kuśa . . .
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Kuśa grass.
Prabhupāda: Kuśa grass. Kuśāsana . . .
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We'll call it Sanskrit names.
Prabhupāda: . . . very nice, nice, and broad, especially. Upon this, there is a deerskin.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We should get deerskin also?
Prabhupāda: And how you will get? Why you are asking this nonsense question? Unless you get, why you waste time in that way? Where is . . .? Have you got? This is extra question. You must get.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Okay.
Prabhupāda: So first of all this kuśāsana, then the deerskin, and then a linen. Cailājina . . .
Hari-śauri: Caila, agna . . . ajina, sutaram, kuśottaram.
Prabhupāda: Kuśottaram means upon the kuśāsana these, ajina, caila, caila . . . what is caila?
Hari-śauri: Caila, ajina, soft cloth and deerskin.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So kuśa, deerskin, soft cloth.
Jagadīśa: Cotton cloth?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It should be of cotton.
Prabhupāda: Āsana, soft āsana. First of all this kuśāsana, then the deerskin and then one . . .
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Soft cloth. This will be excellent, because nobody else is teaching yoga this way.
Prabhupāda: No. So they will sit down, and perpendicularly. Perpendicularly, if you sit in this way, then you will automatically you become perfect yogī. Automatically. This should be practiced. In every class they should sit down with like this, like this, and they will not close the eyes, but half-closed, and see here.
Hari-śauri: Staring at the tip of the nose.
Jagadīśa: They supposed to look cross-eyed? In order to look at the tip of the nose . . .
Prabhupāda: That's all.
Jagadīśa: . . . you have to look cross-eyed?
Prabhupāda: Why cross? You see, just easy, simply. That's all. This . . .
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They can sit straight and also look.
Prabhupāda: Yes. This has to be practiced.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Look at the nose.
Prabhupāda: And then they should be given lesson on six or seven verses very elaborately, and they will hear.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They should sit like this, and then they should hear.
Prabhupāda: So simple thing.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But they may want . . .
Prabhupāda: So one, first, seven śloka they'll hear, then next class, they'll go to the next, in the next class, and next class, next class. In this way, one after another, within seven days they'll get the whole lesson.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So if we want to have three hours total . . . even in the class . . .
Prabhupāda: Two hours.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . they should be sitting like this, isn't it?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So, in other words, then the total three hours that they have to be like this . . .
Prabhupāda: Not total three hours.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Then what will they do in the third hour?
Hari-śauri: Well, I was thinking that . . .
Prabhupāda: There is no "I was thinking." This is nonsense. We must do according to the . . .
Hari-śauri: But can't we bring chanting of japa into it? Chanting of japa
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Mantra-yoga.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: That was my idea, that they should chant half an hour japa before class, and then sit in the posture and then have the philosophy, because the chanting . . . first of all explain the purpose of chanting to fix the mind; then, once they've chanted, then they can sit and they can listen, and because they've chanted, they'll be that much more attentive.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that's good idea. That's good idea. First chanting, second chanting.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: First chant half an hour . . .
Prabhupāda: Then lesson, take lesson. And then chant another . . .
Hari-śauri: Then, after that, some kīrtana.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: Japa first, then class and then kīrtana.
Prabhupāda: At last kīrtana.
Hari-śauri: That would be like half an hour, an hour.
Prabhupāda: And the class will be changed—first seven verses explain. Next verse, next seven . . . in this way, today this room, next day that room, next day that room, next day that room.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Room.
Prabhupāda: Room. That will be class, not in the same. Because if somebody is hearing the first seven ślokas, then how the . . . who are on the second seven ślokas, that will be . . .
Hari-śauri: Oh, your idea is the class will go simultaneously.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So in this way we have to occupy seven rooms, big rooms.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But this means we have to have seven teachers also.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So what we will have to do, we'll have to have courses starting every Monday. So suppose I come in on Saturday, I have to wait till Monday for the course to start.
Prabhupāda: No, why? Why?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Because we do not have, realistically speaking, seven qualified teachers.
Prabhupāda: Why? What is the qualification? They cannot read Bhagavad-gītā?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, at least you need some intelligence. Like . . .
Prabhupāda: But if we are in scarcity of such intelligent men, then close it. What is this nonsense?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Also you have to be a good speaker to keep people's attention.
Prabhupāda: So that will depend on practice. You practice it.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Because the people who come are very sophisticated.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. Then why . . .? You become expert. If you cannot find out seven men, then what is this institution? Anyway, one may not be very expert, but he should practice how to explain. The explanation is there. He has to simply do it very nicely, that's all. Everything is there. And the students should sit down in that way here. That's all. It's not at all difficult.
Jagadīśa: Usually the yoga camps begin on a certain date and finish on a certain date.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Jagadīśa: Usually the yoga camps advertise to begin lessons on a certain date and finish by a certain date.
Prabhupāda: That is seven days.
Jagadīśa: Yes. But they don't stagger it.
Hari-śauri: They don't stagger the course, yes. See, if he arranges with, say, like . . .
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Courses start every Monday.
Hari-śauri: Then they'll advertise that there's a course starting every Monday and finishing every Sunday, like that. And then they'll book in accordance with so that they'll arrive on a Monday and they'll drive out on Sunday night or Monday . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes, that's all right. But what is the difficulty? He is . . . on Monday he is hearing in one room, and Tuesday another room, and Thursday another room. So where is the difficulty?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Also, this way we have to reserve seven rooms.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But this way, if we have courses Monday to Sunday, we can have one big hall, just keep one hall for yoga class.
Prabhupāda: I mean you cannot give two kinds of classes in one room. That is not possible. That is nonsense. Even if you have got one student, he must be in that particular class. You cannot hold all the classes in one room, no. You have to . . . no, for seven days you have to give seven rooms, even there is one student.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Even if it is the same class . . . it's not going to be a different class.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Different verses we shall explain. It is different class.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: We explain seven verses from Bhagavad-gītā on Monday. And the next seven verses will be in the next room, and those who are beginning, they will be in the first room.
Hari-śauri: Yes, that's if you have two or three batches of tourists coming in at different times. But his idea was that all the tourists would come at one time and go through the course and then leave. And then a new batch would come.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And if they came on Saturday, for example . . .
Prabhupāda: No, why don't you understand? Why you are dull-headed? The one class is for one set of verses. Where is the difficulty? (break) . . . so in the same class, it will be not good.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But we will not have a person in the next . . .
Prabhupāda: No, you have or not have, you have to make this arrangement. In one room one set of verses you should explain. Otherwise, if some student comes, first set of verses explained, and he comes, so you cannot explain the same verses to somebody and next verses somebody in the same class. That is not good.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No. Our program, therefore, to avoid this, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is that our courses will start every Monday, end every Sunday.
Prabhupāda: Your course will start every Monday? What do you mean by that? Through first . . . first six verses . . .
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Will be done on Monday.
Prabhupāda: That's all. Next six verses, Tuesday.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: On Tuesday. So like this, it will go on. So suppose I am a tourist, and I come to the guesthouse on Wednesday. So I will wait in the guesthouse till Sunday.
Prabhupāda: No,
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I will start my next class next Monday.
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. That is your dull brain. On Wednesday also, the first class is going on.
Hari-śauri: Yes, I understand what you want.
Prabhupāda: So why he has to wait?
Hari-śauri: All seven classes have to go on simultaneously every day.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. But you are so fertile brain you cannot understand. Why he has to wait?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Because . . .
Jagadīśa: We can understand.
Hari-śauri: He's not expecting that so many people . . .
Prabhupāda: Every class is going on every day. Those who are coming new, they take first lesson in the first room.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, I follow . . .
Prabhupāda: So either it is Wednesday or Monday, it doesn't matter.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: There are three problems that I . . .
Prabhupāda: What is that problem?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: First problem is, we'll have to reserve seven rooms . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . and lose money.
Prabhupāda: No lose money.
Jagadīśa: There are rooms in the gurukula.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, but that cannot be used for tourists at the moment.
Prabhupāda: No, no. Why cannot be used?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: A gurukula room? They are not ready for use as yet. There's still lot of . . . the people who come . . .
Prabhupāda: Well, it will be finished by the time your customers . . .
Hari-śauri: Your tourist traffic is not going to come immediately.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: These are the months now, December, January, February . . .
Prabhupāda: All right, it has to be done like that, that all classes are going on every day. One who comes on Wednesday, it does not mean he has to wait. The class is there. It doesn't matter Wednesday or Friday. Next day he goes there, next class; next day he goes, next class. The difficulty may be that we have to set aside seven rooms. That we have got, room.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That we have in the gurukula building . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . but not at the moment.
Prabhupāda: No, no. Gurukula building.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. And also . . .
Prabhupāda: Gurukula building is meant for instruction, and the guesthouse is meant for boarding and lodging. That's all.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But we wanted to take advantage of it in a month or so, like the tourists . . .
Prabhupāda: By month, it will be done. The gurukula downstairs will be ready.
Hari-śauri: There must be some rooms suitable by a month.
Prabhupāda: If not, for the temporary you can hold somewhere. That doesn't matter. But the system will be this education will be given in the gurukula building.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. Now, we're also going to do this in Bombay, Śrīla Prabhupāda, because . . .
Prabhupāda: But first of all, you make one successful here. Then you think of other.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But now we should not teach them any exercise at all?
Prabhupāda: This is exercise. If he sits down two hours like that, it is more than exercise.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: But this may not satisfy them. They may want to do . . .
Prabhupāda: No, we are not going to satisfy them. This is our. This is our process. If you want to learn, then we have to learn according to Bhagavad-gītā. We are not going to flatter you.
Hari-śauri: If we explain that the whole purpose of the exercises . . .
Prabhupāda: That is the explanation required.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Is to concentrate, and by concentration your health will improve.
Hari-śauri: The idea is to tone the body so the senses are subdued.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: So we engage their senses in kīrtana.
Prabhupāda: That is the actual fact. You read that portion.
Jagadīśa: They are coming to India to learn yoga, right? What is the perfection of yoga? Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, but they . . .
Prabhupāda: They cannot dictate. That is not . . .
Hari-śauri: If they want exercise, we can stand them up, arms in the air, they can dance and they can chant.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: We'll make the kīrtana so ecstatic that they are jumping.
Prabhupāda: Yes, he can dance. He can dance.
Hari-śauri: Then they jump and then . . .
Prabhupāda: Dance and chant. This is best exercise. We allow them to dance very . . . yes. High jump. Actually that is exercise, and at the same time ecstasy. If they dance and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, it is automatically a very big exercise and spiritual advancement. Yes. Yes. There is no doubt about it. If he chants and dances, immediately he become ecstatic.
Hari-śauri: Breathing is there.
Prabhupāda: Ah! Yes.
Hari-śauri: Everything is there.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Of course, that's why . . . it depends on the teacher. If the teacher is a very good speaker and preacher, he can, right in the introduction, point out how this yoga is different from the other yogas, which are bogus.
Prabhupāda: Don't say it is different. It is the authorized.
Hari-śauri: There's no need to mention anything else.
Prabhupāda: It is authorized, and it is taught by Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Others are unauthorized. This is authorized. And that's a fact. This is authorized. And others, those, they are manufactured. Just like they have manufa . . .
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: It is authorized in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Prabhupāda: In every . . . Bhagavad . . . this is Vedic. Bhagavad-gītā means the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And which other way can be authorized way? You have to impress that upon.
Jagadīśa: That's two hours.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Another one hour . . .
Prabhupāda: Chanting, dancing.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually . . .
Prabhupāda: They haven't got to attend other classes. Let them chant and dance, kīrtana, other one hour. Because here is the class. They'll simply sit down in that yogic posture and hear. That's all. You explain.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: These people are . . . I understand this from . . .
Jagadīśa: No, they have a misconception what yoga is.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I know, I know. But if we want to get repeat business . . .
Prabhupāda: No, no, we are not after business. This is our . . .
Hari-śauri: Our program is the most attractive.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: When they go to these yoga classes, they don't get anything.
Prabhupāda: We are not going to flatter them. If you want to learn, you have to learn according to the authorized way.
Jagadīśa: The appeal of these other groups is sex. We're not interested in that.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No, I'm not saying sex.
Jagadīśa: Well, it is. That's how they're appealing.
Hari-śauri: Their whole platform is bogus then.
Prabhupāda: They are all bogus. Bogus. We are not going to follow the bogus. At least in these seven days they must not have any sex. Then he will . . . (indistinct) . . . they'll get some benefit.
Hari-śauri: Yes. That's described here also. That will come out automatically in the class, that one has to sit . . .
Prabhupāda: They will have to take thrice bath and eat frugally, not voraciously. If they want real treatment, that will benefit them. If they have got some ideas of yoga and we have to cheat them, that is impossible.
Jagadīśa: Why should we have to cheat them?
Prabhupāda: They want to be cheated, but we cannot cheat. For getting some customer you have to flatter them—that is not possible. And while explaining the ślokas, you have to stress on this point, that this is bona fide; all others are cheating. That requires on your preaching power.
Hari-śauri: Actually, I was reading through your purports in this chapter the other day, and everything, every aspect, is completely explained in the purports. If one carefully reads this chapter then there's no problem. You just preach whatever is there.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: What we could do is—I mean, you may not like this—publish a small booklet just based on the Sixth Chapter.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Just publish the Sixth Chapter, that this is our booklet on yoga.
Prabhupāda: No, you can make a booklet, the Sixth Chapter explained, and posture, how to sit. That sitting down, that will attract.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Because they want to see these things.
Prabhupāda: That sitting posture will attract them. Give them figure, "This is the posture of sitting," and they will hear.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: What we can do, have a small booklet on yoga . . .
Prabhupāda: Concentrate on viṣṇu-mūrti here, in the heart, and hear. This will immediately give some effect.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Or . . . yes. We can have some pictures of people. And we'll publish your Sixth Chapter, like, just like publishing Sixth Chapter of the Gītā with a two-page introduction how this yoga is different from others and this is the guide, the Sixth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, the most ancient Hindu scripture, Indian scripture.
Prabhupāda: So keep some price for that.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. That will be like a separate book, five rupees, with some illustrations . . .
Prabhupāda: Make that.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And then like we can have some . . . people are very much into beads . . .
Prabhupāda: And dancing.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So we'll have some neckbeads they'll take, with a small statue, Deity, pendant of Viṣṇu.
Prabhupāda: So then there is one artist. He has come to paint pictures. Explain. He will give you. Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Oh, yes, very good.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And plus he can do that for the new brochure also. We can have like a necklace with a pendant of Viṣṇu, four-handed, to meditate.
Hari-śauri: We have a proper shelf there which will supply hari-nāma cādara, beads, beadbag, everything.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Yes. Take this idea. Note down. First of all make this brochure.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. That brochure which I made on Vṛndāvana, just one page, I'm taking up Vṛndāvana and other temple pictures, and putting in a section on yoga.
Prabhupāda: So see how you have done.
Hari-śauri: If we don't have our own shop there which sells everything, then they'll just go down Loi Bazaar and buy it.
Prabhupāda: No, we have our own shop and . . .
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, we are having our own shop now in the gurukula. We are having it before the festival. We are having that before the festival.
Hari-śauri: It should be open for this course.
Prabhupāda: Another thing, that . . . I don't think they are very serious, that . . . they have paid that 250 rupees rate?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Who?
Prabhupāda: This bank? They wrote they are going to pay.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Last I heard when I left is they had got their approval to pay two hundred rupees, but they haven't paid so far.
Prabhupāda: No, they have written 250.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They wrote 250? Viśvambhara told me . . .
Hari-śauri: I saw that letter, yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: 250.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, that room is a very good room.
Prabhupāda: Where is that letter?
Jagadīśa: Which letter?
Prabhupāda: Bank's letter.
Hari-śauri: From Gupta.
Prabhupāda: From Gupta, bank letter, Hyderabad.
Hari-śauri: You didn't see that? I saw it.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Which Gupta? The accountant of Punjab National . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes. I have replied that letter on the other day. You do not know?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Did you want us to use that room? That room in which the bank is?
Jagadīśa: Oh, yes. You mean about the rent?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jagadīśa: Yes, he said 250.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Find out that letter.
Hari-śauri: There's a reply to it, too.
Prabhupāda: Where is the letter? (break)
Hari-śauri: He says there's going to be women coming . . .
Prabhupāda: But there is no instruction. For women there is no such thing.
Hari-śauri: No women on the course.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No women?
Prabhupāda: That is bogus, another bogus.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That's bogus. But we have a lot of women who are coming to India for yoga. Half . . . the traffic is half men, half women.
Prabhupāda: Women cannot do it.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: And a lot of the tourists who come, they are husband, wife and all together. So why don't we let them wear normal dress but have men and women in the same class?
Hari-śauri: We could . . . it's just a suggestion, but what about if you have . . .
Prabhupāda: Normal dress, that is standard.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Or yoga pants. They can have pajamas and kurtās.
Hari-śauri: A separate woman's class? But that means . . . yes. That means you have to have women teachers.
Prabhupāda: These are artificial things.
Hari-śauri: Mixed class, but . . .
Prabhupāda: For woman there is no such . . .
Jagadīśa: I think we should avoid women altogether. Avoid women altogether?
Prabhupāda: Women, it is only possible in our Vaiṣṇava bhakti-yoga—women and men can be given equal right. There is no other system.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They can wear a normal dress.
Hari-śauri: If they wear those big robes . . . sometimes I see . . . it's a one-piece thing. It comes down to their ankles. If they wear something like that, it's all right.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: If they want to do something different, you know, they want to see different things, if we give them a pajama and kurtā, we'll still make them do bhakti-yoga, but it's . . .
Prabhupāda: Bhakti-yoga, chanting, dancing there will be. They can join.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, but . . .
Prabhupāda: But they cannot practice. They cannot sit down like this, the women. They'll be tired. This is real practice.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I think even the men . . .
Prabhupāda: Yogāsana. Yogāsana, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, āsana.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: That's so then we can show them, "See this yoga is . . ." because it appears a little difficult, it is the best form of yoga. It's not something easy that you can just do in one second.
Jagadīśa: So what's the conclusion?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They will sit together.
Jagadīśa: So he says . . . he thinks the conclusion is that the women will be in the class.
Prabhupāda: There, but in plain dress. Yes, man must be there.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Plain dress or if they wear dresses, they can have pant-kurtā, pajamas.
Prabhupāda: Why pant?
Hari-śauri: They can wear a long robe. That's better, like one of those complete robes.
Prabhupāda: Yes, long robe.
Hari-śauri: Rajneesh people wear them.
Prabhupāda: These Hare Kṛṣṇa nāmāvali robe.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, very good idea. We can make Hare Kṛṣṇa . . .
Hari-śauri: Out of a nāmāvali, yeah. Nāma cādara. Hari-nāma cādara. Printed.
Prabhupāda: Nāmāvali. You can have some robe . . .
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, we can have . . .
Prabhupāda: . . . some covering.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, this will be very good. This will really make us look different from others. We're giving kuśa grass, linen, and robe, beads . . .
Prabhupāda: And they will understand that they are actually doing something.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. And they will see. Because these karmīs, they look for these tangible differences.
Prabhupāda: At least twice taking bath and then chanting, dancing and so on.
Hari-śauri: Yes. They're coming for some . . . just to . . .
Prabhupāda: They want something. So this is the bona fide method.
Jagadīśa: Are you having tours,where they'll go to Rādhā-kuṇḍa?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. That is during the rest of the time.
Hari-śauri: There's a very nice thing about this program, is that you can guarantee everyone who comes is going to be interested.
Prabhupāda: So I have given to you three. Now you jointly do immediately.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: The artist is there. Get painting.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: That's . . . that's all right.
Hari-śauri: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)
- 1976 - Conversations
- 1976 - Lectures and Conversations
- 1976 - Lectures, Conversations and Letters
- 1976-12 - Lectures, Conversations and Letters
- Conversations - India
- Conversations - India, Bombay
- Lectures, Conversations and Letters - India
- Lectures, Conversations and Letters - India, Bombay
- 1976 - New Audio - Released in November 2013
- Audio Files 30.01 to 45.00 Minutes