770226 - Interview - Mayapur
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
(First 27 minutes of audio is talk between 2 interviewers and Prabhupada in Bengali, discussing, among other things, books produced in other languages. A few English words interjected.)
Prabhupāda: . . . bhalo laguk ba na laguk, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu bhakta hoye eshechilo. Bhagavan nije eshe bole den je sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. Tini assert korlen kintu . . . (indistinct) . . . lokera bujhte parlen na. Shei jonne tini abar bhakta rupe eshe, Caitanya Mahaprabhu eshe ei Kṛṣṇa bhakti ki kore shikhte hoye, shekalen. Shei Mahaprabhur lekha kotha, sheita ami pray bojhabar cheshta korchi. Jinish ta kintu notun na, panch hazar bochor purbete Kṛṣṇa svayam eshe jeta bojhabar cheshta koreche, Caitanya Mahaprabhu panch sau bochor purbete shei jinish ta poribesh korbar jonne cheshta korechen. Korechen. Shei jnish ta amra dhore ei Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement ta. Eta . . . (indistinct) . . . hoyeche keno, shokole hocche na, amra eto byasto keno. Tar karon ache. Tar karon hocche Caitanya Mahaprabhu bolchen . . . shokol kei bolchen ei jinish ta koro, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa, yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa. (. . . whether you like it or not, Caitanya Mahāprabhu came in the form of a devotee. God personally descends on earth and declares sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. He asserted this clearly but . . . (indistinct) . . . people could not understand. Therefore, He came once again in the form of a devotee, as Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu, to teach everyone the art of devotional service. I simply try to spread His teachings as it is. These teachings are not something new. What Kṛṣṇa spoke 5,000 years ago is what Caitanya Mahāprabhu tried to present 500 years back. This is the foundation of our Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement. This . . . (indistinct) . . . why was this movement started, why are we so bothered about spreading it? There is a reason behind it. The reason is Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said . . . some people say do this, others say do that, but He has said this for everyone, "Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.") (Prabhupāda dictates, interviewer writes it down)
- āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa
- yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa
(Eita Chaitanya Charitamrita e paben. (You will find this in Caitanya-caritāmṛta.)
Interviewer (1): Tāra' ei deśa.
Prabhupāda: Ha. Jekhane tumi acho. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa. Eita holo Chaitanya Mahaprabhur mission ebong aro bolchen tini, bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra, janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra. Ektu khani likhe nao. Bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra . . . aro kintu bolchen, prithivite ache yato nagar adi gram, sarvatra prachar haibe mora naam. Bhagavata shono, hari vichar karo. (indistinct) . . . Bharata varsher ekta kartavya ache. Bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma . . . je . . . (indistinct) . . . manush hoyeche . . . (indistinct) . . . kukur janowarer shontan noy, manush hoyeche, tar uchit hocche . . . (indistinct) . . . Caitanya Mahaprabhur . . . (indistinct) . . . sheta ami cheshta korechi. Shudhu cheshta korchi na, grahan korche. Grahan korche je eto din kore ni keu. Ja hok . . . (indistinct) . . . ami korchi kintu sheta to nicche besh seriously. To ei culture ta Bharata-bhumi te Bharatiya ra keno nicche na. Government er cultural department ache, shekhane lakhe faltu faltu kharcha hocche kintu Chaitanya Mahaprabhur kothar jonno ki shahajyo korche. E bishoye apnara lekha-lekhi korben. Ami ekta kono mangal er jinish korchi . . . (Yes, wherever you are. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission and He further states that anyone who takes birth as a human being in the land of Bharatvarsa, should make his life perfect and spread this transcendental knowledge for the welfare of humanity. Please note it down. Bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra . . . furthermore, He proclaims that in every town and village throughout the world, Lord Kṛṣṇa's holy name will be distributed. Hear Bhāgavatam and remember Lord Hari. India has a great responsibility. Whoever takes birth in this land as a human being, not cats and dogs, their duty is to . . . (indistinct) . . . this is my effort. And not only am I making an effort but people are also accepting it which never happened till now . . . (indistinct) . . . anyway, I am putting in an effort and people are taking it very seriously. So why are Indians themselves reluctant to accept this culture? The government has a cultural department where lakhs and lakhs of rupees are getting wasted but where is the assistance for spreading Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Please write something regarding this. I am trying to do something which is so auspicious . . .) based on Caitanya Mahāprabhu's authority, we are doing this and then you should respond, why Indian government will not help us? They will misunderstand . . .
Interviewer (1): (indistinct) . . . discomfort . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes, first discomfort is that our land . . . ei je eto tomar shob boro boro building ek jaygay to noy, teen jaygay erokom . . . (indistinct) . . . jayga. Bombay to shunechen. Birat byapar . . . (just like all these big big buildings, not just in one place but in 3 cities. You must have heard about Bombay. Huge establishment . . .)
Interviewer (1): Bombay te kothay korechen? (Where in Bombay?)
Prabhupāda: Juhu te. (In Juhu.) (break) . . . appeared here . . . (indistinct) . . . icche chilo ar . . . (indistinct) . . . shei kothatar upore, tini 1933 te nirgata hon, amar praner bhitore chilo. 1944 te ami Back to Godhead jokhon . . . (showing Back to Godhead magazine to the interviewer) . . . ota ami arambho kore chilam. 1944 e. (indistinct) (. . . had a strong desire . . . (indistinct) . . . those words remained within my heart even after he left his body in 1933. In 1944 when I started Back to Godhead . . . (showing Back to Godhead magazine to the interviewer) . . . it was started by me. In 1944.)
Interviewer (1): Apnar boysh koto takhon? (What was your age at that time?)
Prabhupāda: Amar 1944 . . . pray panchash bochor boysh. Amar 1896 e janma. 1944 e mane amar aat chollish bochor boysh. (In 1944, my age was nearly fifty years. I was born in 1896. So 1944 means I was 48 years old.)
Interviewer (1): Apni ki korten profession . . . (What was your profession . . .)
Prabhupāda: Ami kichu chemist . . . amar business chilo. Ami chilam boshei tarpor tini . . . (indistinct) . . . Kartik Bose ke janen to? Kartik Bose er shonge amader khub ghanishthta chilo. Oi . . . (indistinct) . . . boro loker kotha . . . (indistinct) . . . Kartik Bose . . . (indistinct) . . . "O baba, amra shob biye tha kora lok, eshob paratattva kotha ki bujhbo". Actually o chilo amar babar khub antaranga bandhu, je jonno amake manager kore diyechilo . . . (indistinct) . . . tarpor or agency niye Allahabad chole giye chilam. (I was a chemist . . . had a business also. I was sitting idle when . . . (indistinct) . . . do you know Kartik Bose? Kartik Bose had very intimate relations with our family. As you know . . . (indistinct) . . . rich man's words . . . (indistinct) . . . Kartik Bose . . . (indistinct) . . . "Oh dear, we are all householders, what can we understand about these spiritual subject matters?" Actually, he was my father's intimate friend. That's why he made me the manager . . . (indistinct) . . . later on I took his agency and moved to Allahabad.)
Interviewer (1): Apni bideshe jan ki kore? (How did you go to the West?)
Prabhupāda: Ha, bideshe . . . (indistinct) . . . biswas korun, eta ami prathamei bolchi . . . (Yes, going to the West . . . (indistinct) . . . believe me, I am saying this right at the beginning . . .)
Interviewer (1): Apni ki chele bela thekei bhalobeshechen? (Did you have such loving emotions since childhood?)
Prabhupāda: Ami to vaishnav family . . . amader jnati jato, shokolei vaishnav. Personally, thakurbari ache. Amader dewa thakei, oi rath kara, Radha-Kṛṣṇa murti seva kora, mach-mangsho na khawa. Eta amader shoubhagya . . . (indistinct) . . . ei jonno amar Kṛṣṇa bole je boi, amar babar ke dedicate korechi. (I belonged to a vaishnav family . . . all our relatives were vaishnavas. We had a personal temple room. Since childhood, we used to perform rath-yatra, worshipping Radha-Kṛṣṇa Deities, abstaining from meat etc. This is our great fortune, therefore I have dedicated my Kṛṣṇa book to my father.) Find out this, 'Krsna'. (devotees enter) . . . Japanese o, Chinese o . . . (indistinct) . . . shob sadachari vaishnav . . . Amader cheleder kono . . . (indistinct). Eta teen volume e 'Krsna' boi ache. E khub bikri hoy . . . (all these boys, Japanese, Chinese . . . (indistinct) . . . they are perfectly well behaved vaisnavas . . . our boys do not . . . (indistinct) . . . this Kṛṣṇa book is in three volumes. It gets sold rampantly . . .)
Interviewer (1): Khub bhalo bikri hobe. (It will get sold very nicely.)
Prabhupāda: Million
Interviewer (1): Hoi jabe. (Yes, it will definitely be so.)
Prabhupāda: Shob boi amader . . . (indistinct) . . . shob university, college, shob standing. (All our books . . . (indistinct) . . . every college and university has placed standing orders.)
Brahmānanda: (indistinct discussion with interviewer and Prabhupāda)
(long pause)
Indian man: Bhalo achen? (How are you?)
Prabhupāda: Hmm.
Indian man: Amra ager din sara raat jege chilam, ei ekhon elam. (We were awake all night yesterday, just came a little while ago.)
Prabhupāda: Ha, amra to chinta korchilam je eto bhor belay ke jabe keu jane na. Kintu apnara ratere shob . . . (Yes, we were all worried about who would go at such an early hour. But you all spent the whole night . . .)
Indian man: Sara raat. (Whole night.) (indistinct) . . . whole night we were just waiting, always telephoning the . . . (indistinct) . . . and other towers, what time landing, what time landing?
Prabhupāda: Shob kagoje beriyeche. (It has appeared in all newspapers.)
Interviewer (2): Shob kagoje beriyeche. Amar khobor ta dekhe news editor khub khushi holen. Uni bollen dao, khub bhalo kore likhe dao. (All newspapers. Seeing my news, our editor was highly impressed. He told me to write it down as nicely as possible.)
(indistinct) So he immediately rushed me, go and see him, meet . . . (indistinct) . . . amake jodi apnar koyekta important boi diye den, amar pakhe khub bhalo hobe. Ami aro bujhte parbo . . . (. . . (indistinct) . . . if you can give me some of your important books, then it would be very helpful for me. I will be able to understand more clearly . . .)
Prabhupāda: Ki boi? (What books?)
Interviewer (2): Ei dharaner boi ar ki, ei 'Krsna' , ei gulo hocche ki tahole ami bhalo bujhte parbo. (Like this Kṛṣṇa book. Then I can understand more clearly.) Can we continue?
Interviewer (1): Bibhinno bhasha, China, Japanese, Russian, biswe communist country jara dharme biswas kore na . . . (Different languages—Chinese, Japanese, Russian—all the communist countries who do not believe in God . . .)
Interviewer (2): Ei je ekhane Chinese royeche. (There is Chinese over here.)
Interviewer (1): Ha, ekhane Russian . . . (Yes, here is Russian.)
Prabhupāda: Ekhane to bikri hoy na, e guli dekhabar jonne. (These are only for display, not for sale.)
Interviewer (1): Ha jai hok. ami shudhu dekhe nicchi. Eta ki bhasha? (No problem, I am just having a look. Which language is this?)
Prabhupāda: Eta German. (This is German.)
Interviewer (1): Eta German na. Accha. Etao to Russian na? (Oh, this is German. Okay. Is this also Russian?)
Interviewer (2): Na Spanish. (No, Spanish.)
Interviewer (1): This is Russian. This is Japanese. This one is Chinese. Any other
languages?
Bhavananda: Communist countries . . . Polish . . .
Prabhupāda: Oi je oi Chinese language Bhagavatam. (Over there is the Chinese Bhāgavatam.) Chinese language. Ar English, oi Kṛṣṇa boi. (And this is the Kṛṣṇa book in English.)
Interviewer (1): Ingreji to aro deshe . . . (English is used in many other countries . . .)
Prabhupāda: Ha, shei karone. (Yes, that's why.)
Interviewer (2): Apnar ager naam ki chilo? (What was your previous name?)
Prabhupāda: Oi A. C. chilo. (It was A. C.) Abhaycharan Dey.
Interviewer (2): Abhaycharan Dey. Apnar transformation ta . . . ei transformation, spiritual transformation. (Your transformation . . . this spiritual transformation.)
Prabhupāda: Na, ami bole thaki . . . (No, I have already said . . .)
Interviewer (2): Na bolechen kintu ei je fully apni je surrendered . . . (No, you have said but this complete surrender . . .)
Prabhupāda: Eta er interest hole . . . ami Vrindavan e chilam, tarpore . . . (I developed this intense desire . . . I was in Vrindavan at that time . . .)
Interviewer (2): Accha, retire korechen ki okhanei chilen? (Okay, so were you in Vrindavan before retirement?)
Prabhupāda: Na, retirement e to ami Vrindavan e chilen. (No, I went to Vrindavan after retirement.)
Interviewer (2): Tar age oi . . . (indistinct) . . . (Before that . . .)
Prabhupāda: Na, na. Oi khane ami beshi din kaj korini. Ami tarpor nijer laboratory khule chilam Lucknow te. (No, no. I did not work there for too long. I opened my laboratory in Lucknow after that.)
Interviewer (2): Lucknow te tahole apni . . . (indistinct) . . . shobai ke chenen? Dr. Akhil Raj ke chenen? (So you must be knowing . . . (indistinct) . . . in Lucknow. Do you know Dr. Akhil Raj?)
Prabhupāda: Onek joni bhalo . . . (indistinct) . . . ache. Ek jon barrister chilo, bhakto typer, tar . . . (indistinct) . . . Amar Allahabad te khub mosto pharmacy chilo, Prayag Pharmacy . . . (I know many people there. There was one barrister, very devotional in nature . . . (indistinct) . . . I had a very popular pharmacy in Allahabad, Prayag Pharmacy.)
Interviewer (2): Prayag Pharmacy. Accha. Originally chemist tar mane? (Okay. So you were originally a chemist.)
Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct) . . . takhon amar boysh ekush bochor . . . (indistinct) . . . oi post ta amar nijer lok chara kauke . . . (indistinct) . . . Ami 1921 te Kartik Bose er
laboratory . . . (indistinct) . . . ar 1923 te or agency niye Allahabad gechilam . . . (indistinct) . . . tar por 1945 e . . . (. . . (indistinct) . . . my age at that time was 21 years . . . (indistinct) . . . I will give that post only to one of my acquaintances . . . (indistinct) . . . I joined the laboratory of Kartik Bose in 1921 . . . (indistinct) . . . in 1923 I went to Allahabad as their agent . . . (indistinct) . . . later on, in 1945 . . .)
Interviewer (2): . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ. Oi shob jodi na korten tahole ei line e astam ki kore. Intelligence ta . . . ek jon amar hath dekhe tini bolechen . . . (indistinct) . . . tumi Birlar moton hobe. Ami shei Birla howar jogyo hoyechi. To Bhagavan she guli shob bhenge chure diye, ekhon Birla r choddo guna hoye gechi. (laughter) Birlar eto paisa nei. Birlar . . . ei sara prithibi te ghore, ei rokom ei rokom . . . (indistinct) . . . kon Birlar ache. (Someone told me you will be like Birla . . . (indistinct) . . . I am now . . . had the Lord not done this with me, how would I come to this path? Our intelligence . . . one astrologer had predicted by reading my palm . . . (indistinct) . . . you will be like Birla. I am eligible to become like Birla. So God crushed all these plans and now I am fourteen times that of Birla. (laughter) Even Birla does not have so much money. Which Birla has such . . . (indistinct) . . . all over the world?)
Devotee: Now you are earning daily five lakhs.
Interviewer (1): Ta apni retire kore bidesh chole jan? (So you retired and went to the West?)
Prabhupāda: Na retire kore ami Vrindavan. (No, I went to Vrindavan after retirement.)
Interviewer (1): Vrindavan. Tarpor? (After that?)
Prabhupāda: Tar porete amader Gaudiya Math gulo . . . (indistinct) . . . chilam, Bon Maharajer kache . . . (indistinct) . . . kichu korlo na, parlo na. Ta amake jehetu Guru Maharaj bolechilen korte, dekhi chesta kore. To shottor bochor boyshete, oi jawar purbete teen khana Bhagavata prakash kore . . . 1965 e . . . (After that I went to our Gaudiya Maths . . . (indistinct) . . . stayed with Bon Maharaja . . . (indistinct) . . . neither tried nor managed to do anything. So since my spiritual master had instructed me, I decided to give it a try. At the age of seventy years, before going to the West, I had published three volumes of Bhāgavatam . . . in 1965 . . .)
Interviewer (1): . . . America jan . . . (indistinct) . . . nijer theke jan? (. . . went to America . . . (indistinct) . . . did you go on your own?)
Prabhupāda: Nijer theke . . . (On my own . . .)
Interviewer (1): Apnar barir keu apotti, apnar stri, chele meye? (Did any of your family members protest, your wife, your children?)
Prabhupāda: Apotti kore shurute. (Initially they did protest.)
Interviewer (1): Tarpor? (After that?)
Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer (1): Kothay gelen America te? (Where did you go in America?)
Prabhupāda: New York e. Tarpore to oi park e boshe kirtan kortam. (To New York. I would sit down in a park there and do kirtana.)
Interviewer (1): Park e boshe kirtan korten. Eta kon shaler kotha? (So you did kirtana in the park. What was the year?)
Prabhupāda: 1965. Gach tolay dariye Western chele meye . . . (Western girls and boys used to chant under a tree . . .)
Interviewer (1): Eta koto shale? (What was the year?)
Prabhupāda: 1965. Prothome te join kore duti chele, tara du joni ekhono present ache . . . (At first two boys joined me and they are still present now . . .) You can call Brahmananda and Acyutananda. Okhane kirtan kortum, ora eshe eshe prothome nach kore. (I used to do kirtana there while they would come and dance.)
Interviewer (1): Accha. (Okay.)
Prabhupāda: Tar moddhe Brahmananda khub boro loker chele. Or baba khub boro lok. . . (Among them, Brahmananda was a very rich man's son. His father was very rich . . .)
Interviewer (1): Your name Brahmananda and your name?
Prabhupāda: Acyutananda . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer (1): . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Oi mane kono jayga chilo na. Ke amader dakto? Oi kirtan shune. Gach tolay boshe, park e boshe. Tompkin . . . Tompkin Square Park. Okhane oi duto chele panchta obdhi boshe boshe kirtan korto. (We did not have any proper place to hold the kirtans. Who would invite us? Simply by listening to kirtana, sometimes in the park, sometimes under a tree. Tompkin . . . Tompkin Square Park. Those two boys would participate in kirtan with me at that place until 5 pm.)
Interviewer (1): To okhane apni karor barite giye uthechilen? (So were you staying in somebody's home there?)
Prabhupāda: Na, amader karor ek joner barite chilam.Tar porete ami nijer ekta ghar bhara ni. (No, I was staying in one person's home. Later on I rented a place for myself.) . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer (1): Era to Bengalir moton hoye geche. (They have become like Bengalis.)
Prabhupāda: Bangla besh bolte pare. (They can speak Bengali very nicely.)
Interviewer (1): Ha, bhaloi bangla bolte pare. (Yes, their Bengali is quite good.)
Prabhupāda: O Banglay shompadaka. (He is an editor in Bengali.)
Interviewer (1): Ini Brahmananda? (Is he Brahmananda?)
Prabhupāda: Na, e hocche Acyutananda. (No he is Acyutananda.) . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer (1): 66. Takhon Acyutananda atheroh and Brahmanandar boysh koto chilo? (So Acyutananda was 18 at that time and what was the age of Brahmananda?)
Prabhupāda: 66'. Ha, (yes.)
Interviewer (1): Brahmanandar boysh koto chilo? (What was the age of Brahmananda?)
Prabhupāda: Brahmananda ektu boroi chilo. (Brahmananda was a little older.)
Devotee: 25.
Interviewer (1): Apnar andaj thik hoyeche. Apni je ei duhshahoshi kaj ta korlen, okhane park e boshe ei shob, to ei je apnar mathay . . . mane ei . . . (Your guess is right. So this heroic act that you performed, sitting there in the park . . . from where did it come to your mind . . . I mean . . .)
Prabhupāda: Ami to amar . . . (indistinct) . . . Guru Maharajer . . . (I was simply following my . . . (indistinct) . . . spiritual master's . . .)
Interviewer (1): Apnar bhoy holo na je loke, (Weren't you afraid . . .) how people will react. People may not react . .
Prabhupāda: . . . to bhoy korbei. (. . . little fear is obvious.)
Interviewer (1): To okhane kichu badha panni, o deshe ar ki? (So wasn't there any impediment to your effort? In that country?)
Prabhupāda: Aj porjonto . . . ami ekhon badha pacchi. (Even today . . . I am still facing obstructions.)
Interviewer (1): Ekhon badha dicche, o desher lokerai? (Are their own people still obstructing?) . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer (1): Come closer.
Prabhupāda: They were the first recruits.
Interviewer (1): Ah, they were the first conscious people of the Western world. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Brahmānanda: We were the first to dance to the name of Kṛṣṇa.
Interviewer (1): But how do you feel when . . .
Prabhupāda: Ei je ei khobor shei shomoy New York Times e beriyechilo. (This news appeared in the New York Times at that time.)
Interviewer (1): New York Times e? (In the New York Times?)
Prabhupāda: (indistinct)
Brahmānanda: It was the first major article written about Prabhupāda when he came. Prabhupāda started his kīrtana in a park in New York City. When Prabhupāda came, he did not bring any mṛdaṅga, so one of his students gave him some small drum, with only one head, one drum, and he was playing, and . . .
Prabhupāda: That picture I am playing.
Interviewer (1): Sidney Shengal he was very good friend of us.
Brahmānanda: Shubra?
Interviewer (1): Shengal.
Brahmānanda: Shengal.
Interviewer (1): Several times he was in India. Couple of years.
Brahmānanda: Who? What is his position? He's a writer? Or an editor?
Interviewer: Shengal is an editor. He is on the editor writing.
Interviewer (2): No, no, no. He was in Singapore.
Interviewer (1): No, no, no. He was the editor. He was the acting editor of New York Times.
Interviewer (2): He has written books.
Interviewer (1): Maybe now he's written a book, but he's local editor. (indistinct) . . . Delhi correspondent.
Brahmānanda: That paper's very favorable to our movement.
Interviewer: I see.
Brahmānanda: Throughout all these years, they've always written very favorable articles, positive.
Interviewer: I think New York Times must be one of the most spiritual places in the States.
Brahmānanda: Oh, yes. We've been covered with very extensive type. We've been certified to be the most widely publicized . . .
Interviewer: Yeah.
Brahmānanda: . . . of all.
Interviewer: All temples.
Brahmānanda: Oh, yes. For sure. It was a very famous paper.
Prabhupāda: In America, Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement is known, household.
Brahmānanda: Household.
Prabhupāda: So also in Europe.
Brahmānanda: Whole of Europe.
Interviewer: Why they react so favorably in the materialistic world?
Brahmānanda: Well, I think they are impressed by our . . . the purity of this Movement. We follow four regulative principles: prohibited from intoxication—even cigarettes, coffee, tea, alcohol, drugs—illicit sex, meat-eating and gambling. So other gurus who have come to the West, they don't say these things. Rather, they say you can . . . first you can meditate, then you can go ahead and do these things. They don't prohibit.
Prabhupāda: They say: "Why should we prohibit? Lord has given you senses. Enjoy."
Brahmānanda: They even say that, "Do not restrict yourself in any way." So people actually don't respect them. They may think it's popular, but they don't respect it. So our movement is preaching these principles, and in conjunction we have many books, very respectable books. We're getting reviews—very favorable reviews—from big scholars, all universities. Even now Prabhupāda's books are being used as textbooks in major universities. So this gives a . . .
Interviewer: Anywhere in Europe?
Brahmānanda: Oh, yes.
Interviewer: Take books.
Brahmānanda: Oh, yes. They've been in Europe. They've been all over—Scandinavia, France, Germany . . .
Interviewer (2): London?
Brahmānanda: London. We have favorable reviews from Oxford, all the big universities. We've published a booklet, and we can give you a copy.
Prabhupāda: These are reviews of our books.
Interviewer: . . . (indistinct)
Brahmānanda: Yes. So many reviews. This is one review from a Harvard scholar. Harvard.
Rādhā-vallabha: Can you get it? (brings in pictures)
Prabhupāda: This is in Los Angeles?
Rādhā-vallabha: Yes. There are 300 of these, all totaled, like this one.
Brahmānanda: Framed like this?
Rādhā-vallabha: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Three hundred?
Brahmānanda: Three hundred.
Rādhā-vallabha: Yes. Plus these.
Brahmānanda: These are pictures, for being displayed.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Brahmānanda: For the downstairs.
Rādhā-vallabha: This is an award from a books fair in America, "Excellence."
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Rādhā-vallabha: Says, "Printing Industries of Metropolitan New York, Certificate of Special Merit for outstanding example of printing displayed in the Bicentennial Exhibition of Printing, 1976, presented to Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta . . ."
Prabhupāda: (indistinct) . . . printing . . . (indistinct) . . . Etar photo dite paren. (. . . (indistinct) . . . printing . . . (indistinct) . . . you can give this photo.) (indistinct background comments)
Rādhā-vallabha: Lord Caitanya's Ratha-yātrā . . .
Prabhupāda: Caitanya-caritāmṛta charai . . . (Even without Caitanya-caritāmṛta . . .)
Brahmānanda: This is the volume that won the prize.
Interviewer: (indistinct)
Rādhā-vallabha: There's Bengali script. There's an . . . (indistinct) . . . (indistinct background comments) This is a Swedish Back to Godhead.
Prabhupāda: Oh. Swedish? I have not seen it before. Ei Sweden language editor. (He is the editor in the Swedish language.) These pictures, framed there or here?
Rādhā-vallabha: Framed in Los Angeles and shipped here.
Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct)
Rādhā-vallabha: A few broke—not many.
Prabhupāda: Broke . . .
Rādhā-vallabha: The glass.
Prabhupāda: . . . glass
Rādhā-vallabha: They can be repaired later.
Prabhupāda: Yesterday I see pictures?
Brahmānanda: Of Berkeley . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes. Kirom shob mandir hoyeche amader, orom mandir ekhane nei. (Just look at the temples that we have got. You won't find one anywhere here.)
Interviewer (1): Mandir ekhane ache? (Are there such temples here?)
Prabhupāda: Nai, je shob mandir amader hoyeche. (Not present here, the kind of temples we have.) (indistinct) Berkeley, San Francisco.
Interviewer: Berkeley.
Prabhupāda: Apni okhane gechilen to? (Have you gone there?)
Interviewer: Bideshe? (Abroad?)
Prabhupāda: Ha. (Yes.)
Interviewer: Bideshe amar jawa hoyni. Jawar khub icche. (I haven't got the chance to go abroad but I have a great desire though.)
Prabhupāda: Thakun amader shonge. Shob jaygay thakbar jayga ache. (Remain with us then. We have a place to stay in all temples.)
Interviewer: Niye jaben? (Will you take me along?)
Prabhupāda: Hmm.
Interviewer: Likhbo takhon apnader byapare. (Then I will be able to write about your movement.)
Prabhupāda: Hmm. Age likhun tarpore . . . (Okay, first write then . . .)
Interviewer: Likhchi to. Lekhar jonnei to eshechi. (I am already writing. That is what I have come for.)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is a total of books printed, at our press.
Prabhupāda: Hmm. Kirom sundar mandir shajiyeche. Ekhaneo amader thakur ke je bhabe shajano hoy na, e chottore nei. (How beautifully they have decorated the temple. Even in this temple, the kind of decoration that we put up for our Deities is unmatched in the entire neighborhood.)
Brahmānanda: They came to India and took photographs of the Indian temples here and studied very carefully. The Berkeley temple is known as New Jagannātha Purī.
Interviewer: New Jagannātha Purī. Ācchā.
Brahmānanda: Yes. It was the scene of our first . . .
Prabhupāda: Ratha-yātrā.
Brahmānanda: . . . Ratha-yātrā festival.
Prabhupāda: Government theke holiday. (It is declared as a public holiday by the Government.)
Interviewer: Ācchā. Kaun sa temple? (Okay. Which temple is it?)
Brahmānanda: In Berkeley.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Near San Francisco.
Brahmānanda: New Jagannātha Purī.
Prabhupāda: Prothom Rath-yatray report diyechilo apnaderi ek jon . . . (indistinct) . . . Sarkar. Keu thake ki okhane? (In the first Rathyatra, the report was given by one of your men . . . (indistinct) . . . Sarkar. Is there someone by this name?)
Interviewer: Ha ache. (Yes there is one.) (indistinct)
Interviewer: New Jagannātha Temple.
Brahmānanda: Purī.
Interviewer: New Jagannātha Purī. Ācchā.
Rādhā-vallabha: Yes.
Brahmānanda: Just like there is New England, New York . . .
Interviewer: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Brahmānanda: . . . New Amsterdam. So Prabhupāda has named "New Jagannātha Purī." Berkeley is of . . . the scene of the Berkeley University, where every year the students there become very unruly and they make some riots and so on. But when we have our Ratha-yātrā parade, we go right where these students are, and there's never any fighting or rioting, and the police have given a certificate that, "Your Society . . . we commend your Society because when you have your demonstration at Ratha-yātrā it is very peaceful and it gives us no trouble."
Prabhupāda: And not only that, last year—not last year, but year before last—when I was coming, riding in the car, all the students surrounded me, and—you remember that?—"Thank you, Prabhupāda. Thank you, Prabhupāda." They are not my students, they're outsiders, but still they have received it, and they said this word: "Thank you, Prabhupāda." They're getting a life, new life.
Interviewer: Yeah. Actually, this movement is a movement of the youth.
Brahmānanda: That is our great confidence in the future of this movement—it's the young people that're taking it up; so therefore we're progressing the movement.
Interviewer: How the young, the younger generation in the other countries, they're taking . . .
Prabhupāda: Everywhere.
Interviewer: European countries?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Maybe I should give them . . . these . . . this is the total number of books we have printed in various different languages, and they'll give you an indication of how our movement is being accepted around the world: In the English-speaking countries we've published a total of forty-three and a half million books. Forty-three and a half million. In Spanish-speaking countries—this is in copies of books—Spanish, three million; in German, two and a quarter million copies of books. In Japanese the same number, two and one quarter million; in French, one and three quarter million copies.
Interviewer: Three quarter million.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One and three quarter million.
Interviewer: One and . . .
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One point seven million. In Portuguese, one million copies—that means Brazil and Portugal. Dutch . . .
Interviewer: Dutch.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . six lakhs copies; Italian, five lakhs copies; then Chinese, fifty-five thousand copies; Korean, twenty thousand copies; Yugoslavian, twenty thousand copies; Polish, ten thousand copies; Hungarian, ten thousand copies; Czechoslovakian, ten thousand copies; Russian, five thousand copies. Total, fifty-five million copies of books.
Interviewer: Total.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Fifty-five million.
Brahmānanda: The Russian books . . . we are of course not able to distribute in Russia, because they don't allow religion; the way our men distributed, that they are trained to travel between Finland and Russia. So the men get on the trains—because the trains go up to the border, coming from the border of Russia—they sell them to the Russian people . . .
Interviewer: I see.
Brahmānanda: . . . but not inside Russia. In this way the people bring the books back with them. In this way we're getting books into Russia.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So these books, the books that we have printed, are Bhagavad-gītā—the numbers I have given you are for Bhagavad-gītā—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam . . . you can say Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, because our Bhagavad-gītās special name, "As It Is."
Interviewer: "As it is."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and many other books.
Prabhupāda: Just see how our books are reprinted, and here is one list.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Just see how it's increasing in every year, in many languages. The Bhagavad-gītā—this is worthy of note—that this year we are printing Bhagavad-gītā: one million five hundred thousand copies in English.
Prabhupāda: See how much we printed.
Brahmānanda: We're printing history.
Prabhupāda: It has nothing to do what I printed in India.
Brahmānanda: This is the first book Prabhupāda printed, before coming to America. He came with this book, printed in India.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Course, we have printed many lakhs copies of books in India also—I did not give you totals—but we are printing in many Indian languages: Hindi, Bengali, Telegu, Gujarati, Marathi . . . one other I didn't tell you is Swahili . . .
Interviewer: Swahili, yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . one hundred thousand copies—one lakh.
Prabhupāda: Any new book we print, not less than twenty lakhs. Then increases it to fifty lakhs.
Interviewer: In India, who publishes these books?
Prabhupāda: India, now we are publishing Usha Printing.
Interviewer: So you're just giving to the States.
Prabhupāda: No. That is a small press in Delhi. (indistinct background discussion as guests look at books) Now we are changing the format—more attractive. You have got Bhāgavatam?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. (background discussion about new covers)
Rādhā-vallabha: This is Perfection of Yoga, which is taken from Bhagavad-gītā, essays on Bhagavad-gītā.
Prabhupāda: We are the first, number-one publisher of these books in religious subject in the world.
Rādhā-vallabha: They're all of Krsna culture.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: These are three new covers . . . this is a . . . (break) People treat these books as holy scriptures. They don't take these books as ordinary. They keep them in special places on their bookshelves. And many people have become full-time Vaiṣṇavas simply from purchasing these books. They have become so much impressed with the philosophy that they have dedicated their life to Lord Caitanya after reading these books.
Rādhā-vallabha: In the English language alone Śrīla Prabhupāda has printed sufficient books that one out of every five people in the United States can have a copy.
Interviewer: Ei chobi guli kothay pechen? (Where did you get these pictures from?)
Prabhupāda: Ei je amader chelera shob. (Our devotees have drawn them.)
Interviewer: O deri aka. Anya boi theke? (So it's drawn by them. From some other book?)
Prabhupāda: Na ami bole diyechi. (No, I gave them the instructions.)
Rādhā-vallabha: Our recent order for Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, we had to order the paper to print it, so it required seventy-six cars on the train to carry it to the printer.
Tamala Kṛṣṇa: I think that's worthy of mentioning in the newspaper.
Rādhā-vallabha: Seventy-six ox carts.
Brahmānanda: Wagons. Seventy-six wagons, full of paper.
Prabhupāda: For printing one book.
Interviewer: Fantastic! I don't think these people know about the world so much, for the publications. They know about the . . . (indistinct) . . . in the West, Prabhupāda's books.
Rādhā-vallabha: The paper company, which is one of the largest in the world, sent us one letter—it will be here in a week—stating that this is the largest paper order ever made for one book in history.
Tamala Kṛṣṇa: Phew!
Rādhā-vallabha: Any book.
Interviewer: This is in the States?
Rādhā-vallabha: United States. And the printer for that particular book said he has never heard of one single order for a hardbound book being that large.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One million, five hundred thousand copies.
Interviewer: One million, five hundred thousand.
Tamala Kṛṣṇa: Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.
Brahmānanda: Now we are starting to reprint the books here in India and exporting. This Bhagavad-gītā is published here, printed here in India, and it's being exported to UK, Australia and other countries. This is printed in Bombay.
Interviewer: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bombay is the center of our publication of books.
Interviewer: This is Thomson Press?
Brahmānanda: No. Usha.
Prabhupāda: Thomson's is in Delhi.
Interviewer: Faridabad.
Brahmānanda: Now Usha Press is going to establish a special press—they're going to import a special printing press machine—and it's going to be established somewhere in Gujarat, where the government has given one area only for export industries; and therefore they will be getting certain tax benefits. So everything that they print there must be exported—they cannot use it in the country. So this is specifically for our printing needs.
Prabhupāda: We get paper from government and publish.
Interviewer: Oh, from the government of India.
Interviewer (2): Then why they're encouraging on one hand and they're discouraging the other hand to do something
Prabhupāda: They have got different department, encouraging and discouraging . . .
(others all laugh) You know better than me.
Interviewer: Uh?
Prabhupāda: You know better than me. Discouraging department; encouraging. And we are concerned with both departments.
Interviewer (2): Such a . . . (indistinct) . . . department.
Interviewer: How can I get some of your books? We take and write a special article on the books.
Prabhupāda: So, whose book you want?
Interviewer (2): Some specific representative book on which I can write. If you give me some publications.
Prabhupāda: Bhāgavatam.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Maybe one copy of Bhāgavatam, one copy of Caitanya-caritāmṛta . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes. We have got so many. You can give one of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One set of Bhāgavatam . . .
Prabhupāda: First part.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . (indistinct)
Devotee: Then you can . . .
Prabhupāda: You can take that copy, that Bhāgavatam there. That Bhāgavatam? Yes?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That one?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Interviewer: (indistinct) . . . completed . . . (indistinct)
Brahmānanda: This is a special edition which they printed for you, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: (indistinct) . . . same thing.
Rādhā-vallabha: It's the gold copy, special gold copy for you.
Prabhupāda: Hmm. Give him gold. (others laugh) If you want to give, give gold. So you can take it.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer: . . . (indistinct)
(indistinct background comments as they find Caitanya-caritāmṛta)
Interviewer: Complete in seventeen volumes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. You can see.
Interviewer: So we need the Caitanya-caritāmṛta volumes, complete translation.
Prabhupāda: Apnar puro naam ki? (What is your full name?)
Interviewer: Shyama Prasad Sarkar.
Rādhā-vallabha: The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will be completed in sixty. Sixty.
(indistinct background comments)
Brahmānanda: Prabhupāda begins writing between one and two o'clock in the morning. He rises at one o'clock in the morning and begins his writing in the early morning hours.
Rādhā-vallabha: He has to fit this in, while managing an international Society.
Brahmānanda: He dictates tape on this Dictaphone here. He dictates tapes. Then these tapes are sent to America.
Rādhā-vallabha: And it shows where it is . . .
Brahmānanda: Yes.
Prabhupāda: What is the date?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Today's the twenty-sixth; 26/2/77.
Prabhupāda: Porben bhalo kore. Likhun, na likhun, porben. (Please read these books thoroughly. Whether you write any article or not, make sure to read it.)
Interviewer: . . . (indistinct)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think that you'll also be able to keep one of these copies, because this will give you a lot of detailed information.
Interviewer: Accha bideshe mandirer chobi gulo? Koto Indian sculpture ache. Ei dekhun. (Okay, where are the pictures of temples in the Western countries? So much Indian sculptural work is there. Just see.)
Interviewer: Indian sculptural beauty, in Berkeley and other places. Typical Indian.
Brahmānanda: This . . .
Prabhupāda: There is similar temple in Australia? Melbourne?
Interviewer: Yeah.
Rādhā-vallabha: Same . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer: . . . (indistinct)
Brahmānanda: That sculpture is outside the temple, it weighs over one ton, made of stone.
Interviewer: Huh. But where is it?
Brahmānanda: In Berkeley.
Rādhā-vallabha: It was made on location.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Siṁha-dvāra.
Interviewer: Siṁha-dvāra. Siṁha-dvāra.
Rādhā-vallabha: When they held the grand opening of the temple . . .
Prabhupāda: You can bring our New York Deity?
Rādhā-vallabha: When they held the grand opening of the Berkeley temple all the television stations came. In the news it showed the kīrtana and the Deity. (pause) Have you been to . . . (indistinct) . . .?
Brahmānanda: Never. (indistinct background comments)
Prabhupāda: This is our New York Deity.
Interviewer: That's the New York Deity.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Rādhā-Govinda.
Interviewer: Ah, Rādhā-Govinda.
Prabhupāda: This is Los Angeles Deity.
Interviewer (2): Los Angeles.
Rādhā-vallabha: Rukmiṇī-Dwarkadīśa.
Interviewer: But who has done all these Deities?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda. (devotees chuckle) We have taken instruction from him in this way.
Interviewer: These photographs?
Brahmānanda: The photographs are taken by our own men.
Interviewer: Ah. From . . . from Indian temples?
Prabhupāda: No. That . . . this our New York temple Deity.
Interviewer (2): Ācchā.
Interviewer: But how you got this Deity?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Interviewer (2): Yes.
Brahmānanda: From India.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: From Jaipur.
Brahmānanda: Jaipur, but all the śṛṅgara decorations, they're all made in America . . .
Interviewer: Oh, I see.
Rādhā-vallabha: Everything's made in America.
Brahmānanda: . . . by the American devotees.
Interviewer: Ācchā. Beautiful. (pause)
Prabhupāda: Ei rokom ek sho dui ta ache. (There are 102 such temples.)
Interviewer (2): Ek sho dui ta. (One hundred and two.)
Interviewer: All over the world.
Prabhupāda: All big, big cities. London, we have got two temples.
Interviewer: London, two temples?
Brahmānanda: Many gurus and svāmīs have come to the West, but they have not established not one temple. And Prabhupāda has established one hundred.
Prabhupāda: Neither so many devotees.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The daily . . . the monthly expenditure in our New York temple is six lakhs rupees, every month . . .
Interviewer: Every month.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Just for that one temple in New York.
Interviewer: Amader mantri-tantri ra keu jaye na? New York e giye dekhe asheni eshob mandir? (Do the Indian ministers not go there? Haven't they gone to New York and visited these temples?)
Prabhupāda: Ei Tarun gechilo London e. Or stri . . . O khub . . . (indistinct). O to ei khane bole Vaikuntha. O amader khub khatir kore. (Yes, Tarun visited the temple in London. His wife . . . he is very . . . (indistinct) . . . he says that this place feels like Vaikuntha. He respects us very much.)
Interviewer: Ar onno mandir ache . . . (indistinct). (Are there other temples? . . . (indistinct) . . .)
Prabhupāda: Tarun amader jane. Ami jakhon London e chilam, takhon o stri-purush ar koyekjon apnader shanbadik, secretary. (Tarun knows us. When I was in London, he came to see me along with his family and a few of your reporters.)
Interviewer: Ami ekta e bochor apply korechi . . . (indistinct) . . . jodi hoye tahole ami jabo. (I have applied this year . . . (indistinct) . . . if it gets approved then I will visit.)
Prabhupāda: Jaben, thakben amader . . . ghare thakte iccha nei . . . (indistinct) . . . Amader baire je mandir ta diyeche na, George Harrison er naam shunechen? (Please visit our temple and stay there . . . (indistinct) . . . the temple there has been donated to us by George Harrison. Have you heard his name?)
Interviewer: Ha, George Harrison khub . . . (Yes, George Harrison is very . . .)
Prabhupāda: She panchanna lakh taka diye koreche e gulo. (He gave 55 lakhs to procure this.)
Interviewer: Harrison? London e? (In London?)
Prabhupāda: She amader khub bhakta. Ar ek jon bhakta ache, Henry Ford, tar prapautra Alfred Ford. She amader onek taka diyeche, e dik o dik. Ambarisa, amar shishya. Naam kore diyechi Ambarisha. (He is very devoted to us. There is one more devotee, the great grandson of Henry Ford, Alfred Ford. He has donated huge sums of money to us, some here, some there. Ambarisha, my disciple. I have changed his name to Ambarisha.)
Interviewer: Ambarīṣa.
Prabhupāda: Ambarīṣa.
Prabhupāda: Ambarīṣa. Ambarish Maharaj chilo. (There was one Ambarish Maharaja.)
Interviewer: Ha Ambarish Maharaj chilo. (Yes, Ambarish Maharaja was there.)
Prabhupāda: Boro loker chele. Khali mod kheto ar badmaishi korto. Ekhon she bhakta hoye geche. She amar ja taka chara . . . (Rich man's son. Simply drinking liquor and creating trouble. Now he has become a devotee. Apart from my money . . .)
Interviewer: Where is that?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In Berkeley; Berkeley, California; just next to San Francisco.
Interviewer: Ei je . . . (indistinct) . . . ei je teen sho sholo jon ke niye elen Europe theke, (So . . . (indistinct) . . . you brought 316 devotees from Europe,) how was the response of the government of India? When you gave the proposal . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Ei recently. (Recently, I brought them.)
Interviewer: Ha, ha. Proposal ta? Government bhalo react korechilo? (Yes, yes. But what about the proposal? Did the government react favorably?)
Prabhupāda: Ta jani na. Esheche to. (That I don't know. What matters is that they have all arrived.)
Interviewer: Eshe geche. Eta ki proti bochor i apnar ashe? (Yes, they have arrived somehow. Do they come like this every year?)
Prabhupāda: Ha. (Yes.)
Interviewer: Eta ki doler jonne? (Is this for Holi?)
Prabhupāda: Ei Dole. (For Holi.)
Interviewer: Devotees are came only from States or from other places?
Prabhupāda: No, no. Various places . . .
Interviewer (2): Various places.
Prabhupāda: Europe, Africa . . . more from America.
Interviewer: Acha, ei naam gulo je transformation hoyeche. (Okay, so their names are transformed.) You have given the Indian names, Vaisnava names. Eto apnar to hajar hajar devotee ache. (But you have thousands of disciples.) How you give every individual an Indian name, spiritual name?
Prabhupāda: That is a mystery.
Rādhā-vallabha: Jaya.
Brahmānanda: It is a mystery.
Prabhupāda: Naam shob ache shastre. (All these names are there in the scriptures.)
Interviewer: I asked some of the women devotees who were just standing front of your car, and they are giving typical Indian names. I asked, "How you got the names?"
"My spiritual leader who has given," and so I . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Amader diksha hoye, amader original naam ta palte jaye. (When we take initiation, our original names are changed.)
Interviewer: Eta to apni to dharun ekhane boshe achen kintu ekhon to . . . (So just like you are sitting here right now but . . .)
Prabhupāda: Na. Ami kore di shob chithi-patra diye. (indistinct) . . . (No, I manage everything by letters.)
Interviewer: . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Ah, bish pochish khana ta. Marriage ta korte hoye amakei, (Around twenty, twenty five. The marriage has to be conducted by me . . .) through some ceremony.
Prabhupāda: I have got about twenty-seven books.
Interviewer: Twenty-seven books . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Different parts of . . . of the world managed by them.
Interviewer: Shobai ekhanei ache? (Are all of them here?)
Prabhupāda: Na, ekhon shob esheche. Ini Africay thaken. Ini Africar in-charge. (No, they have come here now. He stays in Africa. He is the in charge of Africa.)
Interviewer: Ini kothay thaken? (Where does he stay?) Nairobi?
Brahmānanda: East Africa.
Interviewer: East Africa.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (indistinct) . . . Brahmānanda Swami.
Interviewer: Shomosto ei je apnar . . . (So all your . . .) give his money he was speaking, totally on your books and collection from your devotees.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Ar amader bishesh kono keu nei. Ar ora diyeche, ora cash dey ni, keu bari diyeche, keu jayga diyeche. Ei je amar George Harrison. (Apart from them, we don't have any other special patrons. And they have not given cash, some donated buildings, some gave land. Just like George Harrison.)
Devotee: Just in Chinese language
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's translated Bhagavad-gītā into Chinese, and this is his wife . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: From China, and his wife.
Interviewer: Ācchā. They both are linked in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yaśomatīsūta dāsa.
Prabhupāda: So you can come forward and bring me book. Both, your wife also.
(indistinct background discussion)
Prabhupāda: After this, you take them to the prasādam pavilion.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, yes. Actually when we all take—I don't know if they could all . . . they want to show them all over, and if they take prasādam . . .
Prabhupāda: Anyway, they must take prasādam.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
(indistinct background discussion) (laughter)
Prabhupāda: . . . shob jayga te vaishnav. (. . . there are vaisnavas everywhere.)
(indistinct background discussion as interviewers ask Yaśomatīsūta questions)
Interviewer: Get closer. Where from you . . . (indistinct) . . .?
Yaśomatīsūta: Hong Kong.
Interviewer: You were adopted to this movement in Hong Kong or outside? In what year?
Yaśomatīsūta: Nineteen seventy-four.
Interviewer: Back then, what you were doing?
Yaśomatīsūta: I was working.
Interviewer: Working as?
Yaśomatīsūta: (indistinct conversation with interviewer)
Interviewer: . . . of this movement? Before you had a temple in Hong Kong?
Prabhupāda: Still we have got.
Interviewer: Still you have got. So, you were used to go to that temple . . .?
Yaśomatīsūta: Yes.
Interviewer: Is it part of city also?
Yaśomatīsūta: Ah, yes.
Interviewer: Kowloon.
Yaśomatīsūta: Kowloon.
Interviewer: Ah.
Yaśomatīsūta: Kowloon is a, is a part of Hong Kong.
Interviewer: Is another place?
Yaśomatīsūta: Kowloon is a . . .
Interviewer: Kowloon.
Yaśomatīsūta: . . . is a, is a district. Hong Kong's the whole place.
Interviewer (2): Kowloon.
Yaśomatīsūta: Yeah.
Interviewer: You've been there since 1975, Kowloon? . . . (indistinct)
Yaśomatīsūta: Devotees have been in Hong Kong since 1974.
Interviewer: Then you get teachings and all that. How you, you make a totally transformed in the Vaiṣṇava philosophy? In '74?
Yaśomatīsūta: Yes.
Interviewer: Why you came then?
Yaśomatīsūta: (indistinct) . . . I very much . . . (indistinct) . . . and I was convinced totally of the philosophy.
Interviewer (2): When did you meet him? . . . (indistinct)
Yaśomatīsūta: After.
Prabhupāda: Jara amar shishya hoy tara boi porei hoy. (Anyone who becomes my disciple, agrees to surrender only after reading my books.)
Interviewer (2): Boi porei hoy. (Only by reading books.)
Interviewer: You're mainly attracted on the conception of these books, right?
Yaśomatīsūta: Yes, and after then . . .
Interviewer: And why . . .?
Yaśomatīsūta: (indistinct) . . . devotees, and dedication and devotion to His Divine Grace.
Interviewer: They have some, some kind of contact with social working also?
Yaśomatīsūta: They used to.
Interviewer: So what are the previous names?
Yaśomatīsūta: My name, my parental name is Yeung. Y-e-u-n-g—that's how you spell it.
Interviewer: What is it again?
Yaśomatīsūta: Y-e-u-n-g.
Interviewer: Y-e-u-n-g.
Yaśomatīsūta: Yes.
Interviewer: Yeung.
Yaśomatīsūta: Yes.
Interviewer: I think this is not a full name.
Yaśomatīsūta: It's the surname.
Interviewer: Huh.
Yaśomatīsūta: And then my family name is Pak Hei, P-a-k H-e-i.
Interviewer: P-a-k . . . this is your full name, huh?
Yaśomatīsūta: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Pak Hei Yeung.
Interviewer: You transformed into? Your present name now?
Yaśomatīsūta: Yaśomatīsūta dāsa.
Interviewer: You are Yaśomati?
Prabhupāda: Yaśomatīsūta. Yaśomatīsūta mane Kṛṣṇa. (Yaśomatīsūta means Kṛṣṇa.)
Interviewer: Ah, Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Sūta mane chele. (Sūta means son.)
Interviewer (2): Ah. Darun naam diyechen. (That's a wonderful name.) And your wife?
Yaśomatīsūta: Ah, Mai Shen Wa. She's from Taiwan.
Interviewer: From Taiwan. You married before conversion or after conversion?
Yaśomatīsūta: After.
Interviewer: After. What is her name—previously, or present name?
Yaśomatīsūta: Mai Shen Wa. Ah, M-a-i S-h-e-n. Family name. S-h-e-n. Wa. (interviewer repeats spelling)
Interviewer: Present name.
Yaśomatīsūta: Nityalila dāsī.
Interviewer: What?
Yaśomatīsūta: Nityalīlā. (spells name for interviewer)
Interviewer: Nityalīlā dāsī. You believe in this Vaiṣṇava preaching?
Nityalīlā: Yes.
Interviewer: Can you sing prayers or aratrika?
Yaśomatīsūta: Yes.
Interviewer: You can speak in Sanskrit or Bengali or . . . (indistinct) . . .?
Yaśomatīsūta: Oh, no.
Prabhupāda: Huh? Ah.
Interviewer: Only Chinese.
Prabhupāda: That is . . . English.
Yaśomatīsūta: Also English.
Interviewer: English? Do you believe that, ah, this philosophy will still be here several thousand years in this world?
Nityalīlā: . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer: Kṛṣṇa is already . . . (indistinct) . . . you get special, ah, response from your heart after this hear about them? You get mental peace, other peace?
Nityalīlā: Surely . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer: . . . (indistinct)
Nityalīlā: . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer: Do you believe in its eternity?
Nityalīlā: Pardon?
Interviewer: Do you believe in its eternity, that this is eternal? This will go on for years?
Nityalīlā: . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: It is eternal.
Yaśomatīsūta: Eternity.
Interviewer: You believe so?
Nityalīlā: . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer: So now you have your own copies full of this devotional work.
Nityalīlā: . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer: But your translations will reach the Chinese people?
Yaśomatīsūta: Those you mentioned.
Nityalīlā: (giggles)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, because they come over to the Hong Kong side, and we have distributed so many thousands of these literatures; so some of them have taken and gone back.
Nityalīlā: China.
Interviewer: You get them on this boat festival, or you stay here?
Yaśomatīsūta: Ah . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer: In the festival. After the festival you go back to Hong Kong.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He has job there also.
Interviewer: He?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's working now also.
Interviewer: In, in that . . .
Yaśomatīsūta: Hong Kong.
Interviewer: Very good; very intelligent.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He has to translate all these books into Chinese now. Lifelong work.
Yaśomatīsūta: (indistinct) . . . (laughter)
Interviewer: How is the standard of the translations?
Nityalīlā: . . . (indistinct)
Yaśomatīsūta: This one, ah . . . (indistinct)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What did he say?
Yaśomatīsūta: Well, he said he's going to write a comment . . . (indistinct)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One Chinese professor from Harvard reviewed his translation work and was willing to give a review for it. He appreciated so much he's willing to write a complete review on the book.
Interviewer: Is this in South China . . . (indistinct) . . .?
Yaśomatīsūta: . . . (indistinct)
Brahmānanda: In Harvard University . . .
Yaśomatīsūta: Harvard.
Brahmānanda: . . . in America.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Harvard.
Interviewer: Harvard. . . . (indistinct) . . .?
Brahmānanda: He just spent, uh, six months in New York, in our New York center during translation. (pause)
Interviewer: (indistinct discussion between interviewers and devotees)
Interviewer: Special fare, or something like that is going? Unfortunately I'm sure that you're not a on special fare.
Yaśomatīsūta: Thank you.
Interviewer: How is the reaction of the other Chinese people . . . (indistinct) . . .?
Yaśomatīsūta: Well, their recep . . . their reaction is, ah, rather slow. . . . (indistinct) . . . we have so many books in so many languages that . . . (indistinct)
Interviewer: So slow but steady.
Yaśomatīsūta: Yes.
Brahmānanda: Just like Prabhupāda came to America alone.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Forty rupees only.
Interviewer: Forty rupees only?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Interviewer: This is really an adventure, just think of, that a man, at the age of seventy, with such difficulty.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hmm. Most daring.
Interviewer: Most daring.
Prabhupāda: Many friends doubted, that "This man is going to die."
Interviewer: Going to die.
Brahmānanda: Before Prabhupāda left . . .
Interviewer: Ah.
Brahmānanda: . . . and people were saying that "You will go there, you will die."
Prabhupāda: They discouraged, that "Don't go at this age . . ."
Interviewer: Ācchā.
Prabhupāda: ". . . leaving Vṛndāvana." The bābājīs said.
Interviewer: (laughs) And what is the reaction of your coming back as successful preacher?
Prabhupāda: Appreciate.
Interviewer: They appreciate.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The main road of Vṛndāvana, Chattikara Road, they have renamed it, ah, "Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Road." In Vṛndāvana.
Interviewer: They have transformed the name.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Brahmānanda: And we will build two gates, Bhaktivedanta Gates, on eith . . . on both, either entrance to Vṛndāvana.
Interviewer: Huh?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: City, ah, Municipal . . . the Municipality has decided the main resolution for this—changing the name of the main road and putting two main gates on the entrance of the city.
Brahmānanda: Some people in the Municipality wanted to make it "Indira Gandhi Road" . . .
Interviewer: Ah.
Brahmānanda: . . . but they decided to make it "Bhaktivedanta Swami Road."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The things they questioned, "Who has done the most to spread the fame of Vṛndāvana worldwide?" And they had to certainly agree that Śrīla Prabhupāda had done it.
Interviewer: I think that is only . . . (indistinct) . . . (laughter)
Prabhupāda: No, I don't mind that personally only that I did not say that they do not allow these boys to stay . . .
Interviewer: In Vṛndāvana.
Prabhupāda: No . . .
Prabhupāda & Brahmānanda: . . . in India.
Prabhupāda: The Immigration Department . . .
Interviewer: Why? What is that?
Prabhupāda: That is their policy; special program is there. And the result is that I have to send back, and again they come back, at ten thousand rupees. Such fifty cases, at least, happening every year. So just imagine, at least fifty cases, ten thousand . . . (indistinct) . . . head—what is the loss.
Brahmānanda: Big money.
Prabhupāda: Unnecessary. Eitar bishoye apnara kichu korun. (Please do something about this.)
Interviewer: External Affairs Ministry ke jigesh korte hobe. (The External Affairs Ministry has to be requested for this.)
Prabhupāda: Ta apnader lekha-lekhi koren . . . (indistinct) . . . je ingrej ra eshechilo . . . (indistinct) . . . era . . . (indistinct) . . . era politician . . . (So you all can write about it . . . (indistinct) . . . the British came to India . . . (indistinct) . . . these devotees are no different . . . (indistinct) . . . but they are not interested in politics.)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So Śrīla Prabhupāda, we should give them a tour now . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . of . . . and of everything ending with the prasādam pavilion with prasādam. All the devotees will be taking prasādam, so they may get some good photographs.
Prabhupāda: Ah, Apnara prasada, shomoy ache, ektu kore nin. (There is some time so please take prasadam.)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All is . . . we have at least five hundred international devotees assembled, and they all take prasādam. Make a good photograph . . .
Interviewer: Oh, yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And there's plenty of light inside.
Interviewer: Acha doler din special kichu korchen ebare? (So is there any special program on the day of Holi?)
Prabhupāda: Ekhane theater hobe. Apnara ashun. (A drama will be enacted here. All of you can attend.)
Interviewer: Oder ke likhbo apnara doler jonno special kichu preparation korchen. (Okay, I will write to them that you are making some special arrangements for Holi.)
Prabhupāda: Hah. What play we shall . . .?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We're performing Rāma-līla, Caitanya-līla, and some Kṛṣṇa-līla. Oh, yes, and also some special plays of, ah . . . (aside) What is the playwright? That playwright, Ghosh, the Bengali playwright?
Prabhupāda: Oh, Girish Chandra . . . Caitanya-līla . . .
Interviewer: We will call later?
(interviewers discuss whether or not to remain for dramas)
Prabhupāda: Eshob amar boi e ache. Ar ei Girish Ghosh er khali eta Caitanya-līla. Boi khana bhalo kore porlei amader shomosto jinish ta bujhte parben. (All these things are there in my books. Only this Caitanya-lila of Girish Ghosh . . . if you read the books thoroughly then you will be able to understand our philosophy completely.)
Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (offer obeisances)
Yaśomatīsūta: There's a tape on.
Prabhupāda: Then stop it. (break) (end)
- 1977 - Conversations
- 1977 - Lectures and Conversations
- 1977 - Lectures, Conversations and Letters
- 1977-02 - Lectures, Conversations and Letters
- Conversations - India
- Conversations - India, Mayapur
- Conversations with Media
- Lectures, Conversations and Letters - India
- Lectures, Conversations and Letters - India, Mayapur
- Conversations and Lectures with Bengali Snippets
- Conversations and Lectures with Hindi Snippets
- Conversations and Lectures with both Bengali and Hindi Snippets
- Audio Files 45.01 to 60.00 Minutes
- 1977 - New Audio - Released in July 2012