770525 - Conversation B - Vrndavana

Conversations by Date, 1977

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

770525R2-VRNDAVAN - May 25, 1977 - 29:09 Minutes

Bhavānanda: . . . never leave the boundaries of our land and never go down the road to his place, but I . . .

Prabhupāda: No, they admit. He is Mādhava Mahārāja's man.

Bhavānanda: Fifteen, twenty men maybe, at the most. And when you go by there, it's like ghost town. (Prabhupāda chuckles) Now no action. You don't see anyone. You don't hear any sound. Therefore all the people, they walk right by and come right in our gate, where the tak-taki is going, the boys are . . .

Prabhupāda: Here also, Mādhava Mahārāja temple, nobody goes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is this his temple here, in Vṛndāvana?

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is always closed. They are cooking.

Bhavānanda: And the photo exhibit is very popular. Everyone goes.

Prabhupāda: To see.

Bhavānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: There is . . . within, there is fan?

Bhavānanda: No fans, but it's cool. It's very cool.

Prabhupāda: It is down.

Bhavānanda: Yes. And shaded.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That was a good idea, not to fill in that basement area. It was a good idea to utilize that bottom plinth. (pause) Ātreya Ṛṣi has come. He'll come in the afternoon for the kīrtana and Bhāgavatam.

Bhavānanda: People are always saying: "Work is worship." Actually they're almost right. Work for Kṛṣṇa is worship. I know that's why they're attracted to Māyāpur temple. Because there's so much work going on, people are attracted: "Why these people are so happy while they're working?" Especially the gurukula boys, sweeping the road hard as anything, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa while they're sweeping.

Prabhupāda: What about my house?

Bhavānanda: That money has just been received, and the plans have arrived from Delhi, but we are wanting an architect in Calcutta, competent architect to . . . because we don't want to have anything go wrong in the middle. Ram Nrisinghatar was saying that Mistri is interested in doing Prabhupāda's house. The house and gorgeous garden we have, with fountains and terraces and walkways, all around the . . . (indistinct) . . . and behind the house, on either side, all enclosed and private.

Prabhupāda: Not yet begun?

Jayapatākā: They say there's no . . . because we've just received the plan now from Saurabh, five days ago. So the architect said there's no difficulty. It's not a big building. We can begin right through the rainy season. We can work through the rainy season. There's no difficulty for that. If it was a big building, then in the rainy season we could not build.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How long it will take?

Bhavānanda: Six months.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: By October, November.

Jayapatākā: (indistinct aside with Bhavānanda)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda, I think you are tied to this planet by the love of your devotees.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Jayapatākā: He loves his devotees even more than his devotees love him.

Prabhupāda: All right. Then you shall begin. Jaya. (break) Daily or alternately, (makes bleating sound) "Myaaaḥ, myaaḥ." And there is religious process that the head should be eastern side and the throat should be cut up. And when the animal dies, bifurcate, cleanse it and the skin and everything . . . and they have got cāpāṭi. Government subsidizes. So they cook at home the meat, and in market they purchase a cāpāṭi according to the family—one big cāpāṭi, two cāpāṭi. That's all. Our men who has eaten that cāpāṭi, they say it is very nice, very soft and digesting. Huge deserted country, but some stock, some spots, water. There are trees. They raise the cattle there. Eighty percent of the land, all desert. Or ninety percent. No, eighty. Say seventy-five. And because they have got now money, they are having big, big buildings, foreign cars, roads in the air, developing. And they're importing at any cost. From Bombay the best mango they are importing at any cost.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Five hundred rupees per dozen.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They are paying five hundred rupees, a dozen mangoes.

Prabhupāda: They don't mind. "We must have mangoes." Money is very insignificant thing. Gold is the . . . and as soon as there is enough money, there is debauch, debauchery. Still there are Oriental moral principles. Girls who have become modernized . . . otherwise they do not mix with any man. Their husband, that's all. And covered body. They are very beautiful. And those who have become modernized, they are just like European girls. There is no difficulty to become modernized. They have got money. And they tour from one country to another extensively. Formerly for Muhammadans, drinking was the greatest sin. Now it has become . . . drinking is strictly prohibited amongst the Muhammadans, according to their religious system. And sex? Before Muhammadan religion was introduced, they used to have sex even with mother. And women could be purchased as slaves. Marketplace, women were standing for being sold. They would like to be sold. Just like animals. The animals, if somebody purchases it to keep the animal fed, it is a great fortune for the animals. Just like the dogs here. When they have got a good master, they are fortunate. So it is the fact. If there is civilization, that is this Aryan civilization in India, Vedic civilization. Otherwise, throughout the whole world . . . these people were within Aryan civilization. Aryan, Iranian, their names are given. Up to Iran, their field. Europeans also, Indo-European. Gradually they declined. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is to make them civilized. Paścimera loka saba mūḍha anācāra (CC Adi 10.89). They are all fools and misbehaved. Teach them this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They'll be happy. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That is our next step, how to make one civilization, Kṛṣṇa conscious. (break) It is very palatable. Not this ordinary medicine—some of them very bitter, some pungent. It is always palatable. So kindly administer this medicine. It doesn't matter whether I survive or die. It doesn't matter. Both ways it is beneficial. (pause) Who else?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Who else? Balavanta, Ādi-keśa Mahārāja. They've come. They'll be on the next shift after this. And others are coming tomorrow, the day after also.

Prabhupāda: So what is your report?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: We have finished three booklets. They'll be ready in about two months. So we're getting ready to start the program. It is going very nicely.

Prabhupāda: It is being printed in Los Angeles?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, one is printed in Los Angeles. And two will be ready in about a month. So I want to produce four. The other day we went to MIT to see some scientists, and I was very encouraged by the community, Indian community.

Prabhupāda: They like?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, yes. They are very hopeful that this is the only thing that we can give to the world. Personally I talked with the man who synthesized this DN molecule, the DNA part. We were invited to MIT for honors there, and they showed us the whole lab. And the fifth floor, the whole floor, belonged to this professor. So I was taken in all the secret rooms, saw what they are doing, and I was just acting as a scientist, so they told me all the secrets that they were doing. So I was very satisfied that they . . .

Prabhupāda: They received well.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. Well and . . . it was actually the Indian who arranged this group, from the Federal Government, United States.

Prabhupāda: You gave him good reception?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, good reception.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So what is your news?

Harikeśa: Everything's going on, Prabhupāda. The Russian book is now a textbook.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Harikeśa: The Russian booklet, the Russian Easy Journey, is now being used as a textbook in the Catholic university in Lublin by one professor. They liked the Russian so much, and they liked the subject matter so much, they're using it in the school. (Prabhupāda chuckles)

Prabhupāda: And your Kṛṣṇa is . . . present now scientifically. They'll not receive?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, well, this is . . . this should be ready, and this will be ready this month, this third one, so . . .

Prabhupāda: So . . .

Svarūpa Dāmodara: (showing books) This one is to prove from mathematics that life cannot come from matter. This one is The Laws of Consciousness and the Laws of Nature, to prove by quantum mechanics that there must be Supersoul, Paramātmā. There must be Kṛṣṇa to direct all the source of knowledge. And there is no way that life can come from matter. This was the basic difference between spirit and matter. From Bhagavad-gītā we use kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānam, from Bhagavad-gītā, Chapter 13.3, "To understand the distinction between matter, physical body, and life, the spirit, or the knower of the field, is called knowledge." And we expounded this. We give the nice examples. We make their chemical theory of life as the "molecular fairy tale." So that makes quite nicely adjusted to their theory.

Prabhupāda: Ātreya Ṛṣi can go for some time, Bangladesh. They . . . he went there. Both Hindus and Muslims, they have regard to our society. Explain.

Jayapatākā: I went to Bangladesh, and even the Muhammadans, hearing the philosophy we were preaching, they thought it was so appropriate for the time that they've sponsored a program. First they approached some of the Hindus to sponsor a program, the Muhammadans, saying that it is much more in line with their own preaching and what they felt was more needed for the world. And generally over there the young people, both Hindu and even some Muhammadan, they are very receptive to our philosophy as presented by Śrīla Prabhupāda. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that sometime you can visit there.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Jaya. In Tehran the royalty, the court, is very interested in your teachings and philosophy. There is a prince and princess, very high and very rich, and they are regularly hearing, and they are now recently visiting our Bombay temple. They have come to Bombay, and they are really seeking for a teacher. And there is many intelligent people who are very interested. We are actively preaching and giving them Śrīla Prabhupāda's books.

Prabhupāda: It is plain fact. God is one. Why God should be Muhammadan, Christian, Hindu? That is not God. God is God. Gold is gold. This example I give always. Because a piece of gold is coming from some Muhammadan gentleman, does it mean it is Muhammadan gold? It is gold. It may come from any source, but one must know that it is gold, not imitation. That is wanted. If it is imitation, then it is Muhammadan gold, Hindu gold. And if it is real gold, it is neither Muhammadan nor Hindu. (end)