771009 - Conversation - Vrndavana

Conversations by Date, 1977

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

771009R1-VRNDAVAN - October 09, 1977 - 88:12 Minutes

Kīrtanānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda . . . (long pause)

Prabhupāda: Who is he?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Hmm. So, what you want? Eh?

Kīrtanānanda: (crying) If Kṛṣṇa gives you the choice, don't go. We need you.

Prabhupāda: That is your trouble now, distress.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Prabhupāda.

Brahmānanda: We have all met together, Śrīla Prabhupāda. We want you to remain and lead this movement and finish the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Brahmānanda: We said you must remain at least another ten years. You've only done fifty percent work.

Prabhupāda: No. There are many good . . . everyone will have. Hmm. Good to hear. Hmm. All right. (devotees laugh with relief)

Kīrtanānanda: Haribol.

Prabhupāda: So give me something to drink.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!

Kīrtanānanda: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: That is real affection.

Kīrtanānanda: Is someone getting?

Hari-śauri: Yes. Upendra's bringing something.

Brahmānanda: What does he have? Grape juice?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? You'll drink by sitting up? (devotees sit Śrīla Prabhupāda up) (aside) Fold his legs.

Hari-śauri: There's the drink, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Some grape juice.

Upendra: This is grape juice. (Prabhupāda drinks juice) (break)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You want to lay down now?

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break)

Prabhupāda: Strawberries they have brought?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda, very nice strawberries.

Prabhupāda: I'll take some strawberries.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You want strawberry juice or plain strawberries?

Prabhupāda: Plain.

Devotees: Jaya.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Regular strawberries. Just now?

Prabhupāda: Later on, little. What is the benefit of strawberry?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What is the benefit of strawberry?

Abhirāma: They're like grapes, similar.

Prabhupāda: Hmm? Hmm?

Haṁsadūta: I don't know the benefit of strawberries.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What nutritional benefit does strawberry give?

Tejiyas: Frucose, sugar.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Tejiyas says that they have sugar in them, so it gives good energy.

Prabhupāda: Where is Tejiyas?

Hari-śauri: Right here, at the bed, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: You are coming from Hyderabad?

Tejiyas: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: What is the news?

Tejiyas: We're harvesting the mung and the rice.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Harvesting the mung and rice.

Tejiyas: They've got some new cows also. One cow is giving twenty liters of milk.

Prabhupāda: So rice and mung.

Tejiyas: Also corn, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Corn.

Prabhupāda: From corn you can make two things: roṭī and bhāta.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hmm. From corn you can make two things: roṭī, cāpāṭis, and bhāta, or like rice.

Prabhupāda: The villagers will like it very much. You smash it by that ḍheṅki. You know that machine?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The ladies jump on it.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So as much as it is powdered, make it roṭī, and the hard portion make rice. The kṛṣāṇas will like, and it is very nutritious.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you gave your word to Kṛṣṇa in Bombay that you would see Him sitting in His new big temple. So you have yet to keep your word fully to Him.

Brahmānanda: We have fixed a date for the opening of the Bombay temple—January 1st.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Brahmānanda: So we would like to invite you to come, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It is your temple. You have asked Kṛṣṇa to come there, and when we all gave up, you carried on the fight.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everything I do is fighting. Out of . . . (indistinct) . . . fighting, survival, and construct such a big temple is a great triumph.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I don't think Kṛṣṇa will come into that temple unless you personally are there, Śrīla Prabhupāda, to open the door for Him.

Prabhupāda: All right. But chanting should not be stopped.

Brahmānanda: Oh, no, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: It should go on naturally. Kīrtanānanda's . . .

Kīrtanānanda: Yes?

Prabhupāda: . . . palace, when it will be ready?

Kīrtanānanda: Early spring. Soon as the weather starts to warm up. It just gives you a little time to recuperate here and then go to Bombay and open the temple there and then come to your palace. I have about fifty or seventy-five letters from the devotees at New Vrindaban. They're just all begging you to come. They say their life is finished if you don't.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So let me take a little rest. Then I shall take strawberry.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Brahmānanda: Thank you very much.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: While you're resting you want soft chanting? Soft kīrtana? Haṁsadūta?

Hari-śauri: Śrīla Prabhupāda ki . . .

Devotees: Jaya! (break) (kīrtana)

Haṁsadūta: Śrīla Prabhupāda? (break)

Prabhupāda: Girirāja? Did not go to the bank?

Girirāja: The bank? Well, yesterday we delivered a letter signed by Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami and myself officially instructing them to transfer the fixed deposits from here to Delhi. So there are a couple of formalities. And so the Delhi manager gave us a note what we have to do. And Tejiyas says that the former chairman of the Punjab Bank is a Life Member.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Girirāja: So he said that he could even come with us and meet them. So the new chairman, I mean the present chairman, is coming on Tuesday. So I think we'll get all the formalities ready, and then we can go on Tuesday. Today is Sunday, so we couldn't do anything today.

Prabhupāda: So these people have agreed?

Girirāja: The local people? Well, they have not agreed. That's why we felt that we have to meet the chairman. Legally we have every right to transfer the fixed deposit wherever we like, and if the former chairman is with us, then they can't give any false excuses because he knows all the rules. Actually we're not asking for anything special. Otherwise we're . . . probably the local people will try to avoid giving it up. But this is our right, and the chairman has to uphold our right as customers of the bank.

Prabhupāda: What is their plea here?

Girirāja: Local people? Well, they will say that there's no reason to transfer the fixed deposits.

Prabhupāda: We have reason.

Girirāja: Yes, we have reason. That is our choice. And the manager in Delhi already said that for our foreign remittances it would be much easier to bring it in Delhi.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Girirāja: So I think we could have an account at the main office in Delhi and the money can come first there, and that will make them satisfied. And since we have our office in Delhi, and since Delhi is the main city, it's more convenient for us to have our . . . most things there. And then when we need it in Vṛndāvana it can be brought here. Manager of the Delhi branch asked us if we have a branch in Delhi. So when I said that we do, he said, "Then it will be more convenient for you to deal with the main branch."

Prabhupāda: So do it. Transfer.

Girirāja: Yes. (break) (kīrtana)

Prabhupāda: . . . to deliver to the banks?

Girirāja: We have the copy of that letter with their stamp that they received it.

Prabhupāda: So what is that copy? What you have written?

Girirāja: Well, we wrote two letters, because one is. the fixed deposits are in the name of ISKCON Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Temple Maintenance. So we said that "We are holding the following fixed deposits in your Vṛndāvana branch," and then we gave the list of the numbers and the amount and when it is due, and we said, "Please arrange to transfer these to your main branch in New Delhi." And then another letter for those in the name of ISKCON Vṛndāvana-Māyāpur Trust. Same contents. So then they wrote back that we should write the same letter addressed to the Vṛndāvana branch and with a copy to them, and we should give the original and the copy to them, and they will present the original to the Vṛndāvana branch and get them to transfer the money. And the second point is that they wanted us to give them the fixed deposit receipts, and they said they would give us a receipt. But we are hesitating to do that, because we are afraid if they give those receipts to the Vṛndāvana branch, then they may keep them. So we want to propose that the Vṛndāvana people should transfer the money, and they should prepare a new receipt for the Delhi branch. And when the new receipt is prepared, they can give us the new receipts and we will give them the old receipts.

Prabhupāda: Very good. (break) They should give in writing.

Girirāja: Yes. Yes. (break)

Prabhupāda: They have given you receipt, huh?

Girirāja: Well, they gave receipt for the letter, and what they propose is for the certificates that we give them the certificate, they will give us a receipt for the certificates, then they will endorse the certificates for Delhi instead of Vṛndāvana. Then they will give back the certificates and we will give them the receipt.

Prabhupāda: So let them write and give us the certificates, and we shall do this.

Girirāja: They should write that they will give us the . . .

Prabhupāda: Whatever they are asking, they can write.

Girirāja: Yes. They wrote it on the bottom portion of the letter which we wrote them. Of course, we can ask them to write again on their own letterhead. Otherwise they've already written on the copy of our letter to them, and they signed it with their rubber stamp. Anyway, there's no problem, because when we go there we can just ask them to type up the same thing on their letterhead so it's more official.

Prabhupāda: What letter they gave?

Girirāja: Well, on our letter . . . on the copy of our letter they wrote back to us that we should give them a copy of the same letter which we addressed to them, but we should address it to the Vṛndāvana branch. And then they will present that letter to the Vṛndāvana branch and ask them to transfer the money.

Prabhupāda: Well, why don't you do that?

Girirāja: Yes, we're doing that. And the second point is the Delhi office wrote that we should give them the fixed deposit receipts and they will give us a receipt for that. Then they will get those fixed deposit receipts changed over to the New Delhi office, and then they will give us back the certificates and we will give them back the receipt.

Prabhupāda: So there is no problem. Huh?

Girirāja: Well . . . the only problem is if the Vṛndāvana people try to hold on to the receipts and make, you know, difficulty. I mean, in ordinary course of business there is no difficulty. This is the ordinary procedure. So we will try to arrange that the endorsement of the certificates to New Delhi could be done in our presence instead of our giving them the certificates.

Prabhupāda: What is that endorsement?

Girirāja: That this money, instead of being payable from Vṛndāvana, now we can take that money from the New Delhi office.

Prabhupāda: The money is due after some years.

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So do we have reason, deposit them?

Girirāja: Yes. I feel that we can do this.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. Tejiyas has come.

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That's good.

Girirāja: He will come with me, and then we'll meet the former chairman, who is also a Life Member, and he can come with us and just see it through very safely.

Prabhupāda: Don't try to receive payment.

Girirāja: No, no.

Prabhupāda: Just transfer to your Delhi head office.

Girirāja: Yes. (break) (kīrtana)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Rāmeśvara Mahārāja has come.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Rāmeśvara: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: How are you?

Rāmeśvara: I'm feeling very well, knowing that you're feeling better.

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Rāmeśvara: I was just visiting in Tehran with Ātreya Ṛṣi and Parivrājakācārya Swami. They are successfully preaching to the most important people in that country.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Rāmeśvara: Actually, just yesterday Parivrājakācārya met the king.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Shah.

Rāmeśvara: The Shah. Very briefly. And he is allowing Parivrājakācārya to visit the court. Practically every day they send a car to pick him up, chauffeured car. And he goes every day to the palace, and he preaches to different members of the royal family.

Prabhupāda: He tries to understand the philosophy.

Rāmeśvara: Not yet the Shah. He is simply smiling that he's . . . he's happy that he's coming. But the other members of the family, some princes and princesses, they are taking it very seriously. They are eager to help us.

Prabhupāda: That's good news. What is this?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Tape recorder.

Prabhupāda: It is a good news.

Rāmeśvara: It is very difficult to publish any books in Iran, but the princess is personally giving our first book to the Minister of Information and ordering him to give us permission to print. It's a Muslim country, so it's very difficult. But the royal family is ordering the ministry that censors all publications. They are ordering them to let us have permission to start publishing your books in the local language, Persian, or Parsi.

Prabhupāda: So they are going to do that?

Rāmeśvara: She has already taken the book . . . she is personally going to the minister and ordering him, "Now you give permission that this book be printed." Whatever . . . it is a monarchy. Whatever they want, it is arranged. So in this way they are helping us. She also came to Los Angeles temple for a visit and saw the doll museum. She liked that very, very much. She was very, very astonished at how devotional.

Prabhupāda: (aside) Why not scratch hard?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Why not scratch with nail?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Whole area.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Whole area, the whole back.

Rāmeśvara: And she requested one painting from the Tenth Canto, which she wants to hang in the palace. And in this palace the rulers of all the countries of the world pass through as visitors. So she is hanging this painting of Kṛṣṇa stealing butter. (Prabhupāda laughs) Very big painting. So I brought the painting with me when I went to Tehran so they could display it.

Prabhupāda: Anyone can scratch very hard?

Kīrtanānanda: I'm afraid you won't have any back left.

Prabhupāda: Oh, Kīrtanānanda, you are doing. (devotees laugh)

Jayatīrtha: He was your original masseur, I think. He wants his old job back now.

Prabhupāda: Not so hard. (laughs)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Too hard.

Rāmeśvara: Actually, the princess is very eager to come to India to meet you. She's been planning to do this with her husband. Her husband is the most powerful prince in the country. He's involved with the oil exporting and buying weapons and so many matters. And they're both very eager to have your darśana.

Prabhupāda: They have got money. Now if they follow little our instruction, it will be an ideal country.

Jayatīrtha: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. You used to say "American money and Indian knowledge." But now all the money is in the Arab countries. So we have to get it from them. (break)

Rāmeśvara: We sent the second volume of Tenth Canto to the printers two weeks ago, so within one more week the advanced copies will be ready to send.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Book distribution is going very big in Europe, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Jayatīrtha: This last week the European zones were number one, two, and three in the world. All the American zones were behind.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's due to your presence there, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Jayatīrtha: Yes. Last week in London we distributed seventy thousand books.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In one week, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Jayatīrtha: This is the world's record for the most books ever distributed by any temple any week in history. But this week Bhagavān has sworn to beat it. That's why he hasn't come yet. He'll be here tomorrow.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhagavān is personally staying there to make sure that his zone beat Jayatīrtha's zone. And only after he's achieved victory, then he's going to come and see you.

Prabhupāda: Vedic civilization is sarve sukhino bhavantu: "Everyone be happy." This is Vedic civilization. And this is the way, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. (pause) The same house?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In Iran? The same house?

Rāmeśvara: The same house that you stayed at last time.

Prabhupāda: Good house.

Rāmeśvara: Also in downtown they purchased one house which cost $170,000. And the brahmacārīs live on the top floor, and then the ground floor is the restaurant.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Didn't you see that house, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think you went there when there were still other people living there. You said that the man received you very properly?

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Rāmeśvara: Every evening they get about eighty to one hundred people for dinner at the restaurant, and they're just starting the lunch shift. When I was there the president of the largest bank was coming for dinner, and other important people in the country of Iran were coming.

Prabhupāda: Vegetarian dinner.

Jayatīrtha: And they're all Muslims.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think you have the right man there, Śrīla Prabhupāda—Ātreya Ṛṣi.

Prabhupāda: Oh, he is very able.

Rāmeśvara: He just recently left his company, Arthur Young, and started his own business. And all the customers from Arthur Young switched over. So now he is making more money by this arrangement.

Prabhupāda: What Dayānanda is doing?

Rāmeśvara: During the day he has a job with computer work, and in the evening he manages the restaurant. He is the general manager of the restaurant.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What does his wife do?

Rāmeśvara: His wife also helps in the kitchen. She spends the whole day working in the kitchen at the restaurant. And the two girls, they help as waitresses, serving the food and taking the plates.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Muslims come to eat there?

Prabhupāda: They are all Muslim. That quarter is very busy where the house, restaurant.

Rāmeśvara: Yes. It's only about five minutes from the Senate and the main Parliament buildings. Also, the biggest museums are very nearby. Very good location. And one man has also joined, a local man who is very intelligent. And he has begun translating Bhagavad-gītā into Parsi. And in three months' time his translation of the entire Bhagavad-gītā will be completed.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Did he come recently to India with Ātreya Ṛṣi?

Rāmeśvara: That's a different man.

Prabhupāda: It will be locally published.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Locally published.

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Do like that. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126).

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You are doing that, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: You are helping that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Want to lie down now?

Prabhupāda: Hmm. He has got a Mercedes car?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Does he have a Mercedes car?

Rāmeśvara: They have one car. I don't think it is a Mercedes.

Prabhupāda: But that car is good.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's a good car?

Rāmeśvara: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You want some head massage, Śrīla Prabhupāda? Little oil? Just without oil. Would you like a little kīrtana, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Rāmeśvara Mahārāja, why don't you lead? Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: He opened a branch in Pakistan.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Did he open a branch in Pakistan?

Rāmeśvara: Not yet. There's one woman in Karachi who is Hindu woman. But her husband was a governor, one of the governors in Pakistan. He was a Muslim, and he just died. And now she wants to reestablish her Hindu faith. She contacted me in Los Angeles, and she wants to help open the temple in Pakistan. So I have given the name and address to Ātreya. (leads kīrtana) (break)

Prabhupāda: That will be our excellent achievement. This is our mission, the . . . whatever we have got, teach others. In this spread. The whole world is chanting. Did you recite the verses in Fiji?

Yaśodā-nandana: Yes. In Fiji we recited all those verses, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: They appreciated?

Yaśodā-nandana: Yes. People liked it very much. They had never heard before.

Prabhupāda: Very good. The gurukula is meant for this purpose. Teach them, and let them go around the world to teach. Taroho e bhava-sindhu. Durlabha mānava-janama sat-saṅge, taroho e bhava-sindhu re (Bhajahu Re Mana). This is our mission. (pause) Īśopaniṣad?

Yaśodā-nandana: Īśopaniṣad? Recite?

Brahmānanda: Sing it, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Jijīviṣo. What is that verse? Jijīviṣo?

Gurukṛpā: Jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ.

kurvann eveha karmāṇi

jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ

evaṁ tvayi nānyatheto 'sti

na karma lipyate nare

(ISO 2)

Prabhupāda: How many things we have to do for preaching, for teaching. And live hundreds of years. (devotees chuckle) That is jijīviṣo śataṁ yaḥ?

Yaśodā-nandana: Jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ.

Prabhupāda: We are receiving very good report from Iran.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The royal family is taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I think even your Guru Mahārāja would have been surprised to hear that, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Everyone, if one is actually gentleman. So we have this gurukula, good chance for teaching future preacher. Here is Yaśodā-nandana Mahārāja and others. You can do. Prepare, send. Prepare and send.

Brahmānanda: "Prepare and send," Prabhupāda said. Prepare them and send them.

Prabhupāda: How much tremendous work we have to do.

Brahmānanda: The whole world, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Hari-śauri: It's unlimited.

Prabhupāda: Eh? Unlimited.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And you have to lead us, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes. I am prepared, provided Kṛṣṇa allows me.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Today you said Kṛṣṇa is giving you the choice.

Hari-śauri: In the Bhāgavatam you mentioned that Nārada Muni has the free will to travel anywhere within the universe—spiritual or material. So you must also have the same ability.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Today we were discussing how nice a devotee you are, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that you are so faithful servant and devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa that He allows you to do whatever you want, because He knows that you'll do everything for Him.

Prabhupāda: Viṣaya means material activity. So one side is viṣaya chāṛiyā, se rase majiyā (Śrī Gaura-Nityānander Dayā 2). One has to give up material activities and engage himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is one side. Another side, my Guru Mahārāja said, kṛṣṇa sevāi yāṅhā kahe anukūla, viṣaya boliyā tāṅha haya bhula. Anything which is favorable for kṛṣṇa-sevā, if we give up that business as viṣaya, that is mistake.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So your life, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is the most favorable thing in this whole world for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You should not give it up.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, Kṛṣṇa has given us so many innocent boys. Yaśodā-nandana Mahārāja, teach them . . .

Yaśodā-nandana: Yes, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: . . . like you so far as chanting.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We are also your innocent boys, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Let there be struggle for existence for this purpose.

Brahmānanda: Let there be struggle for existence for this purpose. For spreading the movement?

Prabhupāda: What is the time?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It is 9:15.

Prabhupāda: Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau (Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 2).

Brahmānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda? I was thinking that the religion of Jesus Christ has spread all over the world, and you are much greater than Jesus Christ. Your teachings are far, far greater, and your power is far, far greater. So if you remain here more, more years, then certainly this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will spread all over the entire world.

Prabhupāda: I am willing.

Brahmānanda: Actually we could make this whole world Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is not difficult.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You said that you still want to see the world overflooded with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You said you wanted to see that happen.

Prabhupāda: We can do that.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: As you instruct us, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we will carry out your orders exactly.

Prabhupāda: Two things: viṣaya chāṛiyā. Material motive should be given up, and everything should be engaged for Kṛṣṇa's . . . whatever favorable. Then it will be . . . (break) . . . Ṛṣi is doing nice. Who is that Mahārāja?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Parivrājakācārya Swami.

Prabhupāda: Very nice. Good combination.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's been there now, Parivrājakācārya Swami, he's been there for, I think, two or three years now. He's worked pretty faithfully there. He tricks them. In the guise of teaching a little haṭha-yoga, then he teaches bhakti.

Prabhupāda: That is preaching.

Brahmānanda: You also tricked us, Śrīla Prabhupāda, when you came to New York. You were just chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and speaking on Bhagavad-gītā, and we came and we listened, and then you took everything. You took our lives, took all of our money . . . (devotees chuckle) We left our families.

Prabhupāda: There is a Bengali word, "Enter like a needle and come out like a plow." (laughter)

Hari-śauri: "Enter like a needle and come out like a plow."

Prabhupāda: If you say in the beginning, "I am a plow," he'll not allow you to enter. Say "I am needle." Let us try to serve Kṛṣṇa. He'll give all intelligence. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam (BG 10.10). Now go on. Take rest.

Hari-śauri: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Jaya-ho.

Hari-śauri: Would you like some chanting?

Prabhupāda: Chanting I like always. (break) (kīrtana)

Indian devotee: Jaya! Design ta khub sundar hoyeche ami magazine ta dekhchi "Bhagavad darsan" . . . (I am reading this magazine "Bhagavad darshan" it's design is so nice . . .)

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Indian devotee: "Bhagavad darsan" amra eta thekei korar cesta korchi . . . ber korar, taratari. Ar Bhavananda Maharaj sob kichu bhalo bhabe dekhchen, caridike apnar sankirtan party jacche carte . . . jacchi caridike Bangladeshe grame grame, Bihare thekechi, Bhabavuti niye geche khub bhalo boi distribution korche. (We are trying to publish this "Bhagavad darshan" . . . quickly. And Bhavananda Maharaja is looking after everything very nicely, you sankirtana party . . . four sankirtana parties are going everywhere in the village to the village in Bengal, we stayed in Bihar, Bhabavuti took us there and he is distributing books very nicely.)

Prabhupāda: Ke se? (Who is he?)

Indian devotee: Bhabavuti . . . ekta bus niye geche Bihare, o khub bhalo distribution korche amader boi. (Bhabavuti . . . he has taken a bus to Bihar, and he is distributing our books very nicely.)

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Indian devotee: Ar koyekta party seta Bangladeshe . . . eta Pascim Bange panerati grame distribute korche bangla boi . . . Bhavananda bolbe aro details, ar Jayapataka Maharajke amra aste bolchi, Delhi theke ekta telegram korte ya Maharaja khujcchen. Grame pracur cal dicche. (And some other parties also distribute Bengali books around fifty villages of West Bengal . . . Bhavananda will give you more details, and we are asking Jayapataka Maharaja to come here by a telegram from Delhi, so Maharaja is finding. The villagers are giving us lots of rice.)

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Indian devotee: Amader khete pracur cal dicche, cal. (They are giving us lots of rice to eat.)

Prabhupāda: Cal? (Rice?)

Indian devotee: Hya, khete. (Yes for eating.)

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Indian devotee: Sudhu cal. Sei gate theke building tay aste . . . (indistinct) . . . phuriye geche sob kichu . . . (Lots of rice. Coming to the building from the gate . . . (indistinct) . . . everything is finished . . .)

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Indian devotee: Bhakter dekhasona korchilo . . . (indistinct) . . . apnar kache jijnes kore . . . (indistinct) . . . (He was looking after the devotees . . . (indistinct) . . . after asking you . . . (indistinct) . . .)

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Indian devotee: Anekei se apnar katha jijnes kore, anekei dekhbar janye . . . bollam ye Vrnadavane ache sarrta kharap. Emnite sabai bhalo ache . . . (Many people ask about you and want to see you . . . I told them you are in Vrndavana and you are sick. Everyone is fine there . . .)

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Indian devotee: Okhane emnite sabai bhaloi ache . . . (Everyone is fine there . . .) (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Kato lok ache? (How many people are there?)

Indian devotee: Ekhon apnar . . . pray duso . . . kichu bare, sankirtan yakhan cole ase! Bare, araiso hoy . . . (Now around 200 people are there . . . sometimes it increases, when sankirtana comes back then it increases to 250 . . .)

Bhakti-caru: Araiso lok! (250 people.)

Indian devotee: . . . (indistinct) . . . Prabhupād kichu ranna kora jinis khay? Tanahole ami ektu ranna kore ditam . . . (Does Prabhupāda eat the cooked food of others? Otherwise I would cook for him . . .)

Bhakti-caru: Kayekdin pore koro. (Do this after some days.)

Indian devotee: Jayapataka Maharaj ise te gechilen kichu diner janya . . . (indistinct) . . . Bhuvanesvar . . . (indistinct) . . . dekhe aslo okhan theke ektu khani ektu faka jayga-tayga . . . ise apnake bolbe er sammandhe . . . (Did Jayapataka Maharaja go to that place for a few days? . . . (indistinct) . . . Bhuvanesvar . . . (indistinct) . . . he has seen some empty land there . . . he will tell you about this . . .)

Bhakti-caru: Jayapataka Maharaj aseni? (Jayapataka Maharaja didn't come?)

Indian devotee: Na. (No.)

Bhakti-caru: Keno? (Why?)

Indian devotee: Kayjan ke to thakte hobe? Ami ar Bhavananda. Bhavanander sathe ektu chilo (Some people should stay. Me and Bhavananda. He has spent some time with Bhavananda) . . . (indistinct) (end)